Before the dust settles and the funerals are complete, the politicians and the media are already clamoring for more regulations in order to prevent another catastrophe like the one in West, TX. However, like in many occasions, it is not the regulatory framework that is the problem; it is the “retail” exemption and its improper […]
April 2013 Dear Drinking Water or Wastewater Treatment Facility Operator: Does your drinking water or wastewater treatment plant use large quantities of chlorine gas? If so, you may be required to comply with federal requirements to ensure that the chlorine is managed safely. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has visited numerous drinking water
ANOTHER WELL DONE video by the CSB! Some facts that never got reported in the media.
I have received numerous calls and e-mails asking how this fetilizer facility with reportedly 52,000 pounds of NH3 was only a Program 2 RMP under EPA’s RMP rule. Here is the answer…
Under section 112(n)(6) of the Clean Air Act of 1990, as amended, Congress required EPA to carry out a study of hydrofluoric acid (also called hydrogen fluoride (HF)), to identify potential hazards to public health and the environment considering a range of events including worst-case accidental releases, and to make recommendations for reducing the hazards,
CLICK HERE to download the Coffee Break Training from USFA http://www.usfa.fema.gov/downloads/pdf/coffee-break/cb_fp_2013_15.pdf
There are several codes and standards that call for hydrostatic relief valves to be installed in all segments of pipe that can be isolated. For example, the following two OSHA standards state the following… 1910.111(b)(9)(ix) A hydrostatic relief valve shall be installed between each pair of valves in the liquid ammonia piping or hose where
OSHA’s PSM exemption of “Hydrocarbons used solely for workplace consumption as a fuel” is commonly misunderstood and often improperly applied. In this article I hope to better explain how this exception can be utilized SAFELY and in FULL COMPLIANCE so that both “process safety” and “OSHA compliance” can be fully met. Let’s start by looking
A storage tank containing anhydrous ammonia started to leak after it was struck by a tractor-trailer about 6:20 a.m. Monday a few miles west of West Liberty-Salem schools. A semi-truck hauling floral products attempting to turn around at the anhydrous ammonia distribution site struck a large-capacity anhydrous ammonia storage tank, puncturing a supply line and
This is a very common question when auditing “older plants”, say plants built prior to 1960 (not a specific date with any meaning). For example, during an audit it is discovered that a vessel was built to a RAGAGEP that no one had even heard of or maybe there is NO documentation as to what
In March, 2007, the CSB recommended that the American Petroleum Institute1(API) and the United Steelworkers International Union2 (USW) jointly lead the development of an ANSI consensus standard with guidelines for fatigue prevention. The recommendation arose from the investigation of the BP Texas City refinery incident in 2005 (CLICK HERE for additional information on that accident). Their
Have you ever heard someone at your facility say, “that part of the process is not covered”? As a process safety professional, this may be our hardest battle in the big scheme of complying with OSHA’s Process Safety Management (PSM) standard and EPA’s Risk Management Plan (RMP) rules. In this article I would like to
