Industrial Oven Explosion at Bakery Injures One

Posted on Wednesday, April 18th, 2012

Last month, we summarized an article that appeared in Process Safety Progress magazine that illustrated the tragedies that can occur if gas fired industrial ovens and dryers are not correctly inspected, maintained and tested. The article described how an employee at a manufacturing plant was killed when he tried to restart a gas fired oven

New Research on Fire Detection in Warehouse Facilities

Posted on Monday, April 16th, 2012

The Fire Protection Research Foundation recently released its first project phase report addressing the growing concern of fire safety solutions in modern-day warehouses. The first phase of the project was conducted in 2009 and 2010 and included literature review, hazard assessment, and development of a research plan. The research study focused on the impact of

Important Research Aims to Improve Personal Protective Equipment for Firefighters

Posted on Thursday, March 29th, 2012

In 2001, the U.S. Fire Administration documented the need to improve firefighter’s self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) and facepiece design in order to withstand various extreme conditions, such as high heat loads. In the years following, reports on firefighter deaths have indicated that insufficient thermal performance of SCBA lenses was a factor in several of these

Undermining Your Expertise

Posted on Wednesday, March 28th, 2012

“Seek First to Understand – Are you Really Listening?” is Habit #5 from Stephen Covey’s classic self-help book, 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. At Harrington Group, we try to manage our interactions with our employees and our customers in a manner that is consistent with the 7 Habits and the timeless principles that underpin

Are You Really Listening?

Posted on Wednesday, March 21st, 2012

Sometimes, experience and expertise are a double-edged sword. Through years of working and building up knowledge, people develop skills that help them identify and solve problems that would have gone undetected or unsolved. Identifying the right problems involves the ability to disregard most of the information and focus in on the factors that are the