2012 Fatality Tracker Electrical 66 (2011 = 81) (2010 = 90) (2009 = 100) Forklift/Manlift Mobile Equipment 50 (2011 = 84) (2010 = 110) (2009 = 88) Mining 65 (2011 = 248) (2010 = 480) (2009 = 586) Explosions 232 (2011 = 218) (2010 = 246) (2009 = 302) Cranes 46 (2011 = 50) (2010 = 50) (2009 = 82) Falls 86 (2011 = 123) (2010 = 139) (2009 = 172) (2008 = 250) Work...

An interesting look at OSHA’s perspective on the written documents needed for comply with PSM!  The information is used by employers to ensure that processes using highly hazardous chemicals with the potential of a catastrophic release are operated as safely as possible. The employer must thoroughly consider all facets of a process, as well as the involvement of employees in that process....

Date: November 5, 2012 Models Affected: GS-3390, GS-4390 and GS-5390 equipped with the Oscillating Axle System Serial Numbers Affected: … HomeRead More »

Millions of homes will enjoy a deep fried turkey this Thanksgiving and Christmas.  This method of preparing the traditional family meal(s) has gained much popularity, but every year hundreds will suffer injury and/or damage to their homes while deep frying their turkey!  Please watch and learn and don’t become a statistic this Thanksgiving or Christmas holiday.

OSHA cited a tank trailer cleaning business with 11 safety and health violations, including two willful violations, primarily for failing to protect workers in confined spaces. Upon receiving a complaint alleging hazards, OSHA opened an inspection of the company’s Lansing facility. Proposed penalties total $142,100. Here is a breakdown of the citations … … HomeRead More &raqu...

The study was commissioned by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) following an October 1989 explosion at a Phillips 66 plastics plant in Pasadena, Texas, that killed 23 workers and injured another 232. The accident involved an outside contracting firm that had experienced a fatality at the same site earlier in the year. These two incidents produced a Congressional hearing at which...

This is another great process safety report that is FULL of learning opportunities; a MUST READ for process safety professionals and those involved in their facility’s process safety efforts.  The last article discussed the famous 1974 Flixborough Explosion in the UK.  This catastrophe was a bit closer to home in Pasadena, TX and is considered to be “the final straw”...

Over the years I have used many OSHRC decisions in my newsletters and website, as I feel they are GREAT learning tools to further our understanding of what is required to comply with OSHA standards.  The written decisions of the OSHRC include a ton of information about what the standard requires and the level of expectations.  Much like the pre-ambles to some of the standards, these decisions...

This year a company was issued three citation items that the company failed to have a “company executive” certify its annual summaries of workplace injuries and illnesses entered on its OSHA 300 Logs for 2007, 2008, and 2009, in violation of 29 C.F.R. § 1904.32(b)(4).  OSHA proposed a penalty of $800 for each alleged violation.  OSHA’s sole allegation in this case is that the company’s...

These are REALLY GREAT tools from OSHA and MSHA.  I can envision these tools being a GREAT EXERCISE for a safety comittee to use as a learning and assessment tool.  They can be used by facilities looking to get an understanding of their compliance obligations based on some VERY SPECIFIC workplace requirements.  The user will establish the type of workplace/industry they are in; then...

Can you find the “human factors” issues in these photos? This next photo is not quite as obvious as the one above, but this is an emergency egress hatch for a bus used to shuttle workers at a mine site.  Myself and another safety professional were doing a site assessment for them and on the ride out there we noticed this “slight” problem with this emergency egress and...