The Workplace Safety blog includes safety articles on a wide range of occupational health and safety topics. Search our safety articles by category or by keyword. Please contact Jon Wallace by email or phone (919.933.5548) with questions or comments.
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 * This article on performing a PPE hazard analysis was published the December 2005 issue of Occupational Health & Safety Magazine. PPE3Download Thousands of people are blinded each year from work-related eye injuries that could have...
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 Recycling and environmental awareness are at an all-time high in the United States as well as the rest of the world. Instead of throwing all refuse into a garbage bag for disposal to the landfill, consumers and companies are sorting out...
By W. Jon Wallace, CSP, MBA 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 and Beach2Battleship 70.3 mile triathlons and...
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,...
By W. Jon Wallace, CSP, MBA Electricity is an integral part of our life, both at home and on the job. Some employees work with electricity directly, as is the case with electricians, engineers, or people employed by electric power utility companies. Other employees,...
By W. Jon Wallace, CSP, MBA In response to the numerous questions and comments from my article: Performing the Arc Flash Hazard Analysis, listed below are responses to ten commonly asked questions. What is NFPA 70E? What is the difference between NFPA 70 (NEC®) and...