Chemical Process Safety (PSM/RMP)

It is pretty standard practice to hook up a compressed gas cylinder to a process.  In fact, many “blanket systems” on a small vessel will use a Nitrogen CG cylinder to provide the blanketing gas.  However, it is even more common to find this setup done improperly.  In this article, I will offer a RAGAGEP…...

On June 27, 2022, an employee was flushing a chlorine dioxide pump for maintenance. He inhaled the chlorine dioxide when it escaped. The employee was rushed to the hospital and later died…. Membership Required You must be a member to access this content.View Membership LevelsAlready a member? Log in here...

For several editions, the IFC has incorporated a “Performance-Based Design Alternative” to comply with the requirements of Part V—Hazardous Materials (Chapters 50-67).  This was initially added so that facilities already doing PSM/RMP could show compliance with the state fire code without any additional work. In the 2021 edition of the IFC, this alternative has been…...

OSHA’s VPP efforts in process safety has offered the following questions regarding the PSM activities in the process.  Here are seven questions that will help you gauge your level of PSM expectations related to ammonia refrigeration:… Membership Required You must be a member to access this content.View Membership LevelsAlready a member? Log in here...

Mr. Trevor Kletz is, without a doubt, my favorite author.  In 2001 he published his book on Human Factors in process safety – “An engineer’s view of human error” (Third edition).  It is a MUST-READ for those who practice process safety, significantly if you facilitate process hazard(s) analysis (PHA), including the Human Factors analysis.  His…...

Over the last several years, OSHA has asked, in the annual Supplement B questionnaire, specific questions designed to help share information about the site’s safety and health management systems (SHMS), but mainly about the critical areas of PSM programs and established procedures used to maintain, collect, and analyze PSM systems/process metrics. In 2016, OSHA developed…...

Relief systems include, but are not limited to, relief valves, relief headers, relief drums, and rupture disks. Design basis means documenting how the loads and sizes of the relief system and inlet and outlet sizes were determined. This includes:… Membership Required You must be a member to access this content.View Membership LevelsAlready a member? Log...

Last month I posted Exhaust Ventilation for Flammable Atmospheres and “Safe Locations” to explain the hazards of not controlling our flammable vapors associated with the required exhaust ventilation.  I received several comments and questions on that article regarding the normal process of venting hazardous materials and how to best define a “safe location” for these…...

I am always amazed to hear people complain about the degree of our auditing.  Most clients hire us for detailed auditing, but some see the PSM/RMP 3-year audits as a “check-the-box” exercise and do not appreciate our auditing skills and experience (LOL).  Comments/Questions like… “Would OSHA really cite for that?” are commonplace.  Let me be…...

This topic can be hotly contested by some; why is beyond me.  Some businesses get lazy in their approach to process safety and convince themselves that flanged piping is cheaper (and easier) than joining the pipes using welding methods.  As we have discussed, welding our PRIMARY CONTAINMENT system, such as the piping, comes with many…...

I can not think of a single business that operated and maintained a PSM/RMP-covered process that did not utilize LOCTITE®.  It is a beautiful product; however, it may be the most overused and abused product within the covered process.  When used PROPERLY and per Henkel’s instructions, the product works well.  But like most really good…...