A chicken processor petitioned for review of a determination by the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission (the “Commission”) that it violated various regulations of the Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (“OSHA”). We find no error, so we deny the business’s petition. The Secretary of Labor (“Secretary”) is charged by statute “with […]
Today, the Indian government released its investigation findings regarding the fatal Styrene release on May 7, 2020, which killed 12 citizens and hospitalized 585 others. This incident, like the many before it, came about by a number of failures the facility/company made in the management of their Styrene inventory. In the light of the root
On January 27, 2019, 12 employees needed transport to nearby hospitals after a a release of 2,100 pounds of anhydrous ammonia. OSHA cited the facility for failing to: Equip an ammonia refrigeration system with a pressure relief device as referenced by the manufacturer’s operating manual; Train technicians to use an alternative over-pressure safety procedure to
Nitrogen… an often misunderstood SAFETY gas that many fear and for good reason! Imagine you have a flammable liquid that has a Flash-PointP<100°F and you worry about static or other ignition sources causing an event inside your storage container… what can I do to lessen the risk of a fire/explosion in the headspace of my
One of the most requested slide deck over the years has been from my 5-Day RAGAGEP course, specific to ASME B31.5, Refrigeration Piping and Heat Transfer Components. The PowerPoint file below is only 12 slides from a 300 slide presentation, but the requirements noted in these 12 slides are often not understood at the plant
7/8/20 UPDATE: this LOI was NOT removed from the OSHA website; it was merely MOVED to the Year 2017 LOI Page (Linked Below). The letter was MOVED without any changes to its content – it was just moved to its proper year. This was merely a recordkeeping move by OSHA to reflect the year the
On February 18, 2020, the audible alarm and light outside the Ammonia plant was activated at approximately 6:40 pm. The plant operator checked the NH3 (ammonia) readings and it read 43 ppm (parts per million). At 6:45 pm the readings increased to 51ppm and staff activated the Emergency Response Plan, contacted 911, the Chief Engineer,
Two persons received minor injuries from exposure to ammonia after a refrigeration system failed and released ammonia that was intended to be contained within the evaporator and refrigeration system. INCIDENT OVERVIEW The evaporator within a refrigeration system of an industrial food processing facility failed and released ammonia in a cold storage room. Two workers suffered
A hydrogen leak originating from a tank within a high-pressure storage unit serving a hydrogen vehicle fueling station resulted in fire and explosion. Emergency responders were on scene within 7 minutes and contained the fire within 3hours. No damage was reported to the separate forecourt H2 dispenser or to other major station components within the
Recently a fire district posted a video of a HIT occurring on a gasoline storage tank at a residence in Alaska. In their posting, they called the event a BLEVE and technically speaking we can see (as I show below) that this event was NOT a BLEVE. A Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapor Explosion (BLEVE) is
A safety feature(flanged connection)failure in a refrigeration system released 10 to 20 lbs of ammonia intended to be contained. The ammonia refrigeration system is designed to operate at 250 Psig. The system uses welded or flanged connections to connect components such as compressors, condensers, evaporators, and liquid receivers. Piping and fittings including flanges, different types
PSM/RMP covered processes that operate above 15 psi will have relief valves to protect pressure containing components such as vessels, piping, pumps, compressors, etc. It is standard practice that these relief valves get changed out at least every five (5) years or so; please follow your RAGAGEP and/or the RV manufacturer instructions for specific change/test
