The Harris County Fire Marshal’s Office (Case Number 1903-00046) and The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (Case Number 782035-19-0029) have issued their FINAL REPORT on the Intercontinental Terminals Company (ITC) Tank Farm Fire in La Porte on March 17, 2019. It was observed what appeared to be studs laying in the pump housing…....
A client got dinged on an audit because they were not having their employees medically evaluated before being provided a respirator. They contacted their local medical facility to seek help with this and of course, the facility said they could do the medical evaluation. This morning I received their first batch for me to sign-off…...
OSHA has cited a railcar service provider for confined space hazards after an employee fatality in Pennsylvania and faces $551,226 in proposed penalties. An employee asphyxiated in May 2019, while servicing a rail car containing crude oil sludge. OSHA cited the company for four (4) willful and three (3) serious violations for failing to protect…...
Luckily, these kinds of encounters are dwindling, but even mentioning this in 2019 says a lot for the “State of Safety” in the USA. Have you ever encountered a management group where you hoped Dr. Suess would re-write the OSHA LOTO Std? I mean, they hire us to explain and assist in implementing the basic…...
Almost two years ago to the month I wrote about a condenser manufacturer’s marketing practices regarding their “man-sized” access door, only to be rebuffed by the manufacturer and those who were buying their model so they no longer had to follow Permit-Required Confined Space (PRCS) practices and procedures. Now in 2019, we have a competitor…...
At 10:00 a.m. on November 23, 2018, two employees were working for a firm that provided support activities for oil and gas operations. Employee #1 and Employee #2 were part of a crew that was going to launch a pig from a pig launcher on a natural gas line. There were flammable vapors present. The…...
Incident overview In an industrial food processing facility, an ammonia leak occurred from the thermal expansion valve diaphragm, that required replacement. Site, system and components The thermal expansion valve and diaphragm control the rate of flow of liquid ammonia that feeds the spiral freezer. The freezing temperatures are obtained when liquid ammonia evaporates to vapor…...
Incident overview An ammonia release occurred in the mezzanine area at an industrial food processing facility, which resulted in the evacuation of the facility and temporary shutdown of the ammonia plant…. Membership Required You must be a member to access this content.View Membership LevelsAlready a member? Log in here...
Incident overview The bolted flanged connection on the suction of a reciprocating compressor failed causing an uncontrolled release of ammonia into the machinery room. The ammoniadetection system worked as designed activating the ventilation system and alarming the appropriate parties. The leak was isolated and no injuries resulted…. Membership Required You must be a member to...
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Incident overview Manhole gasket seal on an oil separator pressure vessel failed to hold ammonia in the vessel which resulted in the exhaust ventilation system to be activated. … Membership Required You must be a member to access this content.View Membership LevelsAlready a member? Log in here...
Incident overview There were no injuries or property damage due to the Ammonia release from the pinhole in the 1” piping to the Hydro Cooler Surge Drum. The Ammonia vapor set the leak detector on at 50 ppm which activated the alarms. The Ammonia Vapor was drawn in from the outside of the building where…...
