Safety Blog

NFPA 70E Course – March 30, 2012

wjonwallace — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 13:28:10 +0000

Since the 2012 Edition of NFPA 70E has been issued, I’ve had very strong demand for my one day course – having taught five courses in three months. I’m offering an open enrollment course on March 30, 2012 at our office in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Please click here for more information.

Jon

2012 NFPA 70E – GFCI Requirements

wjonwallace — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 19:07:56 +0000

A student recently asked me about GFCI requirements contained in the the new 2012 Edition of NFPA 70E. Here are the requirements:

Article 110.4

(C) Ground-Fault Circuit-Interrupter (GFCI) Protection.

(1) General. Employees shall be provided with ground-fault circuit-interrupter (GFCI) protection where required by applicable state, federal, or local codes and standards. Listed cord sets or devices incorporating listed GFCI protection for personnel identified for portable use shall be permitted.

(2) Outdoors. GFCI protection shall be provided when an employee is outdoors and operating or using cord-and-plug-connected equipment supplied by 125-volt, 15-, 20-, or 30-ampere circuits. Where employees working outdoors operate or use equipment supplied by other than 125-volt, 15-, 20-, or 30-ampere circuits, an assured equipment grounding conductor program shall be implemented.

(D) Ground-Fault Circuit-interrupter Protection Devices. GFCI protection devices shall be tested in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.

More information on the revised 2012 Standard will be reviewed during my November 11, 2011 NFPA 70E course. Click here for more information.

Jon

2012 Edition of NFPA 70E released

wjonwallace — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 16:33:57 +0000

NFPA has issued the 2012 edition of NFPA 70E with an effective date of August 31, 2011. Click here to see the changes.

We have a one day NFPA 70E course scheduled for November 11, 2011 in Greensboro, North Carolina. Click here for more information.

Jon

OSHA and NFPA 70E

wjonwallace — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 20:54:50 +0000

During training classes and while assisting clients I get asked many times “does OSHA enforce NFPA70E?” OSHA recently cited Fort Bragg for 37 OSHA violations, several of these were related to electrical safe work practices. To find out more about OSHA and NFPA 70E click here.

Jon

Fort Bragg cited by federal OSHA

wjonwallace — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 19:04:22 +0000

August 4, 2011: Fort Bragg was cited by federal OSHA for 37 safety violations. These violations include: machine guarding; fall protection; lockout/tagout; as well as electrical safe work practices. Specifically, Fort Bragg was cited for not training employees in safe work practices associated with electric arc flash protection, and a qualified person did not test equipment to be sure electrical circuits were de-energized before an unqualified employee worked on them. Click here to read more.

Jon

ESPN interview

wjonwallace — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 14:30:56 +0000

Following the Texas Ranger Stadium fall fatality, I was interviewed by ESPN – Outside the Lines. I stressed the need for the Texas Rangers as well as other Major League Baseball stadiums to review fall protection hazards at their stadiums and to upgrade their stadiums as needed. Click here to watch the video.

Jon

Five safety challenges facing the recycling industry

wjonwallace — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 13:55:12 +0000

Recycling awareness is at an all time high in the United States. The recycling industry, however, does face safety challenges. Click here to read my article: “Five safety challenges facing the recycling industry”

Jon

Texas Ranger Stadium Fall Fatality

wjonwallace — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 14:06:30 +0000

I was interviewed on July 8, 2011 at 3PM on ESPN Outside the Lines concerning this incident:

July 7, 2011: A fan died at a Texas Ranger game after leaning over the railing to catch a ball and falling 20 feet. At first glance, it appears the railing is not high enough to protect someone who is leaning over the railing. For instance, OSHA requires guard railing to be 42 inches in height in industrial settings. Also, the railing should be redesigned to prevent fans from stepping up on the midrail.

Two recommendations or Major League Baseball:

Each major league team should perform a fall assessment survey to identify potential fall hazards to fans as well as stadium employees. Upgrades should be maded as needed.
Major League Baseball should identify stadiums with effective fall protection as a benchmark for other teams to duplicate.

Click here for more information on this incident.

Also, I was interviewed by Palm Beach Post.

Jon

Louisville combustible dust explosion injures two

wjonwallace — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 12:22:59 +0000

June 23, 2011: Two workers were burned at a wood paneling manufacturing facility caused by a combustible dust explosion. The injured workers were using a metal rod to clear a clog in a saw dust collector. Wood is responsible for approximately one third of all combustible dust explosion.

It is imperative if you have dust in your process that you perform a combustible dust safety review. If you do handle combustible dust, appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) such as fire resistant clothing should be worn during maintenance operations on combustible dust handling equipment.

Click here for more information on this incident

Jon

Confined Space Incident – Durham, NC

wjonwallace — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 16:48:06 +0000

On June 7, 2011 two workers died in Durham, North Carolina while performing work in a confined space. Click here to read about the incident.

The most common cause of confined space fatalities are workers attempting to rescue the entrant. It is imperative that employers have a permit-required confined space program if they have workers entering permit-required confined spaces.

The following article discusses five habits of safe confined space workers.

Jon