We have tons to still learn from this event, but under the current economic conditions due to the virus, India has been in “lockdown” for five (5) weeks. This incident, happened last night, lends itself to being a “polymerization event” based on the video and photographic evidence I have seen from my India members. The […]
When is a pressure vessel not really a pressure vessel? A question that comes up often. And the answer may surprise you. The NBIC and ASME agree on this topic…
Under the Clean Air Act Section 112(r)(1), the General Duty Clause states: “The owners and operators of stationary sources producing, processing, handling or storing such substances [i.e., a chemical in 40 CFR part 68 or any other extremely hazardous substance] have a general duty [in the same manner and to the same extent as the
Your inquiry relates to the enforcement of OSHA’s Process Safety Management (PSM) standard, 29 CFR 1910.119, to two hypothetical scenarios you provided that are related to upstream oil and gas production facilities. Background/Scenarios: In your letter, you describe the following scenarios involving natural gas processes that are in the production phase of upstream oil and
WorkSafe Victoria is issuing a safety alert highlighting the hazards associated with using small-bore fittings following a number of recent incidents at Major Hazard Facilities (MHF). WorkSafe has recently been notified of three separate incidents involving the loss of containment of highly toxic and corrosive chemicals caused by the use of small-bore fittings for temporary
This is a tale of Valve Handle Positions and the assumption the valve was CLOSED based on the position the handle was found in. No Lockout/Tagout and NO VERIFICATION of a Zero Energy State (ZES) before the NG pipe was disassembled. I am not sure why the NTSB makes no mention of “Energy Control” (e.g.
For those of you that follow my ramblings have heard me rant on about ASME A13.1 and how pipe labeling begins LONG BEFORE a process becomes a PSM/RMP covered process. ALL Hazardous Materials piping has to be labeled! And yes I am well aware of OSHA’s position on pipe labeling and their Globally Harmonized System
On March 25, 2008, the State of New Jersey adopted rules requiring facilities regulated under the Toxic Catastrophe Prevention Act (TCPA) Program, which is PSM/RMP to those of us outside of the state of New Jersey, to perform Inherently Safer Technology (IST) reviews. Both OSHA and Federal EPA have tried to incorporate the IST model
Brian Chapin, Compliance Services Manager NOTE: This article is by my good friend and colleague Brian Chapin @ RC&E in Forth Worth, TX. In full disclosure, RC&E has been a corporate member for several years. Brian was gracious in allowing me to post his work directly at SAFTENG as some of you were having issues
On June 29, 2005, an operator was involved in the following maintenance activities in the Chloropyridines Complex at the employer’s chemical manufacturing facility. He was returning a reactor vessel to service and WAS ATTEMPTING TO DO A PRESSURE AND LEAK TEST USING CHLORINE GAS. The pipeline was supposed to be pressure tested with nitrogen gas
On March 13, 2007, Employee #1, a subcontractor, performed maintenance on commercial foodservice equipment. He was in the kitchen area of a single-story restaurant, attempting to locate the source of a refrigerant leak in an ice cream storage dipping cabinet. Employee #1 connected a Nitrogen cylinder to the dipping cabinet’s refrigeration system via a hose
A refrigeration system was being installed in a new wing of an ice cream plant in 1984. A leak test was being performed by employee #1 on a “low-pressure tank” which was filled with a mixture of ammonia and air under a pressure of 150 psi. As he squirted a soap bubble solution onto a
