Chemical Process Safety (PSM/RMP)

On August 27, 2016, at about 8:26 a.m., a railroad tank car sustained a 42-inch long crack in its tank shell shortly after being loaded with 178,400 pounds of liquefied compressed chlorine at the Axiall Corporation Natrium plant in New Martinsville, West Virginia. Over the next 2.5 hours, the entire 178,400-pound chlorine load was released,…...

I think most businesses are familiar with “backup power” sources, from battery packs on exit signs and egress lighting to UPSs on servers for their IT needs. But for facilities that store, handle, and process hazardous materials AND with safety systems associated with the storage, handling, and processing of those HAZMATs, there are some additional…...

For the 2024 edition:… Membership Required You must be a member to access this content.View Membership LevelsAlready a member? Log in here...

For the 2024 edition:… Membership Required You must be a member to access this content.View Membership LevelsAlready a member? Log in here...

Several major revisions have been made to the 2024 edition of NFPA 58, Liquefied Petroleum Gas Code…. Membership Required You must be a member to access this content.View Membership LevelsAlready a member? Log in here...

The 2024 edition includes a revision to change written hot work permits to documented hot work permits to address the use of new digital platforms used to issue permits.  The biggest change is… A requirement has also been added to allow the duration of the fire watch to be reduced to…… Membership Required You must...

The 2024 edition includes the following changes:… Membership Required You must be a member to access this content.View Membership LevelsAlready a member? Log in here...

The Hot Work Permit element of both OSHA’s PSM standard and EPA’s Risk Management Plan is one of the shortest elements’ of the 14 elements.  Its presence is to require a written permit to be issued when performing Hot Work in/on/adjacent to a covered process.  Some may not fully understand the need for this element,…...

On November 28, 1999, a blockage occurred in the South Teal Unit. The blockage or plug occurred somewhere in the recycle waste line on the second level of South Teal. This line brings crude Teal with excess aluminum to T-103, which feeds back to the reactors. During the night shift, they were able to blow…...

A recent Coast Guard investigation involving a fire and subsequent loss of propulsion on board an inspected vessel serves as a reminder of safety issues caused by condensate forming in airlines. During the investigation, an underlying issue was discovered that caused condensate to form in airlines that supplied compressed air to the vessel’s air-operated engine…...

If you are a regular visitor to this site, you know I love to use the International Fire Code, which many states adopt in full or in some “revised” langauge as their “state fire/hazmat code”.  One particular item that garners a lot of questions and comments is the IFC’s requirement that ALL hazardous materials (those…...