Pipeline Safety: Communication During Emergency Situations
PHMSA is issuing this Advisory Bulletin to remind operators of gas, hazardous liquid, and liquefied natural gas pipeline facilities that operators should IMMEDIATELY and DIRECTLY notify the Public Safety Access Point (PSAP) that serves the communities and jurisdictions in which those pipelines are located when there are indications of a pipeline facility emergency. Furthermore, operators
Just The Facts…About The C-Kit (From CI)
In the last few months, there’s been a renewed flurry of misleading and false statements about the Chlorine Institute Emergency Kit “C” (C-Kit) by a company currently marketing its own secondary containment product. At this time, there have been no recorded sales of that product. Emergency responders across the nation, who face real risks every day,
Shelter-in-Place Suggestions
Field-expedient protection includes steps taken to provide immediate protection of personnel/materiel and to enhance protection of mission-essential facilities in the event of an incident. These procedures and planning factors are often included in emergency-action discussions of “protection in place” when it is required to sustain critical operations through an event or key infrastructure facilities that
Cracking and Ruptures of SCBA Aluminum Cylinders Made from 6351 Alloy
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) published notice RSPA-99-5143 (notice 99-11) stating that its files contain reports of 12 explosive failures of aluminum cylinders made of 6351 alloy. Eleven of the failures occurred when the cylinders were being filled. Six of the failures were SCBA cylinders used in life-support systems for firefighters, and three were
Safety Advisory; High Pressure Aluminum Seamless and Aluminum Composite Hoop-Wrapped Cylinders
SUMMARY: Recently, a DOT-3AL cylinder made of aluminum alloy 6351-T6 ruptured while being filled. The purpose of this notice is to alert owners, users, and other persons responsible for the maintenance of certain cylinders made of aluminum alloy 6351-T6 of potential safety problems and to advise them to follow the precautionary measures outlined in this
USFA Special Report: Prevention of Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus Failures
There have been several well-documented incidents during the past 10 years where SCBA failure may have been a contributing factor in the deaths or injuries of firefighters¹. These incidents, coupled with a recognition of the importance of self-contained breathing apparatus to firefighter safety, prompted the United States Fire Administration to undertake this study to address
2012 DOT ERG by the numbers
The answers to the top questions I get about the DOT ERG Booklets: 1) there are 3,233 Hazardous Materials listed 2) there are 465 TIH/PIH Hazardous Materials listed 3) there are 127 Water Reactive Hazardous Materials listed 4) there are still 172 Guides listed in 2012.
SCBA Cylinder Catastrophic Failure from Stress Corrosion Cracking
A fully wrapped composite SCBA cylinder catastrophically failed while stored inside a fire truck parked inside a fire house. Although no one was hurt, the incident caused significant damage to the fire truck and minor damage to the fire truck parked next to it. Extensive analysis of the failed cylinder showed that it was caused
Hydro-Testing of SCBA Cylinders
UPDATED 10/22/2019 with new images and new explanations. UPDATE: Please see my June 2017 posting PHMSA’s New Cylinder “Special Permit” authorizes an extension of the 15-year service life of certain carbon fiber reinforced aluminum-lined cylinders (DOT-CFFC)
The new “Table 3” in the 2012 DOT ERG
On May 17th of this year I posted the article “Emergency Response Guidebook 2012 Summary of Changes (April 2012)” pointing out some of the changes and upgrades to the 2012 edition of the DOT ERG. If your business handles Ammonia (UN1005), Chlorine (UN1017), Ethylene oxide (UN1040), Hydrogen chloride (UN1050) and Hydrogen chloride, refrigerated liquid (UN2186), Hydrogen