Where piping is to be opened for servicing, addition, or modification, the section to be worked on shall be isolated from the supply at the nearest convenient point, and the line pressure vented to the OUTDOORS. The remaining gas in this section of pipe shall be displaced with an inert gas. Prior to placing the […]
December 23, 2025, Washington, D.C. — The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) today issued two interim safety recommendations in connection with the agency’s ongoing investigation into the August 11, 2025, fatal explosion at U.S. Steel’s Clairton Coke Works facility in Clairton, Pennsylvania. The explosion occurred when coke oven gas was released from
At 2:30 p.m. on August 28, 2019, employees were removing a flange blank on caustic liquid pipeline that was supposed to be evacuated but wasn’t. The employees were sprayed with caustic liquid and suffered chemical burns to their face and eyes. Two of the employees required hospitalization for treatment and three others were injured but
Three (3) workers were exposed to hydrogen sulfide (H2S) while cleaning a chemical pit at a company, leaving two dead and one hospitalized. Two (2) workers died, and a third was rescued.
This information is preliminary and subject to change. On November 12, 2025, about 9:16 p.m. local time, a cargo tank transporting Anhydrous Ammonia experienced a leak while parked in Weatherford, Oklahoma. The driver had stopped at a Holiday Inn Express and Suites for the evening when he noticed the manway cover underneath the cargo tank
A contractor was injured and evacuated after a gas release incident on an offshore facility in the Gulf of America. The incident occurred while a contract employee was performing maintenance on an E-body control valve on a six-inch gas line. BSEE’s investigation found that residual pressure estimated at 128 psi inside the six-inch gas line
At 1:40 p.m. on May 7, 2024, Employee #1, 42, a Production Engineer, was performing daily assigned tasks when the Maintenance Coordinator requested that the employee replace a gasket on a wash tank camlock. While disconnecting a high-pressure hose from the bulk wash tank, the hose ejected water at 185F. The hot water burned 98%
Employee #1 was mixing an automobile cleaning solution, which required that several chemicals to be added to a mixing tank. He would first weigh out the appropriate amount of a chemical and then use a chemical transfer pump to move it into an empty drum until the desired amount (by weight) was obtained. This task
We have discussed the pros and cons of pressure testing/leak testing piping. Code requires the test to be Hydrostatic Test; but if there is a legitmate issue with doing a hydrostatic test, then we can use the pneumatic test method. But we MUST realize the catastrophic/fatal hazard of pneumatic testing. For example,
When teaching my HAZMAT and Process Safety courses, we always cover chemical properties @ atmospheric conditions, higher pressure, and under a vacuum. Most people who have never been trained in these properties simply think that water freezes at 32F and boils at 212F. THese properties are accurate when we are in standard atmospheric conditions. But
Supposedly, the liquid leak was from a failed gasket (as stated by an EPA official earlier this week). But now we have been told the gasket was on a 12” manway on the bottom of the tanker as shown below. The pictures were taken at the time of the release and appear to show what
Corrosion allowance is the extra thickness of metal added to a component to account for material loss from corrosion over its service life, ensuring it can withstand pressure and structural loads until the end of its designed life. It is calculated based on the predicted corrosion rate, operating conditions, and the equipment’s anticipated life, using
