Recently, we were involved in a serious incident in which a group of contractors was overcome by a “highly toxic gas” (as defined by the state’s Fire Code) that escaped from a compressed-gas cylinder. This container, along with 42 other containers with various hazardous materials, was stored outside in an unmarked area. The contractors had […]
A chemical company experienced two major uncontrolled releases of highly corrosive acids. In January 2020, approximately 300,000 litres (8,000 gallons) of hydrochloric acid leaked from the site, releasing toxic gases that forced the closure of local businesses and schools and caused residents to evacuate their homes. A second incident in August saw 87,000 litres (23,000
This video has been viewed over 1 million times, and I hope those views are by those people who write Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). I have never counted how many SOPs I get involved in each year, but I know it’s 100+ across all my clients. My involvement, with my comments and questions, draws a
Here is an old clip from MASH demonstrating my point… order of steps MATTERS in an SOP.
As I noted in 2007, the #1 cause of process vessel deflagrations is the manual additions of powders to process vessels which have a flammable atmosphere. NFPA 77 covers this hazard with several solutions, yet many facilities are either not aware of these risks and solutions or simply have their head buried regarding these catastrohic
The definition of “switch loading: Switch loading is the hazardous practice of loading a low-vapor-pressure product (such as diesel or heating oil) into a tank compartment that previously contained a high-vapor-pressure, flammable product (such as gasoline) without first cleaning it. This creates a high risk of static electricity generation and explosion, as residual vapors can
This is a classic case of a “routine opening” within a PSM/RMP-covered process that turned fatal for an operator. ALL openings of a process containing a hazardous energy source, PSM/RMP or NOT, can be some of the most hazardous tasks we can ask personnel to perform. At approximately 1:00 a.m. on August 14, 2011, Employee
I have written about it countless times: putting a flange together is, in many ways, more difficult than welding the pipes together. But many businesses don’t want to pay the rates for Certified Welders and Inspectors and believe their own people can do the piping work simply by using flanges rather than welds. “It’s common
A couple of weeks ago, I had a poll in my FB Group asking: Is a personal single-gas detector necessary within our breathing zone when wearing an Air Purifying Respirator in a potential IDLH atmosphere? For example, responding to a leak alarm for an NH3 or Cl2 leak. And as usual, the group did NOT
I recently worked on a project with three (3) processes built by three (3) different contractors from three (3) different countries. This business is located in the USA, and the other countries are South Korea, Japan, and China. As you can imagine, we (the USA) use the imperial units of measure, and these other countries
This is what over-torquing looks like on a four (4) bolt flange. The gasket began as the image on the bottom and came out as the image on the top! And we wonder how flanges leak, and leak again, and eventually fail?
Recently, I had the opportunity to help a client gain the full picture of what has to be done regarding the BULK TRANSFER hoses to unload their HHC/EHS from Tanker Trucks/ISO Containers and Railcars. Now, before we get into the specifics, I know a number of folks will fall back on the compliance position that
