Emergency Response

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…...

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…...

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’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...

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…...

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…...

This is video footage from an anhydrous ammonia (NH3) leak (liquid leak) and does an excellent job of showing how NH3 will behave when released as a liquid, with a boiling point of -28ºF.  The videographer may not have known how close he was to “death” while shooting his/her footage, but the wind was his…...