Hazardous Materials

This has been a fun week with all the dialogue I have had with so many SAFTENG members; I only wish more were comfortable having these discussions online, but the fear of being traced back to an employer or being trolled by a lawyer I guess is a legitimate fear in our technical/risk profession.  One of the…...

Last week we saw a HAZMAT incident where over 50 workers were transported to medical facilities after ferric sulfate and sodium hypochlorite (bleach) were mixed together.  From recent press updates, what happened on Wednesday (2/27/19) sure does sound like a truck carrying one of these chemicals was unloaded into a tank of the other chemical.  The details…...

At 11:00 a.m. on June 1, 2018, an employee was transferring a chemical degreaser containing 1-5% caustic sodium hydroxide, from a 5-gallon jug into a small bottle. The chemical spilled onto the employee’s left hand and pants. The employee took off his pants, wiped his legs with wet cloths, and changed clothes. However, the employee…...

At 4:00 p.m. on January 5, 2018, Employee #1, employed by an industrial cleaning company, was working at a multiemployer project. He was working from an 8-foot stepladder, Werner Fiberglass 300-pound capacity P/N 100521-127 Model Number T6208 Mk 4. He was 2 feet above the ground and monitoring and adding water as necessary to evaporator…...

In petition P-1619, the Chlorine Institute requested that updates to publications currently listed in § 171.7(l)—specifically § 171.7(l)(1), (2), (5), and (12)—and referenced in various sections of the HMR be incorporated by reference. PHMSA conducted a review of these publications and found them suitable to propose incorporation into the HMR. In the NPRM, PHMSA proposed…...

I don’t think I have done a process safety course or a HAZMAT course where I do not have a lengthy sidebar discussion to explain why NH3 is a flammable gas under OSHA definitions, but not under DOT definitions.  Yes, NH3 has a LEL of 15-16% and a UEL of 25-28% so it has a flammable range,…...

In June 2014 a qualified diesel mechanic, 39, died from burns and blunt force trauma when a refrigeration compressor blew up during his work.  He and another gentleman, a boilermaker by trade who worked as a welder offered to move the refrigeration compressor from the cellar in order to assist.  While they were in the cellar…...