Oroville Dam Maintenance Shortcut Causes Injury and $140,000 Cal-OSHA Fine

The Mercury News reported that Cal-Osha fined the Department of Water Resources $140,000 after an accident caused by failing to replace an energy dispersion ring in a valve (the report said that they didn’t have time to replace the ring because of the upcoming season) and failure to inspect/maintain a steel wall for 40 years.

Does your facility have standards for maintenance and repairs?

What happens when a part related to safety isn’t available?

Who makes the decision on what to do?

Has becoming “Lean” created spare parts shortages?

What old equipment needs safety inspections to make sure that wear or corrosion hasn’t made it unsafe?

Can you answer these questions for your facility?