A lot of older plants in the USA use their water piping as their main ground for a lot of purposes. In one such plant, the grounding connections for the flammable liquid transfers were tied into the water piping. One day a water pipe failed and caused quite a bit of damage; the price to […]
A number of years ago a former client decided that process safety was not worth the effort and wanted to get their process below the 10,000 pounds TQ for their LPG. They hired a local architect/engineering firm that had no experience with the storage, handling, and processing of LPGs. This “architect/engineering firm” advised the facility
Since I began consulting I learned of something I thought I would never see… an ASME pressure vessel without a pressure relief device (PRD). Typically when I have come across one of these vessels I have gotten the “grandfather” or “its too small” justification. So let’s discuss these two items and see if they are
The department is initiating rulemaking to implement the advanced safety training requirements for High Hazard Facilities. Chapter 49.80 RCW, enacted in 2019, requires owners of petroleum refining or petrochemical manufacturing facilities to use a skilled and trained workforce when contracting for construction, alteration, demolition, installation, repair, or maintenance work. By January 1, 2022, all workers
Shortly after 6 pm, on June 2, 2011, an atmospheric storage tank within the amine regeneration unit exploded. A fireball split the tank open and killed four (4) workers. The sole survivor sustained severe burns and suffered life-changing injuries. The force of the explosion ejected the five-ton steel tank roof over 180 feet through
Last week EPA updated its National Compliance Initiative: Reducing Accidental Releases at Industrial and Chemical Facilities data and included an updated photo… Is this another “shot across the bow” to the ammonia refrigeration industry? They also updated their data with their 2019 Inspections:
So much media coverage of the explosion in Northwest Houston on January 24, 2020. It is assumed that the explosion was caused by a propylene leak, a flammable gas that most people had never heard of before the explosion. What is so sad is that some politicians are jumping on board this tragedy and calling
When most ordinary people hear the term “Hazardous Location” many conjure images of a dangerous location associated with typical hazards; however, when a safety engineer or engineer from the process industries hear the phrase we immediately elvate our antenna and sit up and pay close attention to what is being said. But for those outside
The requirement for pressure and leak testing on PSV vent piping depends entirely on whether the piping is classified as Boiler External Piping (BEP) or Non-Boiler External Piping (NBEP). If the vent line is part of the BEP (directly attached to the boiler safety valves under the jurisdiction of ASME Section I), the testing requirements
I can still remember the day I was told: “the pipe failed its thickness testing – but don’t worry we are going to use a pipe clamp so we can keep using it”. I had just attended my API 570 and 510 courses to learn all about process equipment inspection protocols. Not once did I
Canada has an interesting requirement for their NH3 refrigeration plants that operate within structures where the general public could be exposed to the NH3. Since the promulgation of OSHA’s PSM standards in 1992, OSHA has shied away from even mentioning “staffing” for a covered process. In the USA, we have plants that run 24/7/365 without
We have yet another failure of enormous proportions. When two workers, one of which is a Supervisor, are opening a liquid chlorine line and they have on supplied-air respirators without the regulator attached to the facepiece we have entered into the Twilight Zone. WorksafeBC has levied a $318,707 fine against the city’s water-treatment plant for:
