This was published 30+ years ago, but it makes so much sense I thought it was fitting to share far and wide again. Each employer must address what actions employees are to take when there is an unwanted release of highly hazardous chemicals. Emergency preparedness or the employer’s tertiary (third) lines of defense are those…...
At 1:45 p.m. on June 2, 2020, Employee #1, 30, was working for a plumbing/HVAC contractor. This was a commercial construction site. Employee #1 was pressure testing a water line. Employee #1 was struck by a steel end cap from a pressurized 8-inch water line during a pre-use air pressure test. Employee #1 suffered an…...
We say this for so many of these maintenance tasks… LINE BREAK PERMIT brings so much safety to maintenance work that it should extend well beyond PSM/RMP-covered processes. The Safe Work Permitting process, when developed, implemented, and managed PROPERLY, will go a long way to reduce the chances of this type of accident. At approximately…...
With the owner’s approval, an alternative leak test is permitted when neither a hydrostatic nor a pneumatic leak test would be possible or safe. An alternative leak test contains the following required elements:… Membership Required You must be a member to access this content.View Membership LevelsAlready a member? Log in here...
A catastrophic pipe failure during a pneumatic pressure/leak test could result in an explosive release of energy. For example, did you know…… Membership Required You must be a member to access this content.View Membership LevelsAlready a member? Log in here...
At 4:15 p.m. on December 6, 2021, a contractor, 26, removed transmitters from tanks to winterize the facilities. As the employee removed the bolts and loosened the transmitter from a tank, the contents (50% concentration of Sodium Hydroxide) sprayed out and onto the employee’s eyes, face, head, and chest (upper torso). The employee attempted to…...
You may remember the 2019 event where the worker left home for the facility to check on an alarm in a pump house. He did not return, so the wife put their children in their child seats and went to the facility to check on her husband. She arrived and found him unconscious inside a…...
For those new to working in Hazardous Locations (HAZLOCs), the very best resource for the “lay person” is from the US Coast Guard “Drill Down” series. They published eight (8) documents that explains:… Membership Required You must be a member to access this content.View Membership LevelsAlready a member? Log in here...
On March 4, 2005, Employee #1 (leadman) performed a hydrostatic pressure test on a large stainless steel pressure vessel at a plant manufacturing pressure vessels. The tank was cylindrical, about 14 in. diameter and 24 in. long. The tank was pressurized to 150 number for the test. Upon completing the test, he was draining the…...
ASME B31.9 requires that utility piping be leak tested BEFORE initial operation. Hydrostatic testing shall be employed when possible. Pneumatic testing may be used instead of hydrostatic testing only under the limitations provided in para. 937.4…. Membership Required You must be a member to access this content.View Membership LevelsAlready a member? Log in here...
ASME B31.9 covers “utility piping.” The Code DEFINES and QUANTIFIES the phrase “utility piping.” We use this code for utilities associated with our PSM/RMP-covered processes WHEN the utility either PREVENTS, PROTECTS, or MITIGATES an event. Specifically, the code applies to the following services, except as excluded in para. 900.1.3:… Membership Required You must be a...
We have discussed all the requirements for transferring flammable liquids and gases (i.e., NFPA Flammable “4”); however, I have not mentioned the requirements for transferring TOXIC and HIGHLY TOXIC LIQUIDS that have an NFPA 704 Health Rating of 3 or 4. We see these issues in our Chlorine work where Cl2 is a “utility” to…...
