Facility Safety - Articles - Page 54

Puerto Rico manufacturer improves workplace safety, stays OSHA SHARP

December 27, 2019

A small mattress manufacturing operation in Puerto Rico has succeeded in updating and improving work practices, improving machine guarding, increasing employee participation in safety and health activities, and improving the safety and health management system already in place at the site with help from Puerto Rico Consultation Services, which performs local assessments and consults as part of federal OSHA’s On-Site Consultation Program.

Top products of the week

December 22, 2019

Machine guarding solutions, a chemical tank cover and work boots for women in the trades were the top occupational safety and health products featured this week on ISHN.com.

2020 Top Standards: NFPA

NFPA 652 standard on fundamentals of combustible dust

December 20, 2019

As defined by OSHA, combustible dust is “a solid material composed of distinct particles or pieces, regardless of size, shape or chemical composition, which can present a fire or deflagration hazard when suspended in air or some other oxidizing medium over a range of concentrations.”

“A hot and smoky scene” – then it got worse

CSB report details how spilled chemical spill explosion killed four workers

December 19, 2019

On May 3, 2019, at a chemical manufacturing facility in Waukegan, Illinois, the operator of a tank in which a silicon hydride emulsion was being made suddenly yelled a warning. Alerted by the “unusual activity,” another operator and the Shift Supervisor – fellow employees of AB Specialty Silicones – ran over to the emulsions area. By the time they got there, the tank was overflowing with foam.

No safety management system at company that had fatal tank explosion

Decommissioning process made equipment "a bomb"

December 18, 2019

There is no way now to know exactly what chemicals were present in two pieces of equipment that were being decommissioned at the Midland Resource Recovery (MRR) Facility in Phillippi, West Virginia on May 24, 2017. What is known, according to the U.S. Chemical Safety Board, is that dangerous chemical reactions occurred, leading to violent explosions that left workers dead and injured.

Dynatect introduces economical roll-up ChemTank Cover™ to improve efficiency, productivity, and environmental conformance

December 17, 2019

Dynatect introduces the ChemTank Cover™, a corrosion-resistant chemical tank cover developed in response to the demand for convenient and space-saving options. The cover is designed to accommodate a wide range of tank applications including chemical and surface finishing, anodizing, etching, plating, cleaning and more. The cover system helps reduce heat-loss and evaporation.

From Rockford Systems

Machine guarding named on OSHA's Top Ten Violations in 2019

December 17, 2019

Recent media reports have put a spotlight on machine shop injuries. A newly released study completed by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) regarding injuries in the workplace found over 34,000 people sustain a lost-time injury in the workplace annually due to machine accidents.

Water your Christmas tree every day…

…if it’s real, that is

December 17, 2019

Although sales of artificial trees have risen from 11.9 million in 2012 to 23.6 in 2018, sales of real trees have remained stable. Approximately 32.8 million real trees were sold in the U.S. last year. Lovers of real Christmas trees appreciate their scent and authenticity. However, without a simple maintenance measure, a real Christmas tree can pose a significant fire danger in a home.

Family sues after worker dies on assembly line

December 16, 2019

The family of a Kentucky man killed in a workplace incident has filed a lawsuit against his employer, GE Appliances, and other parties. Steve Herring, who’d worked for the company for more than two decades, died in February after being pinned by machinery while working on a refrigerator-building assembly line. News sources are reporting that the state OSHA’s investigation into the fatality found that it could have been caused by an inadvertent activation of an improperly positioned gate interlock control.

After serious injury, safety violations continue at Ohio co.

December 16, 2019

After two separate inspections, OSHA has cited ArcelorMittal Cleveland LLC for exposing employees to falls. The agency has proposed $222,579 in penalties. OSHA inspected the steel plant after an employee suffered multiple fractures and a partial amputation of his right leg from a fall in June 2019.