Archives

Protecting Oil and Gas Workers: The Latest Recommendations

In December, 2014, OSHA formed an Alliance with NIOSH and the National Service, Transmission, Exploration & Production Safety (STEPS) Network to identify hazards faced by oil and gas workers, and to make protective recommendations. Earlier this year, the Alliance issued a Tank Hazard Alert aggregating its findings on oilfield hazards and possible solutions. Some of […]

Oil and Gas Flowback Operations: Releasing a Killer

It was the deaths of the healthier oilfield workers that raised a red flag. The nine oilfield workers who died between 2010 and 2015 while performing tank gauging or sampling were initially ruled by medical examiners to have died of natural causes. But a lot of those workers were too young, and too healthy, for […]

Q&A: Vial and Syringe Disposal

Recently, we received the following question from a customer: How should we dispose of our vials and syringes? Should they be discarded separately from wastes contaminated with blood or OPIM?

OSHA: No More Counting Inspections

Assistant Secretary of Labor for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) David Michaels, PhD, announced a new enforcement strategy during the 2015 National Safety Council Congress & Expo in which the Agency will no longer count the number of inspections it conducts in an effort to emphasize quality over quantity.

OSHA Further Extends Confined Space Enforcement Deadline

OSHA’s Confined Spaces in Construction standard was published in May 2015 and took effect in August. A temporary enforcement policy was in effect for all covered employers through October 2. OSHA has now extended that temporary enforcement policy through January 8, 2016, but only for employers engaged in residential construction work. Nonresidential construction employers please […]

Safety Risks and Solutions in the Food Industry

Millions of Americans are employed in growing, producing, cooking, and serving food. Despite their importance to the economy and to our daily lives, these workers and the hazards they face remain largely invisible. This article addresses food-worker risks and some of the initiatives and innovations involved in reducing them.

DOL’s Proposed Enforcement Guidance for Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces

In May, 2015, the Department of Labor (DOL) issued a proposed guidance document for its personnel on complying with Executive Order 13673, Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces. The document is not yet finalized, however, it does offer insights into how OSHA and other agencies within the DOL intend to interpret and act upon the Order. […]

Ask the Technical UST Expert!

In anticipation of BLR’s upcoming underground storage tank (UST) Master Class, Emily Remmel sat down with copresenter Dennis Oberdove, owner and president of Tank Integrity Services, to get a sense of the daily troubleshooting issues that arise on the ground when testing UST systems.