An Ohio corporation pleaded guilty this week in federal court in the Southern District of Ohio to a charge of negligent endangerment. The criminal charge is related to an explosion that resulted in the death of one employee and injuries to several more. Yenkin-Majestic Paint Corporation was a family-owned and operated coatings-industry supplier based in […]
Transferring a flammable liquid, even in small quantities, can have very serious consequences. A former client who handles large quantities of flammable liquids had an event a number of years ago that was caused by what many never recognized as a “change,” especially one that would lead to such a serious event. Take a look
On my soapbox again, regarding the catastrophic hazards associated with load/unloading/transferring large volumes of hazardous materials. via temporary hose hook-ups. Three weeks ago, I posted about the fatality event when a driver pulled their truck forward for unknown reasons, severing the LNG hose, and was killed as he entered the LNG cloud when it was
I talk a lot about “pressure and leak testing” our piping systems before they are put into service or returned to service after breaching the pressure boundaries, but the same practice should apply to our process vessels/tanks. But I almost always get the “you must be on drugs” look when I ask about this in
Recent Marine Minerals Administration inspections identified unsafe use of portable electronic devices (PEDs) – including pagers, cell phones, cameras, video equipment, and radios – in hazardous areas offshore. During one inspection, MMA observed a wireline operator using a cellphone on a mobile offshore drilling unit during active wireline operations. This use violated facility safety procedures
Neither NFPA 30 nor NFPA 77 specifies a 25-ohm resistance threshold for metal-to-metal bonding and grounding circuits, and neither document has a history of endorsing 25 ohms for equipment and piping bonds. Instead, the confusion regarding “25 ohms” typically stems from a crossover with a completely different code:
Tip: In the “good old days,” this was crystal clear, such that a 3rd grader could audit these requirements! Today, one needs a calculator and a long tape measure to make this determination!!! Let’s break this down by OSHA first, then NFPA, then IFC…
Regional OSHA activity and compliance publications over the past month highlight renewed inspection scrutiny surrounding flammable liquid transfer, storage, and bonding/grounding:
The CSB examines two (2) high-consequence incidents in 2025 that were caused by workers mistakenly disassembling the wrong equipment.
Fireproofing piping supports — specifically the application of Passive Fire Protection (PFP)— is a critical mitigation strategy designed to prevent the structural collapse of pipe racks during a flammable liquid fire. In most state fire codes and the IFC, flammable liquid piping supports inside a secondary containment are REQUIRED to be protected from the effects
PLEASE ensure your “life safety” contractor inspector for Exits, Fire Extinguishers, EW/SSs, etc., is FULLY trained on the hazards of the area(s) they will be working in. This year, we have found two (2) national companies that provide these inspection services using electronic devices NOT rated for the hazardous areas where they are working. We
Four (4) workers were injured at a worksite on April 30, 2024, while offloading flammable solvents from a vacuum truck into a storage tanker. At the same time, other workers positioned a hydrovac truck in an adjacent bay to offload a wastewater-and-slurry mixture. During this process, flammable vapors were released and drawn into the idling
