A bleeder valve was left open during transport truck anhydrous ammonia delivery, causing a large amount of ammonia to enter and violently rupture an aluminum caged plastic Intermediate bulk container (IBC or tote) filled with water. The IBC/Tote rupture released ammonia and the delivery driver suffered fatal injuries and other workers, including a facility employee, […]
NOTE: this occurred in 2007 – I just missed it in my research and just now posting it. At a meat product processing plant Employee #1 and Employee #2 were working on the production floor near a section of piping that had been removed the prior day during the rerouting of an ammonia refrigerant line.
It is not unusual to hear many engineers lay claim that by using stainless steel piping, that they are fully eliminating the risk of corrosion under insulation (CUI) within their piping circuits. But could stainless steel piping be susceptible to CUI much like it’s cousin in the piping family… carbon steel? The short answer is
If you have ever participated in or facilitated a Process Hazard(s) Analysis before you have certainly heard the phrase “never happened before” and the implication that we would be wasting our time if we spent any more time discussing the scenario. As a facilitator, it is our responsibility to force the discussion, as we should
Those that follow my PSM & RMP Citations / Analysis postings most likely have noticed a significant change in the level and depth that EPA and OSHA are conducting their RMP and PSM inspections. They have cited many more RAGAGEP issues and now dig deep into PHA’s and SOP’s than they ever had before. This
A contractor was performing rust corrosion removal and prevention services on pressurized piping at a chemical plant in Freeport, Texas. In October 2016, two contractor employees were seriously injured when a pipe ruptured, releasing trichlorosilane. Following an inspection, OSHA issued the contractor a two-item serious citation. The first item, grouped for penalty purposes, alleges violations
A major plant upgrade to the ammonia refrigeration machinery room was completed in September 2019. This upgrade included new: compressors heat exchangers pressure vessels pressure piping controls The refrigeration system was in operation for 3 months and on January 4, 2020, @ 0800 the shift engineer observed a reading of 12 ppm on the ammonia
This is OSHA’s PSM (1910.119) Inpsection Activity for their 2020 Fiscal year (October 2019 through September 2020). I have broken down the data by # of Citations, # of Inspections, Penalty $’s, and NAICS Industry Classification. As you can see, OSHA issued 195 citations from 50 inspections for a total of $1,806,072 in fines. Here
Way back in February 2016 I introduced many of you to ISA-RP12.12.03, Standard for Portable Electronic Products Suitable for Use in Class I and II, Division 2 for the first time and I received many e-mails, texts, and phone calls about those 2016 posts. Although the posts were speaking to smaller electronic devices, most notably “fitness
This is awesome. Cavitation has been the end of many pumps in my career and the causes of some significant LOPC events, but to see it be created and watch it in clear pipes and pumps is the way to learn. This short video should be in every operator’s training!!
No, the employer is not required to include findings and recommendations from the facility siting study report in the same PHA worksheet or recommendations log to comply with 29 CFR § 1910.119(e)(5) and 29 CFR § 1910.119(e)(7).
As I always say, we can not discuss MOC and PSSR as if they are separate systems… they go hand in hand 99% of the time. That is what I want to discuss: how a PSSR requirement defines how we manage our MOC system. We have discussed many times there are ONLY TWO (2) occasions
