Practical EHS Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
Recently, we received the following question from a subscriber: I need to install a 30-foot fixed ladder as a secondary egress point for an underground pump station. There are two intermediary levels where a step-off will be required. What type of fall protection would be required if I enclose the ladder in a cage?
We ship empty methyl-ethyl ketone (MEK) containers by truck back to the supplier for refill. Must we classify them as Hazardous Material since the empty containers have only residual amount of MEK left in them, or is there an empty container exemption?
Yesterday we discussed the relationship between labeling under the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) Hazard Communication Standard (HazCom) and the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) labeling requirements. Today we will offer some placarding tips for shipments of DOT-regulated hazardous materials. Quick Review Placards, like labels, are used to graphically communicate a cargo’s hazard. Generally, […]
What’s the relationship between labeling under the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) Hazard Communication Standard (HazCom) and the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) labeling requirements? Which label must you use? Can you use both? Today we will help answer these questions, and tomorrow we will offer some placarding tips for shipments of DOT-regulated hazardous […]
Recently, we received the following question from a subscriber regarding extension cord safety: OSHA recently sent out a Letter of Interpretation explaining their views for extension cords on the manufacturer’s label stating “Do not plug one extension cord into another extension cord during use.” Does “during use” mean while the extension cord is energized? Or […]
As late as 2014, workers who died during tank gauging and other activities that involved opening the thieves’ hatch on oilfield tanks were recorded as resulting from “natural causes.” As a result, surviving family members were not eligible for workers’ compensation benefits. A recent court case out of Colorado could change that. Jim Freemyer, a […]
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 […]
In December 2013, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued a Request for Information to be used in updating its process safety management (PSM) standard. One of the changes under consideration by OSHA was the addition of a definition for recognized and generally accepted good engineering practices (RAGAGEP)—a term that is used, but not […]
In the wake of the Chevron Richmond Refinery fire in 2012, the U.S. Chemical Safety Board, the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and state agencies have stepped up their process safety management (PSM) recommendations and enforcement efforts. Federal OSHA had already initiated the Petroleum Refinery Process Safety Management National Emphasis Program (Refinery NEP) […]