Both OSHA’s and EPA’s process safety standards have a requirement called “Design codes and standards employed”, but why do the standards require this and what should it look like in our Process Safety Information management system? In a review of our past audits, we almost always find gaps in the facility’s list of Design codes and…...
An analyzer engineer was fatality injured when the engineer removed the cover on an explosion-proof enclosure as part of a routine task. The threaded cover weighing ~12 lbs. and measuring 14 inches in diameter was forcefully propelled from the enclosure as the engineer unscrewed it inflicting a fatal head injury. The force was caused by…...
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is delaying the effective date of the Risk Management Program Amendments for an additional 20 months, to allow EPA to conduct a reconsideration proceeding and to consider other issues that may benefit from additional comment. The new effective date of the rule is FEBRUARY 19, 2019. The Risk Management Program…...
This video is interesting on many levels and since it occurred outside of the USA I am not sure about any regulatory issues in the home country, but if this were in the USA we can see a number of issues. However, this video shows us the conditions under which we might respond to an ammonia…...
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The Department of Labor and Industries cited a refinery for forty-five alleged violations of various Washington Administrative Code sections assessing a penalty of $2,393,000 as a result of an explosion and fire that occurred at the refinery on the early morning of April 2, 2010 that resulted in seven fatalities. The refiner contends that it…...
This week, the video below has gone viral and many have blamed the elderly lady of not paying attention to where she’s going as the cause of this accident; but what do you say is the ROOT CAUSE of this accident? What other issues can we identify in this accident? Let’s assume the work would…...
This week the USDOL-OSHA, Directorate of Enforcement Programs, Office of Chemical Process Safety and Enforcement Initiatives team (Jeff Wanko, Jim Lay and Mike Marshall) presented an update on OSHA’s PSM Activities. This is the first such kind of update in over a year so it has some interesting DATA and updates to OSHA CHEM NEP approach. I have…...
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) has announced it has issued a special permit to authorize the extension of the 15-year service life of certain carbon fiber reinforced aluminum-lined cylinders (DOT-CFFC) that are used in self-contained breathing apparatuses by fire departments and first responders…. Membership Required You must...
The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) issued a Final Rule to revise its regulations and increase the maximum civil penalty amount for violations of the Federal hazardous materials safety law. Under the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act of 2015, which further amended the Federal Civil Penalties, Inflation Adjustment Act of…...
If you have a First-Aid team that “renders aid” as part of their job duties (even though their participation on the team is voluntary – but rendering care once on the team is NOT) this is a case you should understand. The business was cited for NOT having the employees vaccinated at the time-frames stated…...
Is there such a thing as a “dual phase” pressure safety valve (PSV)? Not that I have ever encountered; yet that does not stop some from trying to “educate me” on their dual-phase PSVs. So why does this topic matter? Our PSV’s are our LAST LINE of defense in an overpressure event, and if they…...
