Chemical Process Safety (PSM/RMP)

Anyone who has worked with ASME/API pressure vessel codes knows the basic language used to describe Relief Valve (RV) discharge locations… “discharge to a safe location”.  This requirement applies to ALL relief devices on all types of equipment and although OSHA does not have a specific standard on relief devices and their design, they will use […]

A local client has requested another 40-hr Process Safety Management course and we have scheduled it for the first week of April 2018.  The course will be at: Sugar Creek Packing Company 2600 N James H McGee Blvd Dayton, OH 45417 NOTE: this is the same location that held the “Safety for PSM/RMP Managers” course. Time: 

Last year I broke down the pressure and leak test requirements found in ASME B31.5 for those of you in the Ammonia Refrigeration industry, and at the time, I promised I would do the same for those of you that use ASME B31.3 in all the other process industries. And as I got busy with

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia has set the date for “oral arguments” (Friday, March 16, 2018, 9:30 A.M. USCA Courtroom 31) challenging EPA’s delay of the Risk Management Plan (RMP) Amendments.  The case is 17-1155 Air Alliance Houston, et al., v. EPA and E. Scott Pruitt.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia has set the date for “oral arguments” (3/16/2018) challenging EPA’s delay of the Risk Management Plan (RMP) Amendments.  The case is Air Alliance Houston, et al., v. EPA and E. Scott Pruitt.

At approximately 3:15 pm on may 9, 1986, employees started to charge the number 1 line carbo-cooler, using a cylinder containing 150 pounds of anhydrous ammonia at 129 psi (room temperature). Employee #1, in an effort to speed the charging process, was adding water at 132 degrees to the ammonia cylinder (to raise the internal

I read a lot of OSHA case files and sometimes I find the narrative very interesting.  This one, I found to be darn near impossible to have occurred as written… At approximately 2:30 p.m. Employee #1’s coworker, a refrigeration technician, was troubleshooting a compressor shutdown and opened a valve which vented anhydrous ammonia into Engine Room #3.

At 3:10 p.m. on February 7, 2017, an employee was making preparations to replace the relief valve of a 1,000 gallon ammonia (NH3) nurse tank. The incident investigation reported that the tank was empty of liquid NH3. However, it contained approximately 80 psi of vapor pressure. The employee set up a 30 gallon drum that

At 7:15 a.m. on May 10, 2017, vapor phase anhydrous ammonia was released in an uncontrolled manner from a high-pressure line. The release took place when an employee drilled a 5/32-inch diameter pilot hole into a 3-inch schedule 40 seamless steel pipe containing anhydrous ammonia. The pilot hole was drilled as a starter hole for

This is a highlighted version of WA-OSHA’s DRAFT of their proposed PSM standard for refineries.  I have highlighted those areas that are “new” as compared to OSHA’s PSM Standard (1910.119).