Chemical Process Safety (PSM/RMP)

Report reveals fundamental management flaws lay behind Buncefield disaster

Fundamental safety management failings were the root cause of Britain’s most costly industrial disaster, a new publication reveals. The report into the explosion and five-day fire at the Buncefield Oil Storage Depot in December 2005 tells for the first time the full story of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and Environment Agency’s (EA) investigation.

UPDATE on Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS)

Members of a key congressional panel have called for a long-term extension of the U.S. Homeland Security Department effort that sets regulations for facilities that manufacture, use, store or distribute substances that could be used to produce chemical warfare materials. While lawmakers lauded the program, they expressed frustration with aspects of the effort that have

Car Seal Programs and how they operate

Yes, there is a safety program called the car-seal program. In most chemical processing plants, a car-seal program is a CRITICAL program in their PSM/RMP program; however, this program has uses in almost any type of facility with relief valves, cooling water systems, eyewash/safety showers, etc. This program is designed as an administrative control technique

Managing your Relief Valves

I asked some ChemEs and MEs the following questions about relief valve testing. We come across some RV programs and practices that we feel fall short of following any RAGAGEPs and thought it would be helpful to hear from engineers who manage these programs on a daily basis. Here is my scenario, and their responses

Liquid Penetrant Examination (NBBI)

by Jim Worman, Senior Staff Engineer with The National Board of Boiler and Pressure Vessel Inspectors If you have contractors or on-site engineers doing pressure vessel inspections, this is one method they may choose. This article is VERY WELL written and is a MUST READ for those not formally trained in this method of inspection.

Guidance for Conducting Risk Management Program Inspections under Clean Air Act Section 112(r)

EPA is announcing the release of “Guidance for Conducting Risk Management Program Inspections under Clean Air Act Section 112(r)” (EPA 550-K-11-001, January 2011).  This document updates and supersedes the “Guidance for Auditing Risk Management Plans/Programs under Clean Air Act Section 112(r)” of August 1999.  The new document includes updated EPA policy on involvement of facility

LOPA and SIS/SIL

LOPA is a Layer of Protection Analysis and is a type of PHA that looks at the actual layers of protection a particular scenario would have. As you know, process safety is built upon the fundamental concepts of prevention, threat, and mitigation. Hence, we want to prevent the scenario from even starting, but if we

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