On October 31, 2012 at 6:00 p.m. while anhydrous ammonia (ammonia) field application assembly was making a turn at the end of the field, the hitch connection between the application/toolbar unit and the nurse tank failed. The break-away coupling device failed to disengage, causing the threaded fitting at one end of the withdrawal hose to…...
Ammonia is not suppose to behave that way Read More »
This video is the best source of details we have at this time regarding the fatal NH3 accident at a Boston, MA Seafood Warehouse, as well as a major NH3 release during an oil draining incident at an ice rink. The boston incident involved a liquid pipe on the bottom of the receiver. These…...
HAZMAT Guys discuss two major Ammonia Releases Read More »
UPDATE 4/9/2016 Shelby County Emergency Management Agency Director Jared Rowcliffe described in an email Wednesday afternoon that the driver connected the truck’s tank to the storage tank to offload, but the truck rolled. Instead of the hose breaking, causing an automatic shut-off, the fitting on the truck failed and the product was released. Fire Chief…...
This week (3/20/16) we saw yet another serious incident involving a DOT propane container (MC331). And although there is NO doubt in my mind that the incident in Alabama last was clearly and unmistakably a BLEVE (most likely a COLD BLEVE from impact damage), this most recent incident in Callaway, MN was NOT a BLEVE…....
Callaway, MN MC331 Tanker vs. Train incident does NOT appear to have been a BLEVE Read More »
The International Code Council (ICC) has seen fit to provide FREE access to the 2015 International Fire Code (IFC). This access is for read/view ONLY and can not be copied or printed; but it is searchable and FREE. CLICK HERE for this access. CLICK HERE to buy the 2015 for $83… Membership Required You must...
FREE ACCESS to the 2015 International Fire Code (IFC) Read More »
2018 UPDATE – NTSB Report issued on this incident From the NTSB Report… About 6:20 a.m., as the combination vehicle was traveling northbound on US Highway 431 (US-431), a two-lane undivided highway, near Stroud, Alabama, it entered a right curve near the intersection of County Route 256 and began to encroach on the southbound lane,…...
2nd BLEVE in as many days??? (MC331 – Propane) Read More »
One area that we commonly find during audits and assessments is the lack of complying with the state’s fire, building and mechanical codes. Often times we find that no one involved in the project(s) were even aware of these baseline state requirements for storing and/or processing hazardous materials. Now EACH STATE is different, but this…...
IL Fire Marshal explains state codes and NFPA Life Safety Code Read More »
State Fire Marshal Larry L. Flowers is pleased to announce the initiation of the Ohio Department of Commerce, Division of State Fire Marshal’s (SFM) administrative rule update process for the 2011 Ohio Fire Code (OFC) and associated SFM rules (also known as Ohio Administrative Code sections 1301:7-7- 01 through 1301:7-7-47). The targeted effective date of…...
Ohio is revising the State Fire Code for 2017 Read More »
At a brewery in 1997, an operator confused filling nozzles for two commonly used acid cleaning agents and transferred nitric acid into a tank with P3, a proprietary phosphoric acid based cleaner that also contained 5-15 percent isopropanol. 10-15 minutes later the mixture exploded violently. The stainless steel tank disintegrated with such force that fragments…...
Another WRONG material to WRONG tank incident Read More »
The purpose of this project is to analyze a ruptured 1000 gallon NH3 tank to determine the crack initiation site (CIS) and the cause of the tank failure. On 11/21/2007 it was reported that, “a nurse tank carrying anhydrous ammonia exploded and pieces were found laying in the front yard of a farm just outside of Silver…...
Metallurgical Evaluation of a Nurse Tank Cracked Head (Failure was SCC) Read More »
Recent investigations conducted by the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) on USDOT specification cargo tank testing and repair facilities have resulted in a consistent pattern of non-compliance regarding bench testing of Pressure Relief Devices (PRD). Specifically, cargo tank testing and repair facilities are either failing to bench test PRDs or…...
SAFETY NOTICE ON BENCH TESTING OF PRESSURE RELIEF DEVICES (FMCSA) Read More »
One of my favorite hazardous materials to work with is Chlorine (Cl2). And yes I know and no I have not been taking my meds! “Like” is probably a poor choice of words to us – Respect is probably more fitting in describing my relationship with Cl2. I have been working with this hazardous material…...
Respect Chlorine – a little bit goes a long ways! Read More »
