This is being provided with the hope that we can learn from the mistakes made during this emergency.  PLEASE see my post “Who calls 911?” for more on this task. … HomeRead More »

Last week I wrote about taking 10 minutes and calling your local fire department to review your response needs.  Last night’s incident alerts had an incident that demonstrates EXACTLY what can happen when “Pre-Planning” is not done or done poorly! … HomeRead More »

  2011 Fatality Tracker  Electrical 21 (2010 = 90) (2009 = 100) Forklift/Manlift Mobile Equipment 39 (2010 = 110) (2009=88) Mining 82 (2010 = 480) (2009 = 586) Explosions 105 (2010 = 246) (2009 = 302) Cranes 16 (2010=50) (2009 = 82) Falls 51 (2010 = 139) (2009 = 172) (2008 = 250) Work Zone 9 (2010 = 50) (2009 = 69)  (2008 = 69) Trenching 10 (2010 = 54) (2009 = 48)  (2008 = 90) LOTO/Guards...

CONFINED SPACE FATALITY – Corn Silo ENGULFMENT … HomeRead More »

Permit-Required Confined Spaces are dangerous places, and to safely enter one, three CRITICAL PATHS have to be done near perfectly every time. These are: Space preparation (cleaning and isolation), Atmospheric Testing/Monitoring, and Permitting In this article, I want to highlight these three areas and highlight some small but critical details that can make a HUGE difference in worker safety. Space...

In this economy, we should take 10 minutes and call our local Fire Department (FD) and discuss any changes that have been made that could impact our business.  FACT:  All fire departments have been forced to make cuts in recent years; some more than others, but all have had to cut their budgets.  The first cuts come to specialized programs, such as HAZMAT teams, Special Rescue teams,...

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  Many THANKS to my RENEWING PARTNERS in SAFETY!   2011 Fatality Tracker  Electrical  21 (2010 = 90) (2009 = 100) Forklift/Manlift Mobile Equipment 38 (2010 = 110) (2009=88) Mining 78 (2010 = 480) (2009 = 586) Explosions 101 (2010 = 246) (2009 = 302) Cranes 16 (2010=50) (2009 = 82) Falls 51 (2010 = 139) (2009 = 172) (2008 = 250) Work Zone 9 (2010 = 50) (2009 = 69)  (2008 = 69) Trenching...

This week I had the pleasure of conducting an Incident Command course and in my 1-Day IC Basics course I like to challenge the students to put themselves into scenarios and to think through what needs to be done, who will be doing it, if they have been trained, if they have adequate back-up’s, etc.  One question that always comes up in this training course is “who actually calls 911?”...

UPDATED on 5/31/11 to answer some specific questions I received over the holiday weekend…Scenario:  A process that is covered under PSM/RMP (a toxic liquefied gas under pressure) is in very close proximity to a propane system that is used solely as an on-site fuel. The propane system had always been exempted using the PSM exemption of materials used solely as a fuel and the Fuels Regulatory...

One of the most common errors we find when asked to audit an RMP is the Tornado Hazard (Section 7.4.d).  With all the recent storms the last three months I bet I have gotten 50 calls and 100 e-mails asking about severe weather scenarios for facilities.  In this post, I want to walk us through a risk analysis involving a severe weather event and things your management team may want to consider...