The topic of SMS in aviation has been around for more than 30 years. The FAA provides the following description of SMS and its principles: Technology and system improvements have made great contributions to safety. However, part of being safe is about attitudes and paying attention to what your surroundings are telling you. Whether through data or through the input of employees and others, recognizing...

I was reading through the Boeing Safety Assessment report and was so happy to see they used James Reason’s safety culture model, which consists of five components that collectively would cultivate a positive safety culture. The five (5) components include: Reporting Culture, Just Culture, Flexible Culture, Learning Culture, and Informed Culture SAFTENG members can read more on Reason’s...

Respondent has a P-Tank Farm Vinyl Acetate Monomer {VAM), D-Tank Farm Toluene Diisocyanate (TDI), and the Isopentane and Isopentane/n-Pentane blend Intermodal Transfer processes at the Facility, meeting the definition of “process,” as defined by 40 C.F.R. § 68.3. Isopentane, pentane, acrylonitrile, toluene diisocyanate (unspecified isomer), and vinyl acetate monomer are each a “regulated...

On October 19, 2019, @ 07:15 a.m., a contractor employee was standing on a scissor lift and replacing insulation on the pipes in the engine room of Building 3. As the employee lowered the scissor lift, the walking platform of the scissor lift where a technician was standing struck the service drain valve (3ML 3064) and cracked the nipple at the thread, causing an uncontrolled release of pressurized...

One of the more widely found complaints regarding safety professionals is that “they don’t talk about safety in terms that management can understand/embrace.”  Personally, as a safety professional, I find that an easy excuse not to embrace safety MANAGEMENT, but I may be a bit biased since I am a safety professional and I have never had a management group accuse me of such nonsense. ...

This was a brief 30-minute chat with my friend and longtime supporter @ SAFTENG on the topic of Permit-Required Confined Spaces.  This first episode was just the basics, but I explain how a confined space is DEFINED and how that confined space becomes a Permit-Required Confined Space (PRCS).  We then discuss the three (3) entry options:  (c)(5), (c)(7), and (d)-(k), and many of the pros...

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) issue this safety advisory to provide notice of the possibility of catastrophic failure of certain hazardous materials packages commonly known as “nurse tanks.” See Title 49, Code of Federal Regulations (49 CFR) §173.315(m). NOTE:  SAFTENG members can see pics of this event...

For those who believe entering a PRCS would not happen when the Oxygen level is measured at 19.5% (IDLH for O2 Deficiency)… November 22, 2022, @ 1:00 p.m., an employee from a local chemical company was cleaning the inside of a tanker trailer. The employee was required to enter the tank and wash out the tank with soap and water. Before entry, the oxygen level in the tank was 19.5%.  The employee...

I am no longer surprised when I teach a PRCS or an Emergency Response course and the students who have been doing entries into PRCSs and responding to emergencies but are unaware of primary atmospheric conditions.  This is how I explain it… We have 100% volume of air in the space. That 100% volume is broken down into: … HomeRead More »

Last month, I discussed what a “management system” would look like should we manage our Permit-Required Confined Space entry operations as a “management system” versus a standalone OSHA compliance program.  (CLICK HERE for that post) Today, I want to discuss the same approach but in respect to how we manage another life safety critical practice… The Control of Hazardous...

A recent story in my local news was regarding changes to traffic patterns made to the 44th most dangerous intersection in OH.  A 2018 traffic study showed there had been 114 crashes at the intersection over the previous four (4) years; 40% of those resulted in an injury.  The state tried just about every administrative control known to man to reduce the number of accidents and their severity. ...

As is evident by several Permit-Required Confined Space incidents over the years, workers MUST FULLY understand the limitations of the respirators they are using.  This latest incident involved a worker who was vacuuming, and the nozzle became stuck inside the tank. To free the nozzle, the worker—wearing a respirator with organic filters used explicitly for working outside the tank—fully entered...