OSHA issued $290,358 in proposed penalties following an August 2023 explosion at a paint factory in Garland, TX. One employee was injured in the explosion at the factory. OSHA issued one repeat and eight serious citations. The repeat citation was a $161,310 proposed penalty. The proposed penalties for the eight other citations are $16,131 each. … HomeRead More »

I want to thank Marcin Nazaruk for sharing this report with his LinkedIn connections.  The document below is a MUST READ and DIGEST for all safety professionals, but certainly for those who manage high-risk workplaces.  Equinor – the Norwegian Oil and Gas Company, with associated companies such as ConocoPhillips, Vår, or Aker BP, as part of their “Always Safe” initiative,...

When a person responds as if the worker has become stupid, that response is more about the organization than the worker in question We must battle the need to believe that when a worker has some type of bad outcome, that adverse outcome happened because the worker became momentarily incompetent. Our thinking is driven by a bias toward bad things happening because someone did something bad. The bias...

When a person responds as if the worker has become stupid, that response is more about the organization than the worker in question We must battle the need to believe that when a worker has some type of a bad outcome, that adverse outcome happened because the worker became momentarily incompetent. Our thinking is driven by a bias toward bad things happening because someone did something bad. The bias...

The word “adjacent” may be small in terms of letters used to spell it, but it has an enormous impact on the world of process safety.  Both OSHA’s Process Safety Standard (1910.119) and EPA’s Risk Management Plan (Part 68) use the word “adjacent.”  Here is how Webster defines “adjacent” adjacent (adjective): not distant: nearby It is important...

A great and reliable resource to help comply with… 1910.119(f)(1)(iii)(C) Control measures to be taken if physical contact or airborne exposure occurs;   https://www.cdc.gov/chemicalemergencies/factsheets/ammonia.html    

CLICK HERE for the pdf slides OSHA’s NEW Proposed Rule 1910.156 Emergency Response rule from OTI Education Center on Vimeo.

This week, OSHA posted an LOI regarding terms used in the PSM Standard, and this LOI has generated some discussions amongst some SAFTENG members, most notably… How are we required to document our HAZLOCs?  In OSHA’s LOI, it referenced 1910.307 Hazardous Locations standard which simply states: (emphasis by me) 1910.307(b) Documentation All areas designated as hazardous (classified)...

When you see it… Another “error trap,” which is actually and literally an “error trap waiting to get tripped.” Some may simply say… “this is an accident waiting to happen“ An “error trap” is defined as “a condition or circumstance that provides fertile ground for mistakes to happen.“ … HomeRead More »

On June 18, 2021, at 6:30 p.m. an employee was working for a firm that operated electric power generation facilities. He was working at a natural gas-fired power plant. He and a coworker were restoring a natural gas filter system at the power plant by aligning valves after a maintenance crew had replaced filter media. This system separates liquids from natural gas before it is burned as fuel gas to...

August 18, 2022, at 3:00 p.m., an employee entered an empty liquid propane gas (LPG) tank for servicing at an industrial equipment wholesaler facility. Earlier in the day, the employee approached a supervisor and said he wanted to enter the tank to spray Torq CB III penetrating oil product on an internal valve to loosen it overnight so it could be worked on the next day. The supervisor told the employee...

At 9:20 a.m. on July 12, 2023, an employee working as a supervisor was testing for leaks in a tank at a leak test station. Tanks are laid on their side for leak tests. The top of the tank faced the pressure test chamber, and the bottom faced the opposite direction. The employee began grinding on a round seam weld so that a leak could be repaired. … HomeRead More »