Respondent operates a chemical manufacturing facility which has on-site for use, 25,299,678 pounds of anhydrous ammonia and 355,094 pounds of ammonia (concentration 20% or greater). Respondent has two RMProgram level 3 covered processes, that store or otherwise use anhydrous ammonia and ammonia (concentration 20% or greater) in amounts exceeding their applicable thresholds of 10,000 pounds […]
Today, the CSB released its final report addressing three (3) serious chemical incidents involving toxic hydrogen fluoride (HF) at a facility in Geismar, Louisiana. The incidents occurred over a period of less than three years, from October 2021 to June 2024, and reveal systemic safety failures at the facility. These incidents were LOPC events, two
One of the most effective ways to reduce the risk of injury while operating machines is to use what’s called the Hierarchy of Controls method. It ranks the ways to reduce risks from most effective to least effective. Often, you’ll need to combine control methods to best protect workers.
Process safety management (PSM) is a suite of risk management elements designed to minimize the risk of accidents associated with industrial processes using highly hazardous materials. The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) PSM regulation requires that process equipment and equipment inspection and testing adhere to recognized and generally accepted good engineering practices
The current list of delegated states and counties is: Additionally, the following territories and local jurisdictions have delegation: Kentucky, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands NO LONGER implement the program and the Regional office has taken over implementation for those areas. Florida has a partial delegation (everything but propane facilities) North Dakota has a partial
On May 23, a powerful dust explosion occurred at a flour production facility in the Almaty Region, Kazakhstan. According to the regional Department for Emergency Situations (DES), the incident was caused by igniting a dust-air mixture of grain residues on the first floor of a nine-story elevator building. As a result:
I am sharing this incident as we continue to find air receivers that are 20+ years old and have never once been inspected as a pressure vessel. We even see this in PSM/RMP-covered facilities – the facility does a nice job on their process pressure vessels, but overlooks their air receivers. Air receivers have a
A 60-year-old female worker in a plastic moulding workshop was cleaning a large plastic bin. The bin had been vacuum cleaned and then sprayed with ‘Ambersil’, a highly flammable mould-removing aerosol spray that can be purchased for domestic use. The patient attempted to wipe the bin, but when she placed her face inside it to
At around 2 p.m., the truck caught fire during what was described as a routine annual meter inspection by New York State Weights and Measures technicians. It involved the transfer of 100-octane aviation gasoline between internal tanks on the truck. As testing concluded and fuel was being returned to the tank, vapors emitted from the
At 11:30 a.m. on September 7, 2024, Employee #1 (41) and the owner (51) were working inside a silage silo when they were overcome by hazardous vapors. A third employee entered the silo in an attempt to assist them.
I wish OSHA would provide more details on this facility, but this is all we got… At 10:00 p.m. on October 10, 2024, an employee (33) and a coworker working as boilermakers for a facilities support service were working on a 12-inch pipe to flip the blind. The pipe released hydrogen sulfide gas, exposing the
At 10:00 a.m. on November 13, 2024, Employee #1 (23) was inside a large section of HVAC duct applying Design Polymerics DP 2590 Duct Liner Spray Adhesive to repair sagging insulation. After completing the adhesive application, Employee #1 used a pin welder to secure the insulation. While using the welder, a spark ignited flammable vapors
