Chemical Process Safety (PSM/RMP)

Relief systems include, but are not limited to, relief valves, relief headers, relief drums, and rupture disks. Design basis means documenting how the loads and sizes of the relief system and inlet and outlet sizes were determined. This includes:

Last month I posted Exhaust Ventilation for Flammable Atmospheres and “Safe Locations” to explain the hazards of not controlling our flammable vapors associated with the required exhaust ventilation.  I received several comments and questions on that article regarding the normal process of venting hazardous materials and how to best define a “safe location” for these

I am always amazed to hear people complain about the degree of our auditing.  Most clients hire us for detailed auditing, but some see the PSM/RMP 3-year audits as a “check-the-box” exercise and do not appreciate our auditing skills and experience (LOL).  Comments/Questions like… “Would OSHA really cite for that?” are commonplace.  Let me be

This topic can be hotly contested by some; why is beyond me.  Some businesses get lazy in their approach to process safety and convince themselves that flanged piping is cheaper (and easier) than joining the pipes using welding methods.  As we have discussed, welding our PRIMARY CONTAINMENT system, such as the piping, comes with many

I can not think of a single business that operated and maintained a PSM/RMP-covered process that did not utilize LOCTITE®.  It is a beautiful product; however, it may be the most overused and abused product within the covered process.  When used PROPERLY and per Henkel’s instructions, the product works well.  But like most really good

You know businesses are cutting costs when I get this question.  But it is a good question as we have come across “reclaimed piping” being used in a lesser-degree hazard (e.g., flammable gas to flammable liquid) process.  I personally never experienced this practice in my time in industry, but it has become more popular as

One of the most heated debates in the process safety arena is… Do I have to have an emergency response team?  EPA has worked to answer this question by designating facilities as “responding” and “Non-responding” facilities.  Here is a nice flow chart to help…

One way to reduce the risk of an ammonia leak is by monitoring for leakage through the analysis of the secondary coolant (often brine) for signs of ammonia. The secondary coolant in an indirect Ammonia system must be tested no less than twice a year. Information Paper IP-BPV-2021-08-01 outlines the requirements for a secondary coolant analysis that

One of the most dangerous tasks that occur within the battery limits of a covered process is “opening the process.”  This is commonly called a “Line Break” but also applies to vessels.  We won’t find a definition of “Line Breaking” in the PSM Standard; instead, we turn to OSHA’s Permit-Required Confined Space Standards (1910.146 and

One of the biggest hurdles for an organization entering OSHA’s and EPA’s process safety standards is that some old OSHA standards are just NOT adequate based on the new level of risks.  This is most noticeable are with flammable liquid processes.  Take, for example, 1910.106, OSHA’s Flammable liquids standard.  It is “OK” for businesses that