Essential Features of the Emergency Plan (ASME B31.12)
Each operating company shall establish written procedures to minimize the hazard of an emergency. The procedures shall provide instructions to operating and maintenance personnel. The procedures shall describe the following:
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Writen Operational, Maintenance, and Emergency Plan(s) for Industrial Hydrogen Piping (ASME B31.12)
As I dig deeper into ASME B31.12, Hydrogen Piping, I continue to find nuggets of best practices for HAZMAT piping. ASME B31.12 requires each operating company having industrial piping, pipeline, and commercial and residential systems to have Operational, Maintenance, and Emergency Plan(s) that include the following: OSHA's Heat exposure standard
On April 24, 2024, the department's Occupational Safety and Health Administration presented the draft rule's initial regulatory framework at a meeting of the Advisory Committee on Construction Safety and Health. The committee, which advises the agency on safety and health standards and policy matters, unanimously recommended OSHA move forward expeditiously on the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking. As part of the rulemaking process, the agency will seek and consider input from a wide range of stakeholders and the public at-large as it works to propose and finalize its rule. ASME B31.12 - Leakage Survey
I have been working with several clients who are on a Hydrogen Fuel journey. It is fun to get deep into process safety protection schemes regarding NFPA 2 and ASME B31.12 and see the similarities and extra code requirements when dealing with large H2 gas systems. One of the interesting items regarding H2 piping is a "Leakage Survey," which applies to "Industrial Plants." There is an ongoing debate about this "problem" with GH2 tubing and piping, and such the industry is attempting to make the argument that pressure and leak testing should be done with GH2. However, the AMSE B31.12 committee did not buy into this argument and still requires pressure and leak testing to be done with a NON-FLAMMABLE gas... IP-10.7.3 Test Fluid NFPA's 2 - Hydrogen Std and pipe labeling
Occasionally, we see some pipe labeling requirements that exceed those found in ASME A13.1. NFPA 2, 2023 has a few: (emphasis by me) Arc Flash During Conductor Checks Causes First and Second Degree Burns
An experienced electrician checking conductors at an industrial facility unknowingly accessed an energized breaker bucket inside a substation and shorted phase to phase on the line side of the energized breaker switch at 347/600V. This resulted in an electrical shock, creating an arc flash. The worker suffered first and second-degree burns to their wrist, hand, and face.
EPA RMP citations @ repackaging facility (Cl2, SO2, Flammables & $261K)
Respondent is the facility's owner and operator. The EPA inspected the Facility from July 27 to July 29, 2021, to determine the Respondent’s compliance with Section 112(r) of the CAAmand 40 C.F.R. Part 68 (“the Inspection”). Operations at Respondent’s Facility include, among others, repackaging chlorine for utilization in sodium hypochlorite bleach manufacturing. The Facility also uses or produces several regulated flammables. The Respondent’s processes meet the definition of “process” and “covered process,” as defined by 40 C.F.R. § 68.3. The Respondent’s RMP program level 3 covered processes store or otherwise use a regulated substance in an amount exceeding the applicable threshold. EPA Findings of Violation Pressure Testing piping with N2 turns fatal
At 8:04 a.m. on May 11, 2023, an employee working for an oil and gas support services company was found dead. On 5/10/23, the night before, the employee had instructed his coworkers from other contractors to go home, and he would finish the job. This was the last time anyone had spoken to the employee until he was found deceased. The employee had been pressure testing a pipe with nitrogen. The pipe had been opened, and nitrogen leaked into the ambient environment. The employee was asphyxiated due to the displacement of oxygen, causing his death. No citations Fire Extinguisher inspection turns fatal
At 8:00 a.m. on May 8, 2014, an employee was inspecting fire extinguishers. The fire extinguisher discharged and struck the employee in the head, killing him.
Fire Extinguisher mainteance work turns fatal
On May 13, 2020, Employee #1 and Employee #2 were working to pressurize portable fire extinguishers. At some point, the extinguisher being worked on by the Employees exploded. Fire Watch dies from burns
On October 16, 2023, Employee #1 worked for a construction gas & oil support contractor. Coworkers were cutting and welding an eye-lifting plate on a compressor skid. Miscellaneous petroleum products had been allowed to accumulate on, in, and around the compressor skid area, creating a fire hazard. |
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