I really struggle to understand how so many smart people that use the acronym “PSI” dozens of times a day, but never really grasp what it means. I have debated this topic hundreds of times as it always comes up in my LOTO and Process Safety courses and daily work I do in these safety arenas. I even asked AI if my scenario was “crazy” and it explained it the same way I was taught it in 1993. Bottom line… surface area MATTERS, as was the case in this unfortunate fatality.
At approximately 1:45 p.m. on January 14, 2015, an employee, a 22-year old Mechanic/Welder, was troubleshooting a piping leak in a customer petroleum/cargo tank. The employee pressurized the cargo compartment by using compressed air to determine leaks in the piping system. Leaks were not found.