I have been catching up on my Chlorine posts these last several weeks and some have asked me how I know which chemical goes into which hazard class; specifically, why Chlorine is “only toxic” and not “highly toxic”. As I said in a few of my previous articles on safely managing Cl2, some of my […]
One of the top 5 nastiest checmicals I have encountered during my career is Hydrofluoric Acid and Hydrogen Fluoride (HF). And it just amazes me that humans can convenience themselves that these chemicals are not “really that hazardous”. TRUST ME (and NIOSH), HF has earned its place in my Top 5. Of course, HF is not
Authorities: Napa man injured by flash fire while cleaning paper shredderA man was hospitalized Saturday morning with a burn injury suffered while cleaning a paper shredder, according to Napa Fire. Firefighters were called to a west Napa house at about 7:50 a.m., where a man was being cooled in a shower after suffering a burn…
We have discussed the Maximum Allowable Quantity (MAQ) extensively over the years, but a lot of facilities just can’t stay within the confines of a MAQ so what are they to do? Well, it an easy answer but it is not so easy to meet! In this article, I will explain the four (4) H
This is another hotly debated topic among my tight-knit group of fellow safety and fire protection engineers and Lord knows we have plenty of photographic and video evidence that there seems to be a large segment of the population who need help with Dispensing Fuel into Portable Containers. Hence the government has a code that
This debate reaches far into the safety profession and the opinions will vary widely among us. But recently a state, which will remain un-named for this article, passed a fire code requirement for Flaming food and beverage preparation. One year, many years ago, we were performing audits for a business, and during each audit, we
Many thanks to DS at the U of MO for sharing this excellent safety guide on liquid nitrogen containers. The document (FREE DOWNLOAD) covers the following: Understanding liquid nitrogen Structure of a liquid nitrogen tank Storage and care Transporting and handling Monitoring nitrogen levels Tank damage The images are very helpful in their explanations, such
PHMSA identifies the hazardous materials that have been linked to the most serious consequences in terms of deaths and major injuries relative to exposure. The Office of Hazardous Materials Safety (OHMS) periodically reviews the incident data to explore, develop and refine methodologies that illustrate which hazardous materials are most likely to be involved in death
The phase-down and restriction of the most common and widely used refrigerants was initiated in the late 1980’s and has spurred innovation, both for the alternative refrigerants that have been introduced as well as in the equipment that uses them. Safety Group A2L refrigerants (lower toxicity and lower flammability) represent the most recent in the
After nearly 20 years in ER specializing in large-scale incidents, I can say that with this news I am sorry I got out of the work when I did. This addition to the rails of the USA will be a fun and wild addition. LNG—referred to as “Methane, refrigerated liquid” within the HMR—has been transported
As of January 1, 2021, hazmat shippers will no longer be able to use the ORM-D Consumer Commodity marking on packages containing limited quantities of low-risk hazardous materials. Packages must be marked with the Limited Quantity marking in accordance with the Code of Federal Regulations, Title 49, Section 173.156. PHMSA published a final rule in
The City of Henderson, NV has upped their game when it comes to their adoption of the 2018 International Fire Code in order to address “remote tank filling”. The new item addresses requirements for tank filling operation connections preventing unwanted filling into the wrong tanks where properties have both acids and bases, which has occurred
