We do a lot of work in flammable atmospheres so yes we have rather high standards for what “minimal compliance” looks like. We recently came across this situation while performing an assessment for a facility that has suffered from a flash fire months earlier. During our walk-thru of the area (they knew we were coming) we walked upon this situation. As I stopped and began to make a note, the unit manager asked if I saw something. As I began to point out the issue, the “safety person” (e.g. one of those “safety is common sense” type managers) chimed in and asked, “how do you know that pick-up point is obstructed”? Obviously, he saw the exact same thing I was seeing. Here is the picture of what was presented to us in our walk-thru and I ask you, is this ventilation pick up point:
A. Blocked
or
B. “It depends”
My response may surprise you…
