On December 14,201 1, EPA conducted a compliance inspection of Respondent’s facility to determine compliance with the Risk Management Plan (RMP) regulations promulgated at 40 C.F.R. part 68 under section 112(r)(7) of the Act. The EPA found that the Respondent had violated regulations implementing  section 112(r)(7) of the Act by failing to comply with the specific requirements outlined in...

On June 27, 2012, an authorized representative of the EPA conducted a compliance inspection of the Respondent’s facility to determine compliance with the Risk Management Plan (RMP) regulations promulgated at 40 C.P.R. Part 68 under Section 112(r) of the CAA. The EPA found that the Respondent had violated regulations implementing Section 112(r) of the CAA by failing to comply with the regulations...

  Many THANKS to my NEWEST and RENEWING Corporate Partners in Safety… since 2008 since 2010 since 2005 since 1/2013 2013 Fatality Tracker Electrical 7 (2012 = 68)  (2011 = 81) (2010 = 90) (2009 = 100) Forklift/Manlift 14 (2012 = 52)  (2011 = 84) (2010 = 110) (2009 = 88) Mining* 21 (2012 = 92*)  (2011 = 248) (2010 = 480) (2009 = 586) *no longer includes China accidents Explosions...

An Incident Commander’s responsibility is to assess or “size-up” the emergency situation to get a good understanding of the problems, issues and concerns and to achieve the needed situational awareness. If the incident is going to grow to where a Unified Command structure is required, it is often helpful to write down the problems that each unified agency identifies as needing attention. This...

The Coast Guard has recently become aware of counterfeits of U.S. Coast Guard approved portable fire extinguishers manufactured by Amerex Corporation and Buckeye Fire Equipment. Both companies are major producers of genuine approved fire extinguishing equipment and serve a worldwide market. These counterfeit extinguishers present a significant safety hazard. Their capability to extinguish a fire is...

Another sad, but excellent, example of how things can go from bad to worse in seconds when dealing with HAZMATs with high vapor pressures and low MIE(s)!  This was a LPG tanker that hit a tunnel entry embankment; FD was on the scene when the tanker leak got considerably worse (as can be seen in the video).  The vapor cloud found an ignition source and a massive explosion resulted.  In...

OSHA’s PSM exemption of  “Hydrocarbons used solely for workplace consumption as a fuel” is commonly misunderstood and often improperly applied.  In this article I hope to better explain how this exception can be utilized SAFELY and in FULL COMPLIANCE so that both “process safety” and “OSHA compliance” can be fully met.  Let’s start by looking that the fuels...

This decision from the OSHRC will make you wonder if safety is more about “legal matters” or “common sense safety”.  The fact that a company can use a JLG brand lift to remove and replace 31′ beams weighing 325 pound comes down to the use of clamps vs. no clamps is just crazy.  I think any self-respecting safety professional would question the practice discussed...

OSHA has identified and sent letters (letter13.html) to approximately 9,400 workplaces whose establishments are covered by Federal OSHA and reported to OSHA a 2011 “Days Away from work, Restricted work or job Transfer injury and illness” (DART) rate greater than the average rate for their industry.  The letter encourages employers to consider hiring an outside safety and health consultant,...

OSHA has cited a refinery with repeat, serious and other-than-serious violations following the death of two workers at the crude oil refinery. OSHA began its investigation 9/12/2012 following the explosion of a boiler, which killed the employees. The inspection was expanded to include associated contractors and ongoing maintenance activities during a turnaround operation. We need to TAKE NOTICE of...

On April 18, 2012, EPA conducted a compliance inspection of an Ammonia plant to determine compliance with the Risk Management Plan (RMP) regulations promulgated at 40 C.F.R. part 68 under section 112(r)(7) of the Act. The EPA found that the Respondent had violated regulations implementing section 112(r)(7) of the Act by failing to comply with the specific requirements outlined in the attached RMP Program...