On May 11, 2023, @ 8:04 a.m., an employee working for an oil and gas support services company was found dead. On May 10th, the night before, the employee had instructed his coworkers from other contractors to go home, and he would finish the job. This was the last time anyone had spoken to the employee until he was found deceased. The employee had been pressure testing a pipe with nitrogen. …...

This fatal incident displays the CRITICAL role of having procedures for responding to leaks, even “small releases.”  1910.119(n) Emergency planning and response The employer shall establish and implement an emergency action plan for the entire plant in accordance with the provisions of 29 CFR 1910.38. In addition, the emergency action plan shall include procedures for handling small...

Many organizations had a great 2023 in terms of their safety performance.  And while I am a huge advocate for celebrating our successes in safety, my support is contingent on one factor… KNOW HOW we achieved our success.  Celebrating blind luck is dangerous! Organizations often celebrate sheer luck in safety performance, which sends the wrong message to everyone.  To ensure it...

OR-OSHA has fined a Portland environmental and emergency services company $118,800 for violating job safety standards designed to protect workers from the potentially deadly hazards of confined spaces. The division cited the employer following an inspection of an incident reported by Portland Fire & Rescue. Oregon OSHA’s July 14, 2023 incident inspection found that two members of a four-person...

Having spent my entire career in Flame Retardant Clothing, I learned that improper laundering could render the PPE useless, maybe even hazardous to wear.  In my time, we always had a contractor launder and maintain our FRC.  It was not cheap, but it was necessary to ensure the PPE worked as intended when we needed it most.  Today, we see a lot of “cost-saving” trends involving...

To simplify this, the Maximum Allowable Working Pressure (MAWP) is the maximum pressure at which the hose can operate routinely.  Although, I strongly suggest the “operating ranges” be far less than the MAWP.  However, achieving the MAWP does NOT mean the hose will necessarily fail.  Where the hose will fail is called the “Burst Pressure.”  Usually, the safety...

I know this can be a sensitive topic, even though I am not a fan of the “Zero Harm” approach, but when it was presented like this, I have to say I support all seven (7) of these functions within a Safety Management System (SMS). VISION ZERO – 7 Golden Rules – for zero accidents and healthy work A guide for employers and managers … HomeRead More »

R 408.17313 Proper use, handling, storage, and containment of firefighting foam concentrate. Rule 7313. … HomeRead More »

On or about January 31, 2023, representatives of the EPA inspected Respondent’s Facility to determine compliance with Section 112(r) of the CAA and 40 C.F.R. Part 68. Information gathered during the EPA inspection revealed that Respondent had over 10,000 pounds of anhydrous ammonia in a process at its facility. Information gathered during the EPA inspection revealed that Respondent stores, distributes,...

The criteria for determining when to retire or repair FR clothing/garments/accessories MUST provide measurable or easily identifiable damage. The following are some means to DEFINE and QUANTIFY these deficiencies: … HomeRead More »

“People are actually very reliable, but there are many opportunities for error in the course of a day’s work, and when handling hazardous materials, we can tolerate only very low error rates (and equipment failure rates), lower than it may be possible to achieve. We may be able to keep up a tip-top performance for an hour or two while playing a game or a piece of music, but we cannot keep...

“People are actually very reliable, but there are many opportunities for error in the course of a day’s work, and when handling hazardous materials, we can tolerate only very low error rates (and equipment failure rates), lower than it may be possible to achieve. … HomeRead More »