I often find folks are surprised when they are told that dust accumulations on ledges, equipment, rafters, etc. is a MAJOR hazard.  We all know about suspended dust, but as humans we tend to feel more safe when we can not see the hazard, a concern we all carry as safety professionals.  But dust accumulations are indeed a MAJOR hazard.  I like...

This week, the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) issued a final rule that establishes interim design standards aimed at improving the crashworthiness of tank cars carrying poison inhalation hazard (PIH) materials.  The rule mandates that tank cars carrying PIH materials, such as chlorine and anhydrous ammonia, feature thicker inner shells and/or outer jackets to improve puncture resistance...

A MUST READ for businesses that use nurse tanks and for Emergency Responders who may respond to incident involving them!!!  Based on eight (8) recent enforcement investigations, conducted by the U.S. Department of Transportation, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), Office of Hazardous Materials Enforcement (OHME), this letter is intended to notify the industry of...

A few months back I posted an article regarding OR-OSHA’s revisions to their “STATIONARY COMPACTORS, SELF-CONTAINED COMPACTORS AND BALERS” standard and offered up the idea that we could/should be using this state plan standard as our own guidance in how we manage safety around our equipment, even though we are not in the state of Oregon.  They just completed the revisions...

A few months back I posted an article regarding OR-OSHA’s revisions to their “STATIONARY COMPACTORS, SELF-CONTAINED COMPACTORS AND BALERS” standard and offered up the idea that we could/should be using this state plan standard as our own guidance in how we manage safety around our equipment, even though we are not in the state of Oregon.  They just completed the revisions...

The new Training Package for responding to ethanol incidents includes an instructors manual, a participant packet, interactive workshop materials, PowerPoint presentations, two videos and guidelines for fire departments to have ethanol production facilities in their communities. This extensive package is very beneficial giving the sources to be knowledgeable and prepared for any ethanol emergency...

Chemical-terrorism Vulnerability Information (CVI) is the information protection regime authorized by Section 550 of Public Law 109-295 to protect from inappropriate public disclosure any information developed or submitted pursuant to Section 550. This includes information that is developed and/or submitted to DHS pursuant to the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS) regulation which...

Some may think this is crazy, I do; but I have had many debates with businesses during audits and serious accident investigations around this argument.  There are a lot of mind-sets in plants that have many presses that LOTO does not apply to this task as it would slow production too much and put them out of business.  I am floored each time, as you will see in this analysis, their argument...

UPDATE from my OSHA contacts:  The NEP was written so that OSHA offices would not single out NH3 refrigeration and CL2 water treatment processes.  OSHA feared that since these processes were so plentiful that they would target these types of processes and not inspect other types of processes, so in reality they were spelled out – not to focus on, but rather to prevent OSHA from focusing...

Scenario: An employer requires ordinary safety-toe footwear throughout their facilities and pays for the first $100...

This NPRM would update the SDO standards referenced in the three paragraphs that comprise the Acetylene Standard. The Compressed Gas Association (CGA) published several editions of these SDO standards after OSHA adopted them in 1974, and one of these standards (i.e., Compressed Gas Association Pamphlet G-1.4-1966), is no longer available for purchase...

There is not a safety professional on this planet that has not had to deal with a worker putting side shields on their street glasses and trying to pass them off as “safety glasses”.  These days we often get the argument from the worker that the lenses are “plastic and are the same as safety glasses”.  Trying to explain the difference between the two can be difficult,...