There has been a lot of armchair quarterbacking regarding the decision to Vent & Burn the VC railcars in East Palestine, OH. My personal and professional opinion, knowing what I knew at the time, was that V&B was the correct decision. These decisions are always challenging to make, but failing to perform V&B on these […]
The gas main explosion caused 30 homes in Wessington to be evacuated. A company and contractor have been fined after a gas main explosion led to the evacuation of 30 homes in a village. Residents were forced to leave their properties on 21 June 2022 after a worker struck the underground gas main while installing
I have written extensively about pressurized containers in the fire safety arena catastrophically failing and leading to injuries. But this event is new to me. I have no idea what “detonators” are used for in a fire protection system; can anyone who does this for a living explain? UPDATE: Many THANKS to everyone for sending
Under the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has the statutory authority to set phase-out dates for ozone-depleting substances (ODS) and to evaluate potential risks posed by proposed ODS substitutes. Under the terms of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, EPA promulgated regulations to phase
A manufacturer and distributor of specialty silicone chemicals will pay $1.3 million in penalties after an explosion and fire at its Waukegan plant in May 2019 claimed the lives of four (4) workers. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration reached a settlement agreement with the company after an investigation revealed the facility failed to ensure
I know we hear a lot about using injury rates as a leading indicator/predictor of how well the SMS is functioning. I am one of those voices! But I have always held stead fast that our lagging indicators can play a key role in painting a picture of SMS weaknesses. I have always liked how
Many types of industrial equipment can potentially produce an explosive oil mist if a fault develops. This includes almost all equipment in which oil is under pressure, such as hydraulic systems, pressurized lubrication systems, and oil-based heat transfer systems, among others. These are widely used and found in many industries, including service plant rooms and
HSE has identified inconsistencies in the application and supervision of welding of safety-critical metallic components. Such shortcomings have led to failures with high consequences such as fatalities. A study was carried out to identify common causes of these and to highlight priority areas for improvement of weld quality in industry. Cases were assessed from within
I first wrote about this API 510 requirement in July 2019, and now OSHA appears to have caught up with this requirement; this year, they issued their first citation related to this requirement. Of course, the citation was associated with a process covered by PSM. Here is the API 510 requirement for newly installed pressure
Employee #1, a firefighter, was performing a pressurized hose test on a 4-inch fire hose. The employee was standing at the pump panel of the fire truck next to the discharge point where the hose was connected by a 2.5-inch double female adapter to the 3.5-inch fitting on the truck. The hose was being brought
On November 3, 2006, Employee #1, a firefighter/paramedic, was the designated pump operator during the performance of an annual hose test. The pump on the fire department apparatus was utilized to perform the test. Near the conclusion of the 5-minute 400 psi test, while Employee #1 was reducing the pressure in a hose being tested,
On September 20, 2018, an employee was performing a pressure test of a residential sewer line when he was struck in the eye by a small piece of a pneumatic quick connection of a pressure test kit.
