Instructions are one of the basic items that users expect to get when they purchase a product, and yet these important documents are often poorly written, badly translated, and incomplete. Key product features are badly described, and information on features, settings and hazards may be absent. All of this despite the fact that the minimum requirements…
Read MoreProblems with our websites
Apologies Just a quick note to all our readers to explain the outages we’ve been having. First, I want to apologise for the downtime and sporadic outages you’ve probably experienced. We tried and failed to avoid those issues, but we think everything is sorted out now. Moving house is never easy We outgrew the capabilities of our…
Read MoreA Note about Our Travel Policy
We believe travel gives us a broad perspective both personally and professionally. Our focus is global. Our ethical position is clear; we believe in the health and safety of ALL people. We believe in the power of scientific data, and in the power of connecting with others globally, so we might learn from one another. Compliance…
Read MoreGet the Basics Right!
For more than 15 years I’ve been teaching people about risk assessment, machinery safety and CE Marking of machinery in private, onsite classes and through presentations at safety conferences. Things are about to change! This fall, Compliance InSight Consulting will begin offering open-enrolment workshops in CE Marking, Risk Assessment Functional Safety, and Machinery Safety, all with a focus…
Read MoreHow to become Instantly Incompetent
Many engineers and designers fall into a really simple trap, one that makes them instantly incompetent. These are not stupid people. They have the qualifications, so what is it that can catch someone out this badly? It’s called ‘complacency’. Complacency is that state we all get into from time to time where we feel like we know what’s going…
Read MoreHockey Teams and Risk Reduction or What Makes Roberto Luongo = PPE
Special Co-Author, Tom Doyle Last week we saw the Boston Bruins earn the Stanley Cup. I was rooting for the green, blue and white, and the ruin of my voice on Thursday was ample evidence that no amount of cheering helped. While I was watching the game with friends and colleagues, I realized that Roberto Luongo and Tim…
Fukushima Dai Ichi – Live
In a recent post on his Forbes blog, Edison 2.0, Osha Gray Davidson connects readers to a live webcam installed by TEPCO at the Fukushima Dai Ichi nuclear plant. That webcam has since been replaced by two cameras, one looking at the site from the Unit 1 side and the other from the Unit 4 side [Ed. Note: added…
Read MoreWorse than Worst?
The increase to the incident level at the Fukushima Dai Ichi nuclear plant today by the Japanese Nuclear Regulatory Authority has brought the continuing disaster at the crippled plant back into the headlines. IEEE Spectrum has published a series of articles recently written by Bill Sweet on the Fukushima Dai Ichi nuclear disaster. From the…
Read MoreWhy you should stop using the term ‘Deadman’
The Deadman Control Do you use the phrase ‘deadman’ or ‘deadman switch’ when talking about safety-related controls on your machinery? I often run into this when I’m working with clients who use the terms to refer to ‘enabling devices’ – you know, those two or three-position switches that are found on robot teaching pendants and in…
Read MoreUnderstanding the Hierarchy of Controls
(Eds. note: This article was originally written in 2011 and was updated in Nov. 2018.) The “Hierarchy of Controls” is one approach to risk reduction that has become entrenched in the Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) sector. There are other approaches to risk reduction which are equally effective but are less rigidly structured. If you…
Read More