Jon Wallace is interviewed on WECT TV after a fatal accident in Wilmington, NC, involving a construction worker. Watch the interview: https://www.wect.com/2024/04/11/police-driver-custody-following-fatal-hit-run-involving-construction-worker
By W. Jon Wallace, CSP, MBA Some employers assume OSHA compliance is achieved merely by compliance with the applicable OSHA code of federal regulations (e.g. 1910 General Industry, 1915 Maritime, 1926 Construction, 1928 Agriculture). However, this does not necessarily...
By W. Jon Wallace, CSP, MBA The lockout/tagout standard – 29 CFR 1910.147 – is arguably the best OSHA standard ever written. For the price of a lock and tag, an employee can be confident they are protected from the sudden release of hazardous energy while performing...
By W. Jon Wallace, CSP, MBA It’s not the fall that hurts – it’s the sudden stop. I read the preceding statement while performing a simulated OSHA inspection. Most fall-related injuries result from the lack of fall protection. Additional injuries occur from improper...
By W. Jon Wallace, CSP, MBA The origins of OSHA’s Process Safety Management (PSM) standard can be traced back to the December 1984 Union Carbide explosion in Bhopal, India. Many Americans became concerned that a similar incident could occur in the United States. To...
By W. Jon Wallace, CSP, MBA “Wallace, if we lockout this machine every time we have a pill jam, we will never make any product!” This was the testy response I received from a production manager while performing a lockout audit at a pharmaceutical plant. With the...
By W. Jon Wallace, CSP, MBA As a safety professional, I routinely receive accident reports from around the World. Many of these accidents are related to confined space work. Unfortunately, the same types of mistakes are repeated – resulting in injury or death. Based...
By W. Jon Wallace, CSP, MBA A plant manager recently requested I perform an OSHA Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) assessment at his facility. “Jon, we have a great safety program here—I doubt you’ll find any major deficiencies.” Needless to say, the plant manager...
By W. Jon Wallace, CSP, MBA Completing the 2015 Escape fromAlcatraz triathlon With the summer months soon upon us we need to protect our workers from the potentially devastating effects of heat illness. As a triathlete who has completed both the Escape from Alcatraz...
By W. Jon Wallace, CSP, MBA Regardless of depth: Daily Inspection by competent person prior to entry for evidence of possible cave-ins or other hazards. Re inspection after each rainstorm or other condition that could affect excavation. Locate spoil pile, tools,...