The major hazard involved with transferring flammable liquids is static build-up due to charge separation with the potential for discharge resulting in fire and subsequent loss of containment. Certain non-polar liquids can be charged while flowing through piping. Detectable and hazardous charges must be expected if the specific resistance of the liquid exceeds 108 ohms. […]
One of the most hazardous tasks that take place within a chemical process is the NON-Routine Opening of the process. And sadly, there are no RAGAGEPs or OSHA standards that establish minimum safeguards for such hazardous activities. Which I guess in some ways, is better as it has allowed the industry to establish some really
As we have discussed before, several years ago a governor of the great state of Washington passed a bill that required all the state’s codes and standards to be written in “everyday language” and oh how I love this approach. Even career safety professionals can struggle to try to decipher what Federal OSHA is really
If you’re at a facility where the PSM-covered process involves ammonia refrigeration, OSHA has a few specific questions that would like to ask! These questions are specific to ammonia refrigeration facilities and will be used to evaluate a facility’s readiness to join the world-class ranks of VPP STAR workplaces. How would you fare with these
How well do you know your RMP chemicals? I mean really know them. One of the top questions we have received in the past several years is asking about the RMP chemicals’ toxic endpoints and why EPA uses mg/L instead of ppm. PPM is a volume-to-volume or mass-to-mass ratio, whereas mg/l is a mass-to-volume relationship.
Almost every safety professional on the planet that works with chemicals, emergency response, and confined spaces knows that the Immediately Dangerous to Life and Health (IDLH) exposure is a game changer! But so many also struggle with what it means to actually work in an IDLH atmosphere. In this article, I want to try and
I was having your run-of-the-day safety conversation with one of my favorite former OSHA safety engineers and he was quick to point out that one of my articles was not technically “compliant” with OSHA’s 1910.146 requirements when it came to the means we can use to isolate a Permit-Required Confined Space (PRCS). The means he
Most of us know that a properly designed and installed ventilation system is our FIRST option for controlling hazardous concentrations of flammable vapors, gases, fumes, mists or dust, and volatile or airborne materials posing a health hazard, such as toxic or corrosive materials. And thankfully, most workstations and areas that need proper ventilation have it
A hazardous exhaust system shall be required wherever operations involving the handling or processing of hazardous materials, in the absence of such exhaust systems and under normal operating conditions, have the potential to create one of the following conditions:
There are five (5) basic types of ventilation systems: dilution and removal by general exhaust; local exhaust; makeup air (or replacement); HVAC (primarily for comfort); and recirculation systems Most ventilation systems generally involve a combination of these types of systems. But there are some specific requirements, that need to be met:
Unlike a PRCS that contains ONLY physical hazards, a space containing an atmospheric hazard cannot be reclassified as a non-permit space. However, if the atmospheric hazard in the PRCS can be controlled by FORCED AIR VENTILATION, we may enter under the CONTROLLED ATMOSPHERE instead of with full permit space procedures. The alternate procedures may be
When can a PRCS be reclassified and how must one go about doing it? This is taken directly from an OSHA publication, but what caught my eye is this publication makes it clear that BOTH “reclassification” and the “alternative entry” methods can be used at the same time for the same PRCS! Pay close attention
