Fire Severely Burned an Employee and Resulted in $350 Million in Damages The CSB released its final investigation report into the November 19, 2023, fire at the renewable diesel facility in Martinez, CA. The incident seriously injured one employee, who suffered third-degree burns over most of his face and body and resulted in approximately $350 million in […]
Victor Dearman Jr. CIRO, CRST No, it doesn’t involve anything with refrigeration. Same equipment, the same people, and a better layout to improve efficiency. So why would an MOC be required if it doesn’t impact refrigeration/PSM? Well, we have to think a little beyond equipment changes in the refrigeration system for a moment, or procedural
Volume 2 covers 25 serious chemical incidents in 14 states: Arkansas, Alabama, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma and Texas. These serious incidents resulted in 7 fatalities, 23 serious injuries, and approximately $1 billion in property damage. Link to Volume 2: http://www.idevmail.net/link.aspx?l=1&d=86&mid=421120&m=2672 The reports give the public important information about
Victor Dearman Jr. CIRO, CRST One of the challenges to my post was “What if the flagging tape was to indicate that the valve was in an abnormal position?” This was followed up with a challenge as to whether or not anything forbids such a method. Operating procedures should be designed to meet the requirements
“Why did they have a Rupture Disc and a Relief Valve together?” As I alluded to in my post regarding CBS’s update, this arrangement is fairly common but comes with some very SPECIFIC requirements. These requirements can be found in: But the top four (4) requirements, we as safety engineers should be looking for in
I have shared the ASME and NBIC “code” requirements for these arrangements and it has already stirred a number of debates/questions; of which the API has offered some excellent guidance on this design. (emphasis by me)
It has grown tiresome, but it remains a teachable moment, to debate “engineers” who want part of ASME/NBIC to be the gospel and other parts not so much. The ammonia refrigeration industry just can’t seem to grasp the critical need in their “Common PRV Header Design” v.s. having more “holes in the roof” (as they
Recently I was asked if “torquing” threaded pipe is required by code. I answered the inquiry by referring the client to ASME B1.20.1-2013, which states: 1.4 Sealing (NPT and NPSC Only)…1.4.3 Tightening Torque.Due to application-specific variables such as materials, wall thickness, operating pressures, etc., no guidance is given in this Standard regarding joint-tightening torque. However,
A lot of folks may not know that Hydrogen gas is used as a refrigerant on generators at power plants. When I first started working on power plants in 2005, I was shocked at this practice and at how some plants managed these risks. I have never done work for the company involved in this
By: Victor Dearman Jr. CIRO, CRST Flagging tape is not LOTO! And never has been. I would bet good money the operating procedure for this compressor has LOTO covered, but those are just documents to look good in a binder sitting on a shelf collecting dust because they are viewed as a necessary evil to
Establishment Size: All sizesStandard: 1910.119 Process Safety Management
The CSB has released an UPDATE into its ongoing investigation into the fatal November 12, 2024, explosion in Louisville, Kentucky. The incident killed two employees and seriously injured three others. The explosion caused significant property damage to the facility and nearby homes and businesses. Debris was ejected outside the facility’s fence line, flying up to
