Chemical Process Safety (PSM/RMP)

There is some language in the EPA’s Risk Management Plan program requirements that tends to cause some confusion… The owner or operator of a stationary source shall revise and update the RMP submitted under §68.150 as follows: (5) Within six months of a change that requires a revised PHA or hazard review So when are we…...

Point -Counter Point PSM Discussion.  Below is my position and counter to “my opinion” is that of a friend who specializes in PSM for the refrigeration industry.  You can read his position at his website taocomplaince.com Scenario:  You have a freezer with racking. The racking inside this freezer needs to be replaced. You hire a…...

“Hot work” means work involving electric or gas welding, cutting, brazing, or similar flame or spark-producing operations.  Click “Read More” below to view and download the ppt…. Membership Required You must be a member to access this content.View Membership LevelsAlready a member? Log in here...

Explosion at Belle Vue: 2 injured between life and death Tuesday, September 27, 2011, 17:11 An explosion occurred this morning at the Belle-Vue brewery Leeuw-Saint-Pierre. Two people were seriously injured. Their prognosis is engaged. The leak was stopped. An ammonia leak occurred around 8:50 Tuesday when three workers from an outside firm conducted the dismantling of an old installation. ” The…...

Have you every walked up on a hotwork job and asked who is the fire watch, only to have five welders not even look up and point to each other? It happens, but there is a simple way to correct this behavioral problem – High Visibility Vests…. Membership Required You must be a member to...

Anyone involved with PSM/RMP knows about “facility siting” and all the attention it has gotten since the Texas City, TX incident in 2005.  Many companies struggle with this type of analysis, so I am passing along some great data that could be used during an expansion project at an existing facility or for a new…...

Over the past several years I have written many articles on the “safeguards” that get listed in Process Hazards Analysis.  In this article I want to focus our attention on the flaws that so many facilities are making in their PHAs.  Some facilities are really doing themselves an injustice by listing safeguards that have little…...

In many chemical processes around the world, operators are making their rounds checking on those items that have been deemed “critical to process safety”.  These rounds usually include checking pressure, temperature, tell-tale gauges, tank levels, heat tracing, taking samples, etc.  But in many instances involving these checklists, one item is painfully obvious after an incident–…...