Facilitating Process Hazard(s) Analysis (PHA) is one of my favorite process safety skills. From having the honor to be the author of Part II in the CCPS’s Hazard Evaluation Techniques (3rd Edition) to working with several software companies on the development of their PHA products, there is nothing better than facilitating an actual PHA with […]
This is me doing a Process Hazards Analysis (PHA) with my non-American clients who use the metric system!Go ahead and laugh – but know the struggle is real.? ?
Not all “simple asphyxiants” are created equal; thus, not all make for good purging or blanketing. Would you believe me if I told you that one very common simple asphyxiant gas should NEVER be used for purging or blanketing flammable atmospheres? Many folks view Nitrogen (N2) and Carbon Dioxide (CO2) as very similar. This is
Some of the more eye-opening revisions: Outlining STOP-WORK procedures in Program 3 employee participation plans A justification in the risk management plan is required when: hazard evaluation recommendations are NOT adopted facility-siting hazard recommendations are NOT adopted Safer Technology Alternatives Analysis (STAA) recommendations are NOT adopted third-party compliance audit recommendations are NOT adopted A formal
At 7:30 p.m. on July 2, 2021, Employee #1, Employee #2, and Employee #3 performed two maintenance tasks in the M2 crude rectification section on the ground and second levels at tower M2-T250 and vessel V-207. On July 2, 2021, during the night shift, three (3) gas monomer chemical operators were exposed to toxic fluorocarbons
A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation into a gasoline overfill of a carbon adsorption vapor recovery unit (VRU) revealed concerns with the VRU’s design. The overfill prevention system was NOT INDEPENDENT of the basic process control system (BPCS). When the BPCS failed, the overfill prevention system also failed. This resulted in loss of containment,
A boiler maker, 36, suffered fatal burns after an explosion occurred at a refinery. A contractor employed the victim and two injured co-workers at the facility. The three employees were hospitalized as a result of the explosion. The victim died four days later from burns over approximately 90% of his body. The events occurred in
On October 19, 2019, @ 07:15 a.m., a contractor employee was standing on a scissor lift and replacing insulation on the pipes in the engine room of Building 3. As the employee lowered the scissor lift, the walking platform of the scissor lift where a technician was standing struck the service drain valve (3ML 3064)
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) issue this safety advisory to provide notice of the possibility of catastrophic failure of certain hazardous materials packages commonly known as “nurse tanks.” See Title 49, Code of Federal Regulations (49 CFR) §173.315(m). NOTE: SAFTENG members can see pics
A recent story in my local news was regarding changes to traffic patterns made to the 44th most dangerous intersection in OH. A 2018 traffic study showed there had been 114 crashes at the intersection over the previous four (4) years; 40% of those resulted in an injury. The state tried just about every administrative
Yes, ASME B31.3 requires volumetric testing (like x-ray) for piping welds, but the specific percentage of welds that must be examined is determined entirely by the “Fluid Service Category” designated by the system owner. Examination Percentages by Category
I see far more damage to atmospheric storage tanks from vacuums than I do from over-pressure events. In almost every case, the tank had undergone a “change” that created the conditions for a vacuum to occur. And once we have a pressure differential with a lower pressure inside the tank than the atmospheric outside the
