A forklift operator at an industrial site was filling a liquid propane cylinder on the forklift and also heard a hissing sound. The operator then started the forklift and a flash fire explosion occurred at the forklift and propane dispensing system. The facility is an industrial wood processing plant with a propane dispensing system. Propane-fuelled […]
On Thursday, July 5th, 1973 at approximately 1:30 pm, two employees of Droxol Propane were in the process of off-loading the contents of the 127 kl (33,500 gal) railroad tank car into two propane storage tanks. When the valves were opened, one of the connections was discovered to be leaking. One of the employees attempted
Back in June of last year (2020), the city of Wenling in China experienced a tragedy that involved a COLD BLEVE of a flammable liquified pressurized gas tanker truck and a subsequent explosion killing 18 people. We have dashcam footage of the COLD BLEVE and it is “textbook” footage of such an event – we
A catastrophic incident at an engineering facility serves as a definitive case study in the dangers of improper pressure testing. A technician suffered life-altering injuries when a 335-liter (88-gallon) vessel exploded during a pressure test. The root cause was a fundamental failure in hazard control: the company opted to use compressed air (pneumatic testing) instead
As you know, I am a huge fan of the FM Global Data Sheets and I still recommend them to all my clients. If your business is too cheap to buy RAGAGEPs, these Data Sheets are by far your next best options as they are FREE. And in some situations, I actually prefer the FM
When trying to assure that people will work in a safe environment, it is imperative to understand how a building is intended to be used. The code classification system for buildings is therefore based upon how the building is intended to be used. The safety of building occupants cannot be assured if only the construction
We often get asked: Do I need to install a gas detector in the room? Well, it’s pretty easy in my state, as in most cases we have dealt with, the state fire/HAZMAT code required it. The code includes basic requirements for ALL gas detection systems and covers: For example, meat production facilities use Nitrogen
A few years ago I was asked to participate in a hazard assessment for a manufacturer who wanted to review the procedure for hydrogen-powered vehicles to be freed of hydrogen gas. I got the feeling very early into this hazard assessment that those in the room knew about an event of some type, but wanted
Years back a facility had to apply for a “Special Permit” (example of a permit at link) to get an exemption for their HAZMAT Attendance requirements and then it was very specific to the loading/unloading station and came with many caveats. Now 49 CFR 177.834 has this exception built into the standard and it reads:
This past week I learned that what used to be allowed only under a “special permit” is now part of the regulation for unloading (and loading) HAZMATs. It was very popular during my time as a safety/PSM manager and all my plants applied for and received the DOT Special permit(s) to unload both Railcars and
I have always wanted to do this for my own use and over the pandemic, I took the time to compile a breakdown of some of the hazardous materials my clients have into Highly Toxic and Toxic so as to be clear which design requirements apply to which hazardous materials (HAZMATs). For some of these
Anhydrous Ammonia is NOT a toxic nor highly toxic gas, as defined by the International Fire Code (IFC). But if it is not managed as a “toxic,” how do we manage our ammonia gas? The IFC actually puts Anhydrous Ammonia in the…
