“Issuance of this Citation does not constitute a finding that a violation of the Act has occurred.” —from OSHA Citation and Notification of Penalty On October 29, 2011, a grain elevator explosion in Atchison, Kansas killed six men—four employees and two grain inspectors. OSHA cited the Bartlett Grain Company’s facility and proposed a fine of [...]
“Christmas is a season for kindling the fire for hospitality in the hall, the genial flame of charity in the heart.” Washington Irving Christmas is also the season for crackling fires in the fire place and carols sung by candlelight. Unfortunately, Christmas is the season for the rare but devastating church fire, when a church [...]
“Adversity does not build character, it reveals it” -James Lane Allen I have been very interested in what the press has had to say about process safety issues following Hurricane Harvey. I was also very gratified when the U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) put out a warning that start-up was one the most dangerous operations [...]
On July 31st, the Department of Labor (DOL) submitted seven OSHA sponsored information collection requests (ICR) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval titled: "Rigging Equipment for Material Handling," "Hydrostatic Testing Provision of the Portable Fire Extinguishers Standard," "Requirements for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration Training Institute Education Centers [...]
“Defunding the CSB is just plain stupid.” -Mark Rosenzweig, Editor-in-Chief, Chemical Processing It has been a month since the administration announced a list of 19 independent federal agencies that it wants to completely defund in the 2018 budget. Tucked in among the regional economic development agencies and the agencies that support the arts and humanities [...]
“From this day forward, a new vision will govern our land.” President Donald J. Trump President Trump just reversed the Obama administration’s rejection of the Keystone XL pipeline. Regardless of my concerns about hydrocarbon consumption, as a safety professional, I have to welcome the news, knowing as I do that pipelines are the safest way [...]
Just when you were getting used to the new levels of fines from OSHA, they’ve increased again. The Federal Register just published new fines for the Department of Labor, including new fines for OSHA. The fines for willful violations will increase 1.64%, from $124,709 to $126,749, while the maximum penalty for most citations will go [...]
“It is better to light a candle than curse the darkness.” Eleanor Roosevelt Every year, late in December, we are greeted with the news of a church that burned down because of a candle left burning during a Christmas service. It’s not common, but it would sure be embarrassing to be a safety professional and [...]
