Bad Ideas: Abolishing OSHA

“The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 is repealed. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is abolished.”  — the complete text of Section 2 of H.R. 86, introduced by Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ) I’m not really sure what Andy Biggs hoped to accomplish by introducing his “Nullify Occupational Safety and Health Administration Act” (NOSHA [...]

By |2025-02-14T08:37:59-06:00February 13th, 2025|Current Events, Workplace Safety|0 Comments

Occupational Noise: Is Hearing Protection Enough?

“Unnecessary noise is the most cruel absence of care that can be inflicted on the sick or the well.”  — Florence Nightingale I grew up in an age of loud rock ‘n roll. I, like one in six people of my generation, suffer some hearing loss. To save the hearing that I still have, I [...]

By |2025-02-06T09:54:11-06:00February 6th, 2025|Recommendations, Risk Assessment, Workplace Safety|0 Comments

“OSHA Says”: Oxygen Monitoring

“Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.”  — George Bernard Shaw Because of the work we do, we often hear about OSHA requirements that don’t actually exist. Something akin to, “Well, OSHA says you have to…” Occasionally, they are right. More often though, the requirement fulfills someone’s agenda and OSHA is the [...]

By |2025-01-30T09:00:50-06:00January 30th, 2025|Process Safety, Workplace Safety|Comments Off on “OSHA Says”: Oxygen Monitoring

Tick Tock, Tick Tock: Is It Time for a PHA Revalidation?

“Time keeps on slipping, slipping, slipping, into the future.”  — Steve Miller The Process Safety Management (PSM) standard, 29 CFR 1910.119, states in (e)(6) that “At least every five (5) years after the completion of the initial process hazard analysis, the process hazard analysis shall be updated and revalidated by a team meeting the requirements [...]

By |2025-01-23T10:56:23-06:00January 23rd, 2025|PHA, Process Safety, Process Safety Management|Comments Off on Tick Tock, Tick Tock: Is It Time for a PHA Revalidation?

Baby, It’s Cold Outside: Hoodies and Hardhats

“Although OSHA does not have a specific standard that covers working in cold environments, employers have a duty to protect workers from recognized hazards, including cold stress hazards.”  — OSHA Winter Weather notice While we have had days that are unseasonably warm, there have already been days that were bitterly cold. And we haven’t even [...]

By |2024-12-17T12:15:29-06:00December 12th, 2024|Workplace Safety|Comments Off on Baby, It’s Cold Outside: Hoodies and Hardhats

Bhopal: 40 Years Later

“You can’t let your failures define you. You have to let your failures teach you.”  — Barack Obama Forty years ago, on December 3, 1984, the Union Carbide plant in Bhopal, India released 45 tons of methyl isocyanate. The official toll of immediate deaths is 2,259 people. Estimates of the final death toll ranges but [...]

By |2024-12-03T11:58:08-06:00December 3rd, 2024|Current Events, Process Safety|1 Comment

Mental Illness: An OSHA Recordable

“I have the normal complement of anxieties, neuroses, psychoses and whatever else – but I’m absolutely nothing special.”— Clive Barker The National Institute of Mental Health reported in 2022 that more than one in five adults in the United States live with a mental illness.  That’s 59.3 million people, or 23.1% of the U.S. population.  [...]

By |2025-01-14T13:49:20-06:00November 7th, 2024|Workplace Safety|Comments Off on Mental Illness: An OSHA Recordable

Office Hazards: Paper Cuts and Paper Cutters

“The first cut is the deepest.”  — Rod Stewart Most of our work regards process safety hazards: the potentially fatal hazards involving chemical fires, explosions, and toxic releases. Frequently, our clients also ask for our help with industrial safety hazards: the potentially fatal hazards involving slips, trips, and falls, and contact with objects. Recently, though, [...]

By |2024-10-24T11:12:14-05:00October 24th, 2024|Workplace Safety|Comments Off on Office Hazards: Paper Cuts and Paper Cutters

Hot Work Permits: Has the EPA Created a New Fire Hazard?

“Paper doesn’t save people. People save people.”  — Dan Peterson I don’t know anyone in a regulated community that likes regulations. Some may accept them because they bring clarity in a confusing situation, but no one likes them. Even with the best of intentions, someone that must comply with a lot of regulations worries that [...]

By |2025-01-14T13:53:02-06:00October 10th, 2024|Current Events, Process Safety, Process Safety Management|Comments Off on Hot Work Permits: Has the EPA Created a New Fire Hazard?

Déjà Vu at BioLab: What Can We All Learn?

“If they knew it was water-reactive, why did they store it in a warehouse with automatic sprinklers?”  — Chris Schmidt, retired pre-school teacher Wikipedia is a “go-to” source for quick information. Regarding the fire at the BioLab facility in Conyers, Georgia, however, it has this disclaimer: “Information may change rapidly as the event progresses, and [...]

By |2025-01-14T13:54:26-06:00October 3rd, 2024|Chemicals, Current Events|Comments Off on Déjà Vu at BioLab: What Can We All Learn?
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