At 3:10 p.m. on February 7, 2017, an employee was making preparations to replace the relief valve of 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 held water and […]
UPDATED with new data on 5/25/2018…Here is a look at OSHA’s PSM activity in 2017 (October 2016 – September 2017). As you can see, OSHA did 88 PSM inspections and issued 329 citations for a total of $2,032,036 in fines. This is the SETTLED amount and NOT the initial citations. Here is a quick breakdown
There are 631 fewer RMP covered processes with Anhydrous Ammonia since 2011. This translates to a reduction of right at 78 million pounds in anhydrous ammonia in reported RMP covered processes. This took anhydrous ammonia from a clear #1 in pounds in RMP covered processes in 2011 down to #3 in 2017 (see tables below).
This publication is without a doubt the best explanation of “certified welding” associated with the American Society of Mechanical Engineer’s (ASME) B31 series of RAGAGEPS. The contractor is REQUIRED to certify that the welding procedure and the welder are qualified in accordance with the requirements of Section IX of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME)
A welder who is considered to be or previously had been “certified” would be supported by some WRITTEN DOCUMENTATION. This documentation would support having met some “prescribed standard.” This standard could be an industry recognized code or standard, a company document or a combination of those and the content of the record should meet the requirements
Those of you that follow me on social media know that I updated all my profiles photos last week with a photo from the Final “Jack Rabbit” Report showing a 20-ton Chlorine Release from an overhead drone. The image is UNREAL and after working with chlorine for over 25 years I was in awe of its power
After last weeks tragic triple fatality ammonia refrigeration accident in Canada, this weekend’s database work really caught my attention when I saw who holds the #1 spot for “# of deaths”. It seems that a food plant in Indiana with an ammonia refrigeration process with 16,000 pounds of NH3 had a release in August 2015 that
Operations at this installation, which featured a recent design, had been partially started in 1996; the latest in a series of plant extensions, including space designated for ammonia storage, was authorized on January 9, 1997. This plant processed 150 tonnes/day of meat (animal slaughter and production of vacuum-sealed meats, frozen ground beef, both frozen and
This summary report was established based on information collected from 557 French accidents (251 cases) or foreign accidents (306 cases) which took place between January 1917 (not a type-o) and May 2003. This document should be of specific interest to installations implementing large quantities of chlorine (chemical plants, paper mills, metallurgy…), as well as companies
This study essentially concerns refrigeration installations using ammonia as a refrigerant. However, to better understand and to place the risks associated with these installations in perspective, quantified information has also been collected on numerous accidents, both French or foreign, in other industrial or agricultural activities and the field of transport. The processing of these data allows some comparisons to
In early March 2017, the ARIA database identified 349 events involving fittings and seals/gaskets. These elements are often encountered on pipe flanges and are also essential sealing components for valves or other equipment. Insufficiently tightened flange bolts and deficient leak inspections on seals/gaskets are often the cause of an accident. Equipment involved, the location of seals/gaskets: flanges (ARIA
A chemical plant for the production of fertilizer was built in 1969 and located over 7 miles from the town of Jonova which had a population of 40,000. The plant employed 5,000 people and was positioned inside a military zone with controlled access. The ammonia tank involved in the accident was a cryogenic storage vessel with a capacity
