Some clients have their processes/storage in the middle of a neighborhood, and I mean in the middle of a neighborhood, as we see on TV and postcards. Beautiful tree-lined streets with kids riding their bikes and moms pushing their baby strollers. Of course, the facility came first, in the 1950’s, and then the encroachment. As…...
Recently, we were involved in a serious incident in which a group of contractors was overcome by a “highly toxic gas” (as defined by the state’s Fire Code) that escaped from a compressed-gas cylinder. This container, along with 42 other containers with various hazardous materials, was stored outside in an unmarked area. The contractors had…...
HSE works with international partners to provide evidence for risk assessment of new technologies, keeping the UK at the forefront of scientific and engineering advances, while ensuring worker safety. Liquid hydrogen is of interest in transport applications such as aeroplanes. ELVHYS is an EU project designed to enhance the safety and efficiency of liquid hydrogen…...
A chemical company experienced two major uncontrolled releases of highly corrosive acids. In January 2020, approximately 300,000 litres (8,000 gallons) of hydrochloric acid leaked from the site, releasing toxic gases that forced the closure of local businesses and schools and caused residents to evacuate their homes. A second incident in August saw 87,000 litres (23,000…...
This video has been viewed over 1 million times, and I hope those views are by those people who write Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). I have never counted how many SOPs I get involved in each year, but I know it’s 100+ across all my clients. My involvement, with my comments and questions, draws a…...
I was talking with a friend from across the pond about how this profession has changed over the years, and, in many respects, not for the better. He shared with me the following “behaviors” of a safety professional, which I thought were spot on. If only we could write job descriptions and postings like this…....
Here is an old clip from MASH demonstrating my point… order of steps MATTERS in an SOP…. Membership Required You must be a member to access this content.View Membership LevelsAlready a member? Log in here...
A lot has been said on LinkedIn about secondary container labeling, and at least seven (7) posts were absolutely wrong. Those posts have been shared more than 400 times; I wish I knew how many views. Many people agreed with the original posters that secondary containers had to be labeled the same as shipped containers…....
When we talk about Lower Explosive Limits, most people imagine a flash-fire hazard (as they should!). But when a worker is in a flammable atmosphere, they are also being WAY OVER EXPOSED. Take the following OSHA PRCS fatality case, where the worker died from being overexposed to organic vapors. The Atlantic City Fire Department Confined…...
Here is what ANSI 358 says: (emphasis by me) 5.1.6 Eyewashes shall be capable of delivering flushing fluid to the eyes not less than 1.5 liters per minute (0.4 gpm) for 15 minutes. If shut off valves are installed in the supply line for maintenance purposes, provisions shall be made to prevent unauthorized shut off…....
As I noted in 2007, the #1 cause of process vessel deflagrations is the manual additions of powders to process vessels which have a flammable atmosphere. NFPA 77 covers this hazard with several solutions, yet many facilities are either not aware of these risks and solutions or simply have their head buried regarding these catastrohic…...
The definition of “switch loading: Switch loading is the hazardous practice of loading a low-vapor-pressure product (such as diesel or heating oil) into a tank compartment that previously contained a high-vapor-pressure, flammable product (such as gasoline) without first cleaning it. This creates a high risk of static electricity generation and explosion, as residual vapors can…...
