One mistake many businesses make is their assumptions about how their flammable liquids will behave once they are outside of their primary containment.  I have seen companies spend millions of dollars to classify an area as a HAZLOC when it was not even close to being necessary, and I have seen some PSM businesses claim their 70,000-pound process does not need to be a HAZLOC.  One of my advanced...

I will again reference my 30 years of teaching emergency response courses and the surprising lack of hazard awareness so many “certified technicians” lack.  The one that get a lot of attention is the relationship between TOXIC and PHYSICAL hazards when the HAZMAT is both toxic and flammable.  I have shared many tips over the years, but the following is one that every safety professional...

One of the top questions I get via SAFTENG and in my PRCS or Hazardous Atmospheres training courses is… Why did OSHA use 10% LEL to define a hazardous atmosphere? There is an official and logical reason, both of which should be understood. First, the “official” reason: … HomeRead More »

We have all seen them; most of us have used them to deliver a safety message.  Let me say this up-front: it is never the banner’s fault! A SAFTENG member was reading my posts about “safety banners” and contacted me to discuss their use.  They were convinced I was 100% against using “safety banners” after reading my rants against their use.  I had to point...

   Source: VnExpress/Anh Phu   Seven (7) workers were killed, and three (3) others were injured while conducting periodic maintenance on one of the plant’s kilns when the incident occurred.  When the workers entered the rotary kiln to start the repair work, the kiln unexpectedly restarted. Replacing the eroded kiln plates is done every 5-7 months and “Things usually...

Since gas use was integral to the UH accident and since compressed gas cylinders present serious safety issues, several specific examples of improper gas and gas cylinder usage are detailed here. 1. Cylinders in the laboratories adjacent to POST 30 as well as in several laboratories located in different buildings, contained Teflon tape on the CGA connection threads to the cylinder valveoutlet (Figures...

He was working for a subcontractor on April 13, 2022, when a GC foreman used a flame torch to dry an area of the floor of an enclosed mechanical room beneath the football stadium as he and another worker were applying a flammable material to the floor. The torch sparked an explosion, and he was burned over 70% of his body when he tried to run from the room but stumbled, spilling primer on himself,...

Image Souce:  Flight Guardian

Both OSHA PRCS standards define and quantify a Hazardous Atmosphere in terms of combustible dust using the distance one can see through the dust cloud… Hazardous atmosphere means an atmosphere that may expose employees to the risk of death, incapacitation, impairment of ability to self-rescue (that is, escape unaided from a permit space), injury, or acute illness from one or more of the following...

VW chose Tennessee for its new assembly plant because it is a “right to work” state. The union campaigns lost in 2014 and 2019, but last week, it won big (2,628 for and 985 opposed), at least based on the NLRB count so far. A few votes are being challenged, but nothing near the number needed to change the overall outcome.   Could this be viewed as a cultural indicator?  We are...

Some raw materials are sensitive to humidity; this valve sticks and is more demanding than its supposedly similar neighbor; that pump has broken down; this operation sometimes occurs at night and sometimes during the day, sometimes when it’s hot, other times when it’s cold, sometimes our co-worker is tall, sometimes he is short, we may be under pressure time-wise, etc. Thanks to their experience and...

The story behind this picture is said to be a 19-year-old granddaughter’s attempt at designing for her grandfather’s dementia. Human Factors Engineering (HFE)!!! Making human factors matter by REDUCING the opportunity for error. It really can be this simple! Pic Credit: Amy Dalton