Most of us know that OSHA requires us to retain our canceled PRCS Entry permits for one year to be able to do our annual review of our program, which is also an OSHA requirement.  However, and this is a HUGE “however,”…if the permit’s air monitoring section shows there was any exposure to a contaminant, that permit would fall under 1910.1020 retention requirements (e.g.,...

Anyone who has been involved in incident investigations will just smile and feel a lot of relief that your world is not so different than the safety professional down the street!  Although the video is slanted toward a QC type investigation, you will be able to relate to the LAME _ _ _ _ corrective actions in this “Top Ten List of Unacceptable Corrective Actions“.  See if you...

On June 20, 2009, an ammonia line ruptured during maintenance at a poultry processing plant in Robeson County, N.C., killing one employee and injuring several others. This accident should remind employers of the hazards associated with the use of anhydrous ammonia as a refrigerant at food processing plants. Click...

All too often, when doing a CS entry or rescue course, we are surprised by the number of entry supervisors who do not understand the major limitation of a combustible gas meter… the LEL Correction Factor. EVERY meter in use today will have this limitation! This is how it works… … HomeRead More »

What has changed in the definition of an IDLH atmosphere? NIOSH has removed the mention of the 30 minute time period, based on intraspecies variation factors. There is no mention of the 30-minutes in the new definition.  A little history about the IDLH designation… The concept of using respirators to protect workers...

A bit of info that many emergency responders do not know! A Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapor Explosion (BLEVE) can occur with non-flammable materials such as cryogenics like liquid Oxygen, Nitorgen, etc. All we need to have in place for a BLEVE to occur is a material with a high vapor pressure (thus a low BP), a pressurized container, and an external fire impinging...

A recent report in the Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine notes that “the exact incidence of cell phone elbow is not known, but anecdotal reports and our own clinical experience indicates that its incidence parallels the rise in the use of cell phones and computer workstations.”  With more...

The NIOSH Hearing Loss Simulator is a software training and communication tool for promoting hearing loss prevention. It allows a user or trainer to demonstrate the effects of noise exposure on hearing without experiencing an actual noise-induced hearing loss. Estimates of the effects of different levels of...

We continue to find businesses misunderstanding the need and requirement for “non-entry rescue” requirements found in 1910.146(k)(3). Even when a business has its own in-house CS rescue team, the rule is that for EVERY entry into a Permit-Required Confined Space, non-entry rescue capabilities found in 1910.146(k)(3)(i) & 1910.146(k)(3)(ii). There are ONLY two exceptions to this rule:...

A MUST READ for ALL Safety Pro’s The GUIDANCE ON INVESTIGATING AND ANALYZING HUMAN AND ORGANIZATIONAL FACTORS ASPECTS OF INCIDENTS AND ACCIDENTS is a report published by ENERGY INSTITUTE, LONDON. Simply attributing incidents/accidents to human error is not adequate; human factors aspects should be investigated such that lessons are learned to prevent recurrence. Each incident...

Those of you that get my Incident Alerts or participate in the Safety Engineering Network Linked In Forum have seen the recent accident that involved a 61-year-old supervisor with over 40 years of experience at the plant which was killed when he entered a plastic molding press using an “open door” that was “interlocked” and was crushed when the machine cycled. The article stated… “The...

Update: Download the Updated PSI Evaluation Tool (v 3.02) CCPS initiated a project in late 2006 to develop a focused set of lagging Process Safety metrics to help industry monitor progress and drive improvement in Process Safety Programs. The project, involving a large number of CCPS member companies and external stakeholders, has recommended a concise set of metrics. CCPS is working...