One of the more common issues we come across in regards to Hot Work is the encroachment of combustible/flammable hazards within the REQUIRED 35′ Fire Safety Zone. 1910.252(a)(2)(vii) Relocation of combustibles. Where practicable, all combustibles shall be relocated at least 35 feet (10.7 m) from the work site. Where relocation is impracticable, combustibles shall be…...
Hot Work’s 35′ Fire Safe Area Read More »
I normally do not share construction accidents, as I am not a construction safety professional. I would not even attempt to play one on TV! However, this case is an excellent example for the general industry and those who work with hazardous chemicals. One of the reasons why my HAZCOM training is 2+ hours is…...
Toulene vapors are HEAVIER than air Read More »
There are some things I do so that you don’t have to! One of those is scrubbing OSHA citations that are relevant to our workplaces. It is where I get much of my information for my “Line Break Gone Bad” posts, PRCS cases, LOTO, and PSM cases. 99% of the time, I can understand the…...
Did OSHA just cite a business for having a bollard? Read More »
This video is a great example of two failures: 1) Hazardous Communications and 2) Emergency Response recognition. There is no way he should have walked into the spill, much less into the spray to stop the leak. That was gasoline—NOT diesel; even if it had been diesel, his actions were still out of line. We…...
Someone needs some HAZCOM and ER training Read More »
The owner (58) of an auto wash facility and a worker (54) died of suspected asphyxiation after the duo rescued another worker, who had fainted inside the empty chemical cargo tank of a lorry while cleaning it. According to the police, the tanker lorry driver (48) took the vehicle to the wash facility for cleaning…....
Although it may be possible to accept that errors are neither as numerous nor as varied as they might first appear, the idea of a predictable error is a much harder one to swallow. If errors were indeed predictable, we would surely take steps to avoid them. Yet, they still occur. So, what is a…...
Safety Thought of the Week… predicting errors (James Reason) Read More »
When you think you’ve seen it all, someone comes along and proves you WRONG!… Membership Required You must be a member to access this content.View Membership LevelsAlready a member? Log in here...
Fuel Pump Foolishness Read More »
We have discussed these safety-critical valves extensively here at SAFTENG. I am a huge proponent of these valves, and they are required by most State Fire Codes and RAGAGEPs. Yet, we still find far too many processes handling Highly Hazardous Chemicals/Extremely Hazardous Chemicals that are missing this critical safety feature. As we have also discussed,…...
Inspection and Maintenance of Remote Emergency Shutoff Valves Read More »
Most of us have seen a gate valve installed in piping, and 99% of the time, we want to see the valve handle in the VERTICAL-UPWARD position. However, when we need to install an “intervening valve” in the relief path, which ASME allows, we may/should see the valve handle(s) in the Horizontal or below Horizontal…...
Gate Valves and their installation in “relief path” Read More »
In my time in petro chem I had two releases (Cl2 and Br) that were caused when the handle of a 1/4-turn ball valve (bleed) was accidentally OPENED (one by a utility hose and one by a pant’s leg). Here is another example from The European Process Safety Centre (EPSC) What Happened:During scaffolding maintenance work,…...
Inadvertently Opened Valve (EPSC Learning Sheet April 2025) Read More »
ASME has allowed dual PRD systems ever since I started in process safety back in 1993. These systems usually have a Rupture Disc (RD) BEFORE the Pressure Safety Valve (PSV). This is usually done to protect the more expensive and more complicated PSV from the corrosive process gases. Although I never managed a PR system…...
ASME’s NEW Section XIII – Dual PRD Systems Read More »
For decades, we used Appendix M-5 in Section VIII as our design basis for having intervening/stop valves before and/or after a Pressure Relief Device (PRD). But in 2021 (amid the global pandemic), ASME published its new Section XIII, Rules for Overpressure Protection. We now use Appendix B of this new ASME section when we have a design…...
