Those in the USA have dealt with OSHA’s Process Safety Management Standard since 1992 and EPA’s Risk Management Plan since 1999. And although these standards established a well-needed MINIMUM performance criteria, they missed the market in what we come to expect in a proper performance-oriented standard. OUr friends to the North have been using an […]
The Process Safety Fundamentals (PSFs) are straightforward, doable best practices designed to raise awareness of process safety and spark conversations in the field. The PSFs can often be fully satisfied, but when they can’t, it’s essential to pause and hold a meaningful conversation with the team, supervisor, and support personnel to figure out a different,
Did you know there is actually some logic behind OSHA and NFPA’s Hot Work Permitting process? This means that even before we issue a HW Permit, we have to walk through this logic. In essence, if we can do the work WITHOUT having to perform HW; then by all means, we do the work without
In recent months we have seen some reductions in workforce across several clients. Some of these clients are very mature in their approach to safety management, and others are not quite there yet. In those businesses with a mature Safety Management System (SMS), one of these facilities is NOT a PSM/RMP facility – but they
At 1:00 a.m. on January 19, 2019, Employee #1, 45 years old, employed by a plumbing company, was working at a refinery. He was removing a blind flange in preparation for installing 2-inch piping to a 2-inch line in the MHF Alkylation unit. When the flange was unbolted…
I had the pleasure of teaching another Advanced Course on Process Safety (40-hr). When discussing Relief Systems, their design, and their RAGAGEP(s), the UPWARDS and UNOBSTRUCTED piece got many questions. ALL RAGAGEPs regarding PRDs will state “UPWARDS and UNOBSTRUCTED” or similar language. Even the older OSHA standards uses the phrase “Upward and Unobstructed” in the
At 12:30 p.m. on January 31, 2023, Employee #1, 45, performed cathodic protection maintenance on a 4-inch natural gas pipeline. Employee #1 removed the resin coating off the external portion of the pipeline to test the hull thickness of the pipeline. While removing the coating, the pipeline exploded. Employee #1 was killed by immolation. Employee
One of the worst injury accidents of my career occurred in a PSM/RMP-covered process but involved a non-HHC/EHS. The chemical was “hot caustic,” a byproduct from the process used in another process’s scrubber. A sister facility had an incident in which it was discovered that the caustic was too weak. Thus in a process upset,
I came across these helpful tips for our Safe Work Permitting System. I hope it can help others…
This past week, we saw the 2nd catastrophic failure of an NH3 nurse tank in three months. This is indeed a rare occurrence. Both incidents appear (from news accounts and photos) to be circumferential weld failures on these vessels. Both vessels failed while they contained NH3 (levels unknown), but neither was actively being filled at
One of the most common valves used in industrial settings is the 1/4-turn ball valve. From 1/4″ up to 6″, these valves are everywhere, regardless of the risks they may pose. Recently a client and I discussed these valves and their risk in highly hazardous chemical processing. I have had several incidents over my career
On June 27, 2022, an employee at a packaging plant was flushing a chlorine dioxide pump for maintenance when some of the chlorine dioxide escaped the process and he inhaled it. The employee was rushed to the hospital and later died.
