OSHA has cited a paper mill for failing to protect workers from hazards associated with exposure to sulfur dioxide. SO2 is used in treating wood pulp for paper manufacturing and can cause numerous adverse effects to the respiratory tract when vapors are inhaled. OSHA cited eight violations, carrying proposed penalties of $42,300. OSHA opened the inspection Jan. 30 under the National Emphasis Program...

The growth of large, complex technology systems in recent decades, such as nuclear power plants, commercial aviation, the petrochemical industry, chemical process plants, and marine and rail transport, has spawned rare but often catastrophic events such as organizational or system accidents. The Three Mile Island nuclear accident, the Exxon Valdez oil spill, the Bhopal India gas leak, the Challenger...

  MANY THANKS to my NEW & RENEWING Partners in Safety since 2014 since 2013 since 2011 2014 Fatality Tracker Electrical 19 (2013 = 32) (2012 = 68) Forklift/Manlift 20 (2013=62) (2012 = 52) Mining* 375 2013=87*) (2012 = 92*) *no longer includes China Explosions 46 (2013=194) (2012 = 241) Cranes 9 (2013=51) (2012 = 52) Falls 45 (2013=106) (2012 = 99) Work Zone 10 (2013=42) (2012 = 62) Trenching...

The National Board of Boiler and Pressure Vessel Inspectors has released its First Quarter Report of Violation Findings for 2014.  The data captures problem areas and trends related to boiler and pressure vessel operation, installation, maintenance, and repair; and also identifies problems before unsafe conditions occur.  This report serves as an important source of documentation for jurisdictional...

Footage has emerged of the moment two young children became paralyzed by electric shock while they were swimming in a pool in Florida. The CCTV footage shows several people in the pool at an apartment complex in Hialeah when one girl’s body suddenly freezes after she touches the metal hand rail. Her father, sitting on the steps just feet away, realizes something is wrong and quickly pulls his...

 

The owner of a skip hire firm was fined £5,000 after he was filmed putting an employee’s life in danger by lifting him in a digger bucket. The owner was prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive after a concerned member of the public videoed the incident.

OSHA does not mandate that employers establish fire brigades; however, if they do so, they must comply with the provisions of the Fire Brigades Standard. The provisions of the Standard, including the paperwork requirements, apply to fire brigades, industrial fire departments, and private or contract fire departments, but not to airport crash rescue units or forest firefighting operations. Paragraphs...

EPA alleged that each facility failed to comply with Section 112(r)(1) of the CAA (the “General Duty Clause”) in its handling of anhydrous ammonia at four (4) cold storage warehouses. Specifically, with respect to the General Duty Clause, the four Complaints alleged that each facility failed to: identify hazards which may result from accidental releases of anhydrous ammonia, which is an...

This is an amazing summary from OSHA that shows us the number and severity of Hot Work Accidents involved with doing hot work on improperly prepared vessels.  There are other hot work fatalities mixed in, but the vast majority of these incidents involved welding/cutting on vessels/containers that were NOT properly prepared. Check out 1910.252(a)(2)(vi)(C) and 1910.252(a)(3)(i) for some...

Name of product: W14-150 Ergo 12 Amp Angle Grinders Model numbers affected: 606251420 and 606251440 Serial numbers affected: 3010000001 to 4020031488 Hazard: Under certain conditions, the on/off switch can stick in the on position. Incidents / Injuries: Two incidents have been reported and there have been no injuries. Products were sold through industrial/construction distribution and internet sellers...

I recently came across an interesting situation that may be more common than I would have originally thought. I found this situation merely by being in the right spot at the right time. We were visiting the local Fire Department (FD) in order to participate in a critique of a response to a clients facility. After the critique was over I was talking “shop” with some of the FF’s and just...