There are five (5) basic types of ventilation systems: dilution and removal by general exhaust; local exhaust; makeup air (or replacement); HVAC (primarily for comfort); and recirculation systems Most ventilation systems generally involve a combination of these types of systems. But there are some specific requirements, that need to be met:… Membership Required You must...
Where are we REQUIRED to have ventilation? (OSHA) Read More »
With the new 2021 International Fire Code comes some interesting changes. One such change impacts how we establish how many “control areas” within our buildings and floors. Personally, I was surprised they made this change, but after close examination, it actually makes sense. So let’s look at what liberties the 2021 edition gives us in…...
Does the 2021 IFC allow for more “control areas” per floor? Read More »
I am unsure how to be any louder or more straightforward to the food industry regarding their “Tunnel Freezers.” A lot of folks are aware of the Chemical Safety Board’s investigation into the food plant accident that claimed the lives of 5 workers and injured dozens more. But did you know there was a DOUBLE…...
Tunnel Freezers have claimed 7 worker’s lives in two months – Are you awake yet! Read More »
With last week’s horrible tragedy in GA involving liquid nitrogen, I have received a number of inquires about what actually happens when a liquid cryogenic, such as Nitrogen, makes contact with someone’s skin. And this video probably does as good of a job as any “official” training video. PLEASE REMEMBER, these chemicals are EXTREMELY DANGEROUS…...
What happens when liquid nitrogen contacts my skin? Read More »
Let’s face it, the “green movement” is here to stay and in some situations, going green may be great for the environment, but sometimes this “going green” can introduce significant hazards in our workplaces. Hydrogen is becoming the last hydrocarbon fuel source of the “green movement” if you’re not going solar. Hydrogen is a GREAT…...
The photograph shows the fill line hookups at TCWTP. All connections and fittings were identical, and the hoses used by ADC could be hooked up to any of the fill lines pictured. There was also no color coding of the lines or prominent labeling other than plain black text on a white background…....
If you have attended any of my Process Safety, HAZMAT/ER, or PRCS courses over the years, you will certainly recognize this hazard evaluation methodology. I learned this method even before I learned the Process Hazards Analysis (PHA) methods. The method I will discuss in this post is one that we should all use when a…...
Evaluation of Hazardous Material hazards Read More »
In May 2020 I wrote Part I – General Requirements after OSHA issued two willful and three serious violations totaling $122,602 to a sperm bank for bulls (cattle) after an employee was asphyxiated while filling freezers with Liquid Nitrogen. And back in 2017, we saw another sperm bank, this one for humans, have a Nitrogen…...
Liquid Nitrogen and the State Fire/HAZMAT Codes (Part II – Storage) Read More »
At 6:15 a.m. on May 22, 2020, an employee and a coworker were in the process of transferring chemicals from totes on a delivery truck into tanks inside the facility. The deceased employee was responsible for hooking up a hose to the fill line on the building and monitoring the transfer from inside the facility…....
WRONG CHEMICAL – WRONG CONTAINER Fatality (Reaction produced Cl2) Read More »
Under a new Illinois state regulation, 8 IAC 215, anyone who works on a farm and handles anhydrous ammonia must complete Certified Grower Training by April 2022 and do a refresher course every three (3) years thereafter. This includes those workers who are either classified as a “Certified competent attendant” or a “Certified grower” as…...
State of IL is regulating “Ammonia Safety Training” as of April 2022 Read More »
Since my post earlier this week I have received several comments and questions as to whether this “explosion” was in fact a Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapor Explosion. So I took the video and did a frame-by-frame examination of the event and I can say without question this was a classic BLEVE event. As we can…...
Breaking down the 2021 Big Sky, MT BLEVE, frame-by-frame Read More »
On January 6, 2021, at 2:30 PM the Big Sky fire Department was dispatched to a concrete batch plant for a vehicle fire that was reported to have spread to a large commercial structure. While en route to the incident responders were notified that there had been an explosion and that a propane truck was…...
First 2021 BLEVE event – LPG 1,000-gallon Tank Read More »
