Equipment and Process Safety


Home \| Contact Us \| Free E-Zine \| Tell a Friend \| Search \| Member Log-In

Home | Equipment and Process

Equipment and Process Safety

Subtopics:

Hazardous Energy and Electricity
Machine Guarding
Material Handling
Specific Industries

Complete Topic List

Appeals Board Decisions: Recent Cases Highlight Excavator Hazards; Beware Of Equipment and Site Hazards
January 2012
Workers on and around excavators are exposed to hazards created by the equipment itself as well as hazards that vary by worksite--and either type of hazard can cause serious injuries or death. Two recent cases illustrate these hazards. . . . more »

Legislation: Governor Signs Occupational Safety-Related Laws; New Requirements For Safe Patient Handling, Body Artists, and Pipelines
December 2011
The Legislature had a busy session in 2011, and Gov. Jerry Brown signed a flurry of bills into law this fall--including three that will affect occupational safety and health in California. We'll provide an overview of those laws. . . . more »

Trainer's Handbook: Safe Work Procedures Can Prevent Deadly Nail Gun Injuries; Train Workers to Safely Handle This Powerful Equipment
December 2011
Nail guns are used every day on many construction jobs. Although they boost productivity, nail guns also cause tens of thousands of painful injuries each year. . . . more »

Standards Update: Cal/OSHA Adopts Updates to Ship Building Rules and First Aid for Electrical Workers
December 2011
Cal/OSHA recently adopted two federal rules that bring its regulations into line with new and existing federal rules. Both rules were "Horcher adoptions," meaning that the Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board has made only editorial and format changes necessary to conform the federal standards to California's other state laws and standards. . . . more »

OSHA and NIOSH release nail gun safety guide
November 2011
Federal OSHA and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health have teamed up to publish a new guide designed to help employers and workers prevent work-related nail gun injuries. The guid . . . more »

Appeals Board Decisions: 'Transportation' Standard Applies to Parked Forklift Load; Three Key Findings You Should Know
November 2011
Loren Roose worked as a preventive maintenance and repair technician for Forklift Sales of Sacramento, Inc., in Fresno. While Roose was at a customer's facility in 2005, he was asked to repair the wheels on a pallet jack. . . . more »

Contractors: Who Is Responsible for Safety on Multi-Employer Worksites? A Primer for Controlling Employers
November 2011
Cal/OSHA's rules for multi-employer worksites define the roles for four different categories of employers, with the heaviest burden falling on the "controlling employer" at each worksite. These rules are found in Article 4.5 of Title 8 of the California Code of Regulations and apply to both general industry and construction industry employers. If you're involved in a multi-employer site, you need to know who the controlling employer is and what that means for your safety responsibilities. . . . more »

Chemical Process Safety: Refinery Fire Draws Attention to Deficits in Procedures and Testing; Do You Know What the PSM Rules Require?
September 2011
Two contractors were performing pipe-breaking work at the Evergreen Oil refinery in Newark on March 29 when a section of the pipe burst. The de-gassed oil released from the pipe ignited, melting a nearby tank and causing a hydrochloric acid release that injured one worker and started a two-alarm fire. . . . more »

Appeals Board Decisions: Do General Industry Safety Orders Apply to Construction-Related Work? The Board Weighs In
August 2011
Stacy and Witbeck, an Alameda-based construction employer, kept a storage facility in San Francisco that was used to supply its construction projects throughout the city. Materials for the projects, which involved removing and replacing old water pipes within San Francisco, were stored at the facility along with the trucks that transported them. . . . more »

Agriculture: NIOSH Study Raises Concerns About Pesticide Drift; Risk Factors and Control Strategies for Preventing Worker Exposures
August 2011
With nine of the nation's 10 top-producing agricultural counties, and nearly half of the nation's homegrown fruits, nuts, and vegetables produced here, California is an agricultural powerhouse. . . . more »

Hazard Identification: Fatalities Highlight the Hazards of Long Hair and Loose Clothing; Tips for Preventing Dangerous Entanglements
July 2011
No one knows for certain why Michael Smith was trying to go up the down escalator at the Powell Street BART station in San Francisco on April 19, just as no one knows what caused him to fall. But once his hair and clothing became caught in the escalator, he couldn't escape. Emergency responders shut down the escalator, cut Smith free, and performed CPR but to no avail. He was declared dead at the hospital. . . . more »

NIOSH highlights best practices for lockout/tagout during machine maintenance
June 2011
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has issued a tip sheet, Using Lockout and Tagout Procedures to Prevent Injury and D . . . more »

Appeals Board Decisions: Flawless Safety Programs Alone Aren't Enough; Employers Must Also Enforce Their Programs
June 2011
On May 3, 2003, Leslie Lagdamen and three other electricians were sent to the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) Balboa Park substation in San Francisco to change out the substation's grounding cables. While Lagdamen was removing a grounding cable, an arc flash occurred, causing him to suffer second and third degree burns as well as other injuries. . . . more »

Trainer's Handbook: Help Workers Elevate Safety to a New Level on Cranes and Derricks
June 2011
In August 2010, federal OSHA issued a new standard on cranes and derricks in construction, and Cal/OSHA is expected to bring its own rules for cranes and derricks into alignment with the new federal standard this year. Employees who work on cranes and derricks must receive training under the new regulation. Federal OSHA estimates that the new rule will save 22 lives and prevent 175 injuries each year. . . . more »

Hazard Identification: Cleaning Up the Deadly Hazards Facing Maintenance Workers; Five Dangers Workers Should Recognize
May 2011
Leopoldo Gutierrez worked on the cleaning crew at Central Valley Meat Co. in Hanford, which is located south of Fresno in Kings County. . . . more »

Trainer's Handbook: Keep Workers' Hands Clear; Safe Operating Procedures for Workers Using Miter Saws
May 2011
A crew from Petersen Brothers Construction in Brea was installing an adjustable paver pedestal system at a worksite in 2008 when a worker was injured using a miter saw. The worker was cutting plastic tubing, the tube "kicked," and the employee cut his thumb on the saw. A follow-up inspection by Cal/OSHA resulted in two citations against Petersen Brothers for not maintaining the miter saw in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions and not training the saw operator. . . . more »

More Headlines