When you see it… Flammable liquid railcar, in fact, it’s a carcinogenic flammable liquid, a Benzene railcar on fire. I know it’s hot as heck in MS this time of year, but dang: Just a lot of opportunities! The better option: Set up an unmanned(!!!) monitor nozzle, lay a couple hundred, if not 1,000s, of […]
At an Ethylene unit in the Czech Republic (2015), when swapping over cooling water supply lines during a flowmeter calibration, the operator made a simple mistake. While intending to open valve #3 on the spare supply line, he closed the identical valve #2 instead, shutting off all cooling water to the Light Ends columns. A
A trick question I learned long ago, when it was used on me, is one I use today when auditing a facility that has SCBAs for “Emergency Use Only” (e.g., an ERT). As we are walking to the ERT cage/trucks, I casually ask if the facility fills its bottles/cylinders or if they have a breathing
This technical report presents the scientific basis, toxicologic data, and risk assessment methodology used to derive a health-based immediately dangerous to life or health (IDLH) value for hydrogen bromide (CAS No. 10035-10-6). The IDLH values are based on the scientific rationale and logic outlined in Current Intelligence Bulletin (CIB) 66: Derivation of Immediately Dangerous to
OSHA has renewed its National Emphasis Program on Amputations in Manufacturing Industries, focused on preventing amputations in manufacturing workplaces. Under the renewed program, which aims to identify and mitigate hazards that could lead to amputations and other injuries in the manufacturing sector, OSHA will conduct inspections of manufacturing facilities to ensure compliance with safety practices
This footage would be great to use in a management setting to discuss failures in our safety process. My plant managers (all four of them) would immediately make the snarky comment about not having a “bullseye” painted on the bucket. It was simply a matter of time!!! I/m betting this “practice” was “routine” (Reason’s HF
A picture-perfect BLEVE caught on drone cam. A storm chaser captured this fire and BLEVE while traveling to chase a storm in Canada. This was in Sidney, MT, and may be the best training video showing a BLEVE (he has even slowed the footage down so we can see it in slow motion).
I have debated this many times and finally just gave up on the industry to do the right thing. And yes, there is a line item in NFPA 350, that I have requested the NFPA to address. But for me, in all my years, we would evacuate the NH3 from the condenser coils and lock
A piping fitting failed, resulting in the release of approximately 5 pounds of ammonia (NH3) in the machinery room. The nipple (fitting) between the oil separator and its relief valve cracked and failed to hold ammonia in the piping, resulting in the activation of the exhaust ventilation system. Fittings made of certain materials are incompatible
In an ammonia refrigeration system, ammonia in a gas state is compressed from the compressor to high-pressure, high-temperature ammonia gas. The compressed gas heats as its pressurised. The hot gas enters an oil separator, where the ammonia gas and compressor oil is separated so that oil is not carried over with the ammonia gas to
This is becoming more common these days; I never encountered it in my career at any of my facilities, as it’s not just a matter of sound engineering. The response I usually get during audits, PHAs, Engineering Code Design reviews is… “show me in the code that says I can’t use a hose on the
