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SAFETY MOMENT, APRIL 14

Trust your monitor, not your nose

Safety moment, April 14

Trust your monitor, not your nose

Well sites put flammable gas and liquids, possible toxic gas like hydrogen sulfide, high pressure, heavy equipment and several crews in one small area. Conditions can change fast, and one missed step can lead to a fire, an explosion or a toxic release. Knowing the hazards and looking out for each other is how everyone gets home.

SAFETY MOMENT

April 14

The hazard

Well sites put flammable gas and liquids, possible toxic gas like hydrogen sulfide, high pressure, heavy equipment and several crews in one small area. Conditions can change fast, and one missed step can lead to a fire, an explosion or a toxic release. Knowing the hazards and looking out for each other is how everyone gets home.

The action

Your hazard communication training must include the methods and observations used to detect a chemical release, such as employer monitoring, continuous monitoring devices and the look or odor of a chemical being released. Wear your personal gas monitor where required, check it the way you were trained and know what each alarm means. Some gases, like hydrogen sulfide, can dull your sense of smell, so never use your nose to decide an area is safe. (29 CFR 1910.1200(h)(3)(i))

ASK THE CREW

What does each alarm on your gas monitor mean, and what do you do when it goes off?

From the talk: Oil and gas well site safety. Read it in full, free, with the questions and the sign-in sheet.

HOW TO USE IT

How to give a safety moment

  1. Gather the crew where they work, before the shift or the meeting starts. Read the hazard out loud.
  2. Ask the question and let two or three people answer. What they say about their own work counts for more than what you read.
  3. Name the action and point to one place on today's job where it applies, so everyone knows what to do differently.
  4. Write the date and the names on a sign-in sheet.

A safety moment is short and does not replace the full talk. When you want to go through a topic with the crew, pick a free toolbox talk.

PRINT AND EDIT

365 safety moments, $29

One moment for every day of the year in the same format as this one: the hazard, the action, the question and the source talk with its citation. Print a page a day or show a slide.

  • 365 safety moments, one per day
  • Dated PDF calendar, a page a day
  • PowerPoint with one slide per moment
  • English and Spanish
  • Each moment links back to its cited toolbox talk

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Free 52-week toolbox talk calendar (PDF)