There have not been many “catastrophic accidents” in the refrigeration industry to study in great detail (PLEASE do NOT translate this into something it is not).  But there is one such realitively recent (2008) that occured in Korea and claimed the lives of 40 workers.  Although Korea does not have a comparable process safety management standard like OSHA’s or EPA’s,...

PHMSA is issuing this safety advisory to notify the public of the unauthorized marking of high pressure compressed gas cylinders.  Investigators from PHMSA’s Office of Hazardous Materials Safety (OHMS) recently conducted a compliance inspection of George Welding & Supply Co., Inc. As a result of that inspection, PHMSA has determined that George Welding & Supply Co., Inc. marked an...

  2012 Fatality Tracker Electrical 62 (2011 = 81) (2010 = 90) (2009 = 100) Forklift/Manlift Mobile Equipment 49 (2011 = 84) (2010 = 110) (2009 = 88) Mining 65 (2011 = 248) (2010 = 480) (2009 = 586) Explosions 227 (2011 = 218) (2010 = 246) (2009 = 302) Cranes 45 (2011 = 50) (2010 = 50) (2009 = 82) Falls 84 (2011 = 123) (2010 = 139) (2009 = 172) (2008 = 250) Work Zone 54  (2011...

New Mexico OSHA and the refinery entered a settlement agreement for citations issued resulting from an investigation of a March 2010 accident, which killed two employees and seriously injured two others at the refinery. As part of the agreement, the company will pay a $400,000 fine, the highest penalty ever collected by the state OSHA program. … HomeRead More »

I am continuing on with my Hotwork crusade this week.  This is an oldie but one photo that will not be easily forgotten.  A welder lost his life in this accident and a family lost a father, best friend and bread winner!  The worker was welding on the “empty trailer” that had last contained alcohol.  The rest is elementary!  One basic, but very important fact about...

This week’s video is one for the process safety crowd.  We often hear of, and I am quick to mention, over pressure events in my process safety writings; but we can NOT loose sight of the power of a vacuum and the damage it can do!  In my relatively short 20+ years in process safety I have seen and experienced first hand at least a half dozen atmospheric tanks be destroyed from a vacuum...

The photo above is showing the progression in failure of a commonly used PSM component associated with Mechanical Integrity.  The material starts out white as paper (as shown at the bottom of the photo) and turns darker color through it’s progression to failure.  In it’s final state it had lost all of its elasticity and became very brittle.  Even in the stage of failure (3rd...

A little fun for Friday.  One of my favorite TV shows these days is the Big Bang Theory.  I have always thought there was something special about Sheldon and then tonight it became clear… Sheldon is a all about SAFETY!

Have you ever wondered how relaible your relief devices actually are?  Ever wondered why five years is the mximum baseline timeframe for testing and replacement?  As a result of years of testing, The National Board has accumulated a good deal of data that helps us analyze the quality and reliability of relief valves. We can use the data to determine what industry can expect when they receive...

Commissioner of the New York City Department of Investigation (“DOI”), announced the result of a two-week sweep with the City Department of Buildings (“DOB”) that found and confiscated more than 70 fraudulent scaffold certification and U.S. Occupational and Safety Administration (“OSHA”) safety cards and resulted in the arrest of 30 construction workers at sites in Manhattan and Brooklyn....

    2012 Fatality Tracker Electrical 60 (2011 = 81) (2010 = 90) (2009 = 100) Forklift/Manlift Mobile Equipment 48 (2011 = 84) (2010 = 110) (2009 = 88) Mining 65 (2011 = 248) (2010 = 480) (2009 = 586) Explosions 227 (2011 = 218) (2010 = 246) (2009 = 302) Cranes 41 (2011 = 50) (2010 = 50) (2009 = 82) Falls 81 (2011 = 123) (2010 = 139) (2009 = 172) (2008 = 250) Work...