We have an uncontrolled release from our PSM/RMP covered process today, February 5, 2019. We have trained for this day. We have inspected our gear, well most of it, each month for years. We don our LEVEL A suits, which have been pressure tested annually and cared for per every single manufacturer’s requirements. Under our LEVEL…...
Today could have been hell… what are we starring at? Read More »
On July 11, 1996 a member of the Roxbury Township, Morris County, Fire Department, Firefighter Paul Label, age 29, was in the process of recharging an aluminum 2216 psi SCBA cylinder from the department’s cascade system at about 2038 hours, when it failed catastrophically resulting in serious injuries to Mr. Label. On October 8, 1996…...
Catastrophic failures of SCBA cylinders Read More »
A new version of CAMEOfm is now available. If you’re upgrading to CAMEOfm 3.5 from a previous version of CAMEOfm, follow the instructions in the guidance document (provided on the download page) to ensure that you don’t lose your current data. What’s changed in CAMEOfm 3.5?… Membership Required You must be a member to access this...
CAMEO updates available Read More »
The reportable quantity (RQ) that triggers emergency release notification (Section 304) was developed as a quantity that when released, poses a potential threat to human health and the environment. The RQs were developed using several criteria, including aquatic toxicity, mammalian toxicity, ignitability, reactivity, chronic toxicity, potential carcinogenicity, biodegradation, hydrolysis, and photolysis (50 FR 13468, April…...
For those who work and live in the world of Process Safety Management, the abbreviation MOC may make you and your colleagues cringe. And when some “consultant” tells you that using the Management of Change (MOC) process for changes to our Emergency Response Equipment, especially PPE, you are probably thinking… SERIOUSLY? I cant keep track…...
The definition of a “hazardous chemica” l under OSHA HCS includes “combustible dusts”. So, if the facility accumulates 10,000 lbs of dusts at any one time, it is reportable under Sections 311 and 312. Facilities may want to consult FDA regulations to determine if certain food dusts would be covered under their regulations as food or…...
Is combustible food dust subject to reporting under EPCRA Sections 311 and 312? Read More »
For those of us in the process safety arena, we hear about “pre-planning” almost daily (or maybe we should hear it that often!). But when we actually start looking into what “preplanning” looks like, most facilities are lost at what they should be doing. Once again, I turn to the International Fire Code (IFC) to…...
What should be included in our emergency pre-planning? Read More »
What’s changed in CAMEO Chemicals 2.7.1?… Membership Required You must be a member to access this content.View Membership LevelsAlready a member? Log in here...
The new CAMEO Chemicals 2.7.1 version is now available Read More »
At all times relevant to this Complaint, Respondent owned and operated buildings, structures, installations, equipment, pipes or pipelines, and storage containers, located on a single site or on contiguous or adjacent locations, where it deposited, stored, disposed of, or placed, Ammonia CAS# 7664-41-7. Ammonia CAS# 7664-41-7 was a “hazardous substance” as that term was defined…...
The Department of Energy has a little-known database that is a goldmine for emergency planners and responders. This database is called the Protective Action Criteria for Chemicals (PACs), and it uses a hierarchy-based system of the three (3) exposure guideline systems: Acute Exposure Guideline Levels (AEGLs) Emergency Response Planning Guidelines (ERPGs), and Temporary Emergency Exposure…...
Does your Emergency Response Plan use DOE’s “Protective Action Criteria” (PAC) Read More »
UPDATED 2/16/2021 with OSHA Case File A couple of KEY POINTS in this EMA’s report out to the County Supervisors: Two weeks before this incident the County had conducted a drill at another NH3 facility that involved a rooftop NH3 leak (PREPAREDNESS) The release came from a 14″ diameter suction line on the roof of…...
What it’s like to have a 14″ NH3 pipe suffer a 24″ long stress fracture on your roof Read More »
OSHA currently regulates aspects of emergency response and preparedness; some of these standards were promulgated decades ago, and none were designed as comprehensive emergency response standards. Consequently, they do not address the full range of hazards or concerns currently facing emergency responders, nor do they reflect significant changes in performance specifications for protective clothing and…...
OSHA puts the HAZWOPER standard on the UPDATE schedule Read More »
