On March 1, 2024, a miner died after a metal slurry pipe struck him. The miner was removing the last bolt connecting two metal slurry pipes when the pipe broke free and swung in his direction. Best Practices • Prevent miners from positioning themselves in a manner that will expose them to hazards while performing a task. • Examine work areas before and during the shift for hazards. • Ensure that blocking...

This is me doing a Process Hazards Analysis (PHA) with my non-American clients who use the metric system!Go ahead and laugh – but know the struggle is real.? ?  

An Oklahoma City employer’s failure to follow federal safety procedures left a 30-year-old worker suffering fatal asphyxiation as they tried to make repairs inside a water tank at a McClain County well site in September 2023.  Responding to the report of a fatality in Purcell, OSHA investigators determined the worker had entered a permit-required confined space to fix a leaking bulkhead valve...

We hear it often… “Who would turn the machine on while I’m working on it?”  It happens more often than most think.   Employee # 1 and Coworker #1, Coworker #2, and Coworker #3 were cleaning two (2) concrete mixers. Employee #1 was paired with Coworker #1 to clean out a mixer. Employee #1 entered Mixer #1 and began chipping out the concrete build-up while Coworker #1...

A former client had an amputation accident, and an OSHA inspection followed, with several citations following that.  We were hired to help the company digest all that OSHA found wrong, and there was plenty that OSHA found, but there was even more that OSHA did not see or address with its inspection or citations. The client wanted help with the “abatement plans” to close out the OSHA...

When meeting with executive teams, I like to conduct an exercise to gauge the leadership team’s level of knowledge and direct involvement in the safety and health of their employees.  Before getting deep into the organization’s specific barriers/controls/safeguards regarding their top 3 risks (which the team picks), I ask the team to take 10 minutes and identify the barriers/controls/safeguards...

We see these silly stickers occasionally in our work with clients. Although they are not official company positions, I am curious as to why they aren’t removed from company machinery and equipment. Could this be because management/supervisors believe this to be an accurate statement/belief? But let’s talk about the message these silly stickers really convey and to do so, I ask the question:...

The seven C’s of being all we can be as safety professionals.   Compassionate Confident Collaborative Contemplative Civil Curious, and Courageous   Let us remember WHY we became safety professionals AND, more importantly, putting those we have the privilege to protect # 1 in our efforts.   Source: 7 C’s of Compassionate Leaders (Forbes)

I have grown up in safety and emergency response and found that the tools used in both aspects can cross over to the other.  For example, I use the National Incident Management System (NIMS) Incident Command on accident investigations to bring structure to the team.  In that IC we have a “span of control” of no more than seven (7) people reporting to any one person.  This...

This is an unusual case in that it involved a 20-pound release of NH3 during a “line break” on a refrigeration system.  There was only a single citation and it came at a price of $38,500.  The employee was injured.  I have been unable to locate an OSHA investigation regarding this incident, which occurred in TX.  This case is also interesting in that the company agreed...

I have been involved with emergency response for over 30 years. During those years, I trained thousands of municipal and private responders, specializing in traditional Hazardous Materials Responses. During all those years, when I received continuing training from the likes of Texas A&M, LSU, NFA, and SERTC, these advanced courses only validated my first HAZWOPER course at Murray State University...

Not all “simple asphyxiants” are created equal; thus, not all make for good purging or blanketing.  Would you believe me if I told you that one very common simple asphyxiant gas should NEVER be used for purging or blanketing flammable atmospheres? Many folks view Nitrogen (N2) and Carbon Dioxide (CO2) as very similar.  This is based on how we, as humans, respond to both of these...