The GUIDANCE ON INVESTIGATING AND ANALYZING HUMAN AND ORGANIZATIONAL FACTORS ASPECTS OF INCIDENTS AND ACCIDENTS is a report published by ENERGY INSTITUTE, LONDON. Simply attributing incidents/accidents to human error is not adequate; human factors aspects should be investigated such that lessons are learned to prevent recurrence. Each incident or accident is a learning opportunity, but one that can…...
On June 20, 2009, an ammonia line ruptured during maintenance at a poultry processing plant in Robeson County, N.C., killing one employee and injuring several others. This accident should remind employers of the hazards associated with the use of anhydrous ammonia as a refrigerant at food processing plants. Click Here (.pdf) to see and print this 2-page…...
We have come long ways with our SOPs over the past 20 years! But we still struggle with annual certifications of these SOPs. If anyone is a non-believer in what I am going to share with you in this article I encourage them to just randomly grab any SOP from your system and walk it…...
Below are the set of questions that will be asked during a VPP Assessment at PSM covered facilities. In my opinion, these are the same questions that should be asked at ALL PSM facilities! These questions are being provided so that we can ask these questions, whether we want to be a VPP site…...
I learned about the 90 day rule the hard way… from an OSHA CSHO during a VPP Inspection. I had personally signed off on a very large “temporary project” that installed some field monitors for an environmental permitting project. The MOC made it very clear that these devices would be in place for one (1)…...
UPDATE on 5/10/12… Explosion damages New Smyrna Beach ice plant (fire officials blame ammonia leak in off-hours blast – a steel door landed about a 100 feet from the opening following a very early morning explosion at the ice plant – while the cause is still being investigated, New Smyrna Beach Fire Marshal said a preliminary…...
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I have received a lot of private comments on some of my recent posts regarding hazardous locations and ventilation. As usual most are very positive and appreciative and a few were not so charming. But one of my friends and clients has informed me that I should post my response to his questions as it worked…...
Many facilities will use mechanical ventilation to aid in reducing worker exposures, as well as controlling flammable atmospheres from becoming explosive. There are some general rules of ventilation that should be applied in all cases and this article is an attempt to briefly mention the key points. Mechanical ventilation systems are ONLY as good as…...
An accidental release of 12 tons of anhydrous ammonia at a storage/dispensing facility resulted in the hospitalization of five people and the evacuation of 550 residents. The unexpected release of anhydrous ammonia is believed to be due to a design error that may have caused a 3/4″ (1.91 cm) schedule 80 vent stack on the…...
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Ever heard anyone say, “PSM and RMP are identical except for the off-site consequence requirements”? There are a lot of similarities between the two chemical safety regulations, but the two are very much different in more ways than just the “off-site consequence requirements.” Most similarities are between RMP “Program 3 Prevention Program” and OSHA’s PSM…...
