So, who has to do Confined Space Evaluations, and when must this evaluation be done? The short answers are ALL General Industry (1910) employers and at the time the standard was promulgated and before each entry. Let me explain… … HomeRead More »

One of the most asked-about standards is OSHA’s Permit-Required Confined Space (PRCS) standard. The standard can be difficult to decipher, so this post attempts to break down an employer’s entry options. We should view the standard as offering three (3) entry options. Each option has its own set of rules and pros and cons. Once a facility has completed its Confined Space/Permit Required...

Like many safety professionals, I learned there is a HUGE difference in flammable liquids the HARD WAY.  Having a strong background in fire/HAZMAT, even as an IFSTA instructor 20 years ago; I thought flammable liquids were all about flash points and LEL.  To an emergency responder, that may work, but as a safety engineer responsible for a PSM/RMP-covered process containing non-conductive...

Now here is why bonding and grounding falls well short of being all the precautions we need when transferring NON-CONDUCTIVE FLAMMABLE LIQUIDS.  Bonding and grounding takes into account that we are equalizing the energy levels between the containers and therefore the static will not be released to the differently charged container.  This works when it is DONE properly when we are transferring...

A Purdue University report showed 51 grain bin accidents last year, up from 38 in 2009 and the most since tracking began in 1978. Twenty-five people died, and five of them were children under the age of 16. The previous record for grain bin accidents was 42 in 1993. The accidents prompted the OSHA to send letters this past week to 10,000-grain bin operators across the U.S., telling them they are responsible...

The National Board of Boiler and Pressure Vessel Inspectors has released the Violation Findings Fourth Quarter Report for 2010. The report is based on 65 reports from 38 jurisdictions, consists of 170,643 inspections with 17,201 violations. This is a 10% violation rate. … HomeRead More »

Fundamental safety management failings were the root cause of Britain’s most costly industrial disaster, a new publication reveals. The report into the explosion and five-day fire at the Buncefield Oil Storage Depot in December 2005 tells for the first time the full story of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and Environment Agency’s (EA) investigation. Drawing on previously unpublished...

Members of a key congressional panel have called for a long-term extension of the U.S. Homeland Security Department effort that sets regulations for facilities that manufacture, use, store or distribute substances that could be used to produce chemical warfare materials. While lawmakers lauded the program, they expressed frustration with aspects of the effort that have yet to be completed, including...

This instruction, Enforcement Guidance for Personal Protective Equipment in General Industry, establishes OSHA’s general enforcement and guidance policy for its standards addressing personal protective equipment (PPE). … HomeRead More »

The Electrical Safety Foundation International (ESFI) is a non-profit organization dedicated exclusively to promoting electrical safety at home and in the workplace. Founded in 1994 as a cooperative effort by the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA), Underwriters Laboratories (UL), and the U.S. Consumer...

Should standards be free? What if they are incorporated by reference into federal legislation, rules, or regulations? Should people have to pay for “the law?” … HomeRead More »

River Falls manager charged for negligently shooting employee after missing a bird at cookie-making factory … HomeRead More »