Car Seal programs have gained some attention in the refrigeration industry over the years, but there is still a significant debate over whether such a program is needed in the industry. A past incident at a client’s facility and the root cause of that incident shine a bright light on the need for a Car Seal […]
At 3:00 p.m. on January 11, 2018, an employee was working with two coworkers with clearing a blockage in the product discharge system in the Polypropylene Unit. The employee and coworkers opened the process piping at a sample catching location and a flash fire occurred. The employee who made the line opening received first and
At approximately 10:00 a.m. on May 25, 2018, three employees were working for a firm that disposed of waste and operated solid waste landfills. They were working at an oil and gas site. Three tanks were being decommissioned. They had been assisting in containing a spill during the decommissioning. The tanks were moved from the
To provide a glimpse of what kind of fun I get to have in process safety, I wanted to start a series of chemical profiles of some of the nasty hazardous materials I work with and why so many of my clients are such sticklers for meeting all of the different codes/standards/RAGAGEPS to the letter in
On April 15, 2014, Employee #1, a maintenance technician employed by Solarworld Industries America Inc., and Coworker #1, a tool operator in the plant’s fabrication area, was working at the employer’s solar cell manufacturing facility. Coworker #1 had submitted a work order to repair a leak of liquid hydrofluoric acid (HF). HF is used in
A Reminder to Minimize Process Shutdown Related Releases and to Report Releases In a Timely Manner Introduction Unlike some other natural disasters, the onset of a hurricane is predictable and, as a result, lends itself to early preparations for minimizing its effect on a facility. Before hurricane force winds and associated storm surge flooding can damage industrial processes and cause uncontrolled releases of hazardous chemicals, owners/operatorstypically
Car Seal Lockout/Tagout (LOTO) For OPERATIONAL CONTROL of valves For MAINTENANCE & SERVICING CONTROL of energy isolation devices
This picture represents the fun side of working with clients who want to be world-class and meet the “intent” of a code or standard, not worrying if it just meets OSHA. This is a refrigeration client who is really trying to make this start-up an example for other facilities within the organization to emulate. During a Pre-PSSR
Emergency Escape Breathing Apparatus (EEBA) have been around my entire career and I have used the mouth-bit style and the supplied air bag-over-the-head style. Actually, I have never had to use one, but I had them at my facilities when I was a Safety Manager in the chemical and semiconductor industries. So I have learned
The quick and easy answer is YES and before the changing of Presidential administrations the wheels were in motion, even after several court set-backs. But some would like to accuse me of being a “consultant” and spreading fear to drum up business. I used to laugh off these comments and accusations, but today I received
OSH ACT of 1970 SECTION (5)(a)(1): The employer did not furnish employment and a place of employment which were free from recognized hazards that were causing or likely to cause death or serious physical harm to employees in that employees were exposed to struck-by hazards: The employer did not establish, communicate, and implement safe work
This video is from 2013, but I thought they did such an excellent job explaining 1234yf and how we went from 134a to this new refrigerant I should share it for context. I have been very hard on the suppliers of this new Low GWP refrigerant over the years and this video sums up the
