Chemical Process Safety (PSM/RMP)

On May 6, 2021, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a Final Rule listing R‒452B, R‒454A, R‒454B, R‒454C, and R‒457A as acceptable substitutes, subject to use conditions, for use in residential and light commercial air conditioning and heat pumps. These refrigerants are flammable and are classified as belonging to ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 34 safety group A2L…....

A few weeks ago, I gave a sneak peek at what was coming: Manufacturer’s Limitations of Sulphur Sticks. Today, it arrived in the form of an OSHA LOI.  A sulfur stick is a tool used to find ammonia gas leaks. Sulfur sticks, when burned, react with ammonia gas to make a visible smoke and are…...

Does all fixed/portable/mobile equipment that is installed or enters a Hazardous Location (HAZLOC) have to be “certified” and “labeled” as being acceptable for that specific HAZLOC? The blunt answer is YES! But in today’s working world and global economy, I am seeing a lot of foreign approvals for electrical equipment that is not by one…...

As I have said for years, we may never know where the nasty rumor came from that installing threaded and/or flanged piping is easier and cheaper than welded pipe.  That is a “pipe dream”… LOL see what I did there? For example, did you know that if the piping will be pneumatically pressure tested, then…...

One of the significant deficiencies we find in our audits/investigations is the lack of meeting ASME B31.3/.5 to install process piping. I have written about this topic for decades, and I still get inquiries monthly about this standard and its critical role in real process safety management. For those who attend my 5-day Advanced PS…...

Those of you who practice in the Process Safety arena are well aware of OSHA’s and EPA’s requirements to have “written procedures to maintain the on-going integrity of process equipment.” (1910.119(j)(2). However, OSHA and EPA also have a section in their Mechanical Integrity elements titled “Quality Assurance.”  1910.119(j)(6) Quality assurance. 1910.119(j)(6)(i) In the construction of…...

Most safety professionals are well aware of the many medical evaluations required by OSHA standards, such as those for workers wearing respirators, emergency responders, etc.  But we also have a medical evaluation requirement in Process Safety Management that plays a critical role in our piping Quality Assurance (QA) program.  When using either ASME B31.3 or…...

I see severe risk-taking regarding “safety assumptions” in process safety in my travels. I guess I am just “old school” and believe that every Pressure Vessel (PV) deserves its very own Pressure Relieving Device (PRD). But in today’s economy, where “costs” can be a driver in decision-making, I have experienced numerous scenarios where a single…...

For my Process Safety followers, here is your Monday Morning “trick question” (which I do not know the answer to)… Scenario: I have an ASME Section VIII Pressure Vessel that will be used in flammable liquid service. The “dip leg(s)” inside the vessel do not extend down to 6″ from the bottom of the vessel…...

Please note, this is NOT a chemical process safety incident, but the design failures and human errors are directly related to process safety hazards. The design of a new passenger ferry’s engine and inadequate follow-on training for engineering crewmembers led to a 2022 fire aboard a Staten Island Ferry.  The fire broke out in the…...

The Chemical Safety Board (CSB) updated its published list of reported chemical release incidents. These are not incidents that the CSB is investigating, these are incidents that were reported to the CSB under their Accidental Release Reporting rules (40 CFR 1604)…. Membership Required You must be a member to access this content.View Membership LevelsAlready a...