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:
Does your facility require a “leak test” of piping/equipment that is opened for maintenance BEFORE it is returned to service? Historically, the code allowed previously leak-tested flanged joints, instrument threaded joints, and tubing joints to be pulled apart and reassembled without a re-test. The updated provisions significantly expanded this. The code now broadly permits all
DISCLAIMER: I am not an attorney and would not even play one on TV, but I have stayed at a Holiday Inn Express! I was shocked to hear that a Harris County jury has returned a $61.5 million verdict against 3M for families devastated by the 2020 Watson Grinding explosion in West Houston. The explosion
If no one can be near the piping during the pressure test, how does one soap each joint in the piping? Of course, I make it clear that there are actually TWO (2) different phases of the “leak test” (the phrase the code uses): Pressure Test and then the Leak Test
The introduction of Clause 7.14: Deferral of Inspection Repair Recommendation Due Dates in API 570 (2024) formalized the process for delaying required piping and PRD inspections and maintenance. Prior to this standardization, extending an inspection or repair date was often a loosely managed site-specific practice. This lack of rigor sometimes allowed equipment to run past
API 570 (2024) introduced new, formalized clauses specifically addressing the As-Received Condition, Testing, and Actions for relief valves. When a Pressure Relief Device (PRD) is pulled for its scheduled interval, the shop must now strictly document its “as-received” condition and perform an initial POP test before any cleaning, disassembly, or maintenance occurs.
A Process Hazard(s) Analysis (PHA) is a great tool to look at an entire process, and a Job Hazard Analysis (JHA) is a great tool to use to analyze the hazards within specific tasks within the covered process. They are different tools for different scopes of work, but they can work in unison to make
While the terms are often used interchangeably, there is a distinct semantic and practical difference between them, particularly when dealing with formal codes like ASME and API. The distinction essentially comes down to execution versus interpretation.
As we have discussed here many times, check valves tend to be one of the most relied-on designs but also one of the most forgotten devices in process safety. We see check valves that have been in service for 30+ years and have never once been inspected or tested, yet they are listed every 5
Today, the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) released its final report on the fatal August 11, 2025, explosion at the Coke Works facility in Clairton, Pennsylvania. The incident occurred when toxic flammable coke oven gas was released and exploded — fatally injuring two people, injuring 11 others, five of them seriously, and
A coalition of 75 major industry organizations (led by the American Chemistry Council) submitted a joint petition to OSHA, the EPA, and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). The Goal is to establish a single, unified federal chemical safety standard to eliminate conflicting regulatory requirements between OSHA standards and the EPA’s Toxic Substances Control
The CSB examines two (2) high-consequence incidents in 2025 that were caused by workers mistakenly disassembling the wrong equipment.
