On August 27, 2016, about 8:26 a.m. EST, a railroad tank car sustained a 42-inch long crack in its tank shell shortly after being loaded with 178,400 pounds of liquefied compressed chlorine at a chlorine manufacturing plant in West Virginia. Over the next 2.5 hours, the entire 178,400-pound load of chlorine was released and formed […]
Fire Codes mean something… at least in our world of occupational safety and health. As I was entering a restaurant for dinner, I am checking out my environment and what do I see but two (2) dewars of Nitrogen in some kind of “float spa”. This was in a “strip mall” type setting so of course,
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
The day before Thanksgiving a driver was killed (may he RIP) when he entered the cargo hold of his box truck to”investigate a leak”. As can be seen in the video below, the delivery truck was an enclosed box truck, rather than the style of truck typically used to transport gas cylinders as shown below.
Once again I go to the well that just keeps on giving guidance… the International Fire Code (IFC). And again I do this as OSHA nor EPA have any standards for Chlorine when the amount is below the 1,500 pounds for OSHA’s PSM standard to apply. Of course, there is EPA’s RMP General Duty Clause,
NOTE: the text below is a translation from Chinese to English At about 13:49 on May 3, 2018, a catalyst explosion occurred in the hydrogenation reactor of No. 1 hydrogenation reactor of a Pharmaceutical facility causing one death and an immediate economic loss of 1.446 million yuan ($216,061,320 USD). According to the “Safety Production Law of
Under ASME B31.3 (Process Piping), the roels and requirements for an Examiner are distinctly different from those for an [Owner’s] Inspector. While the Inspector represents the owner and audits the work, the Examiner represents the manufacturer, fabricator, or erector and is the person actually performing the quality control examinations—including visual inspection. Because ASME B31.3 classifies
Violation Code Violation Description # of Inspections # of Violations % of Total Violations # of OOS Violations OOS Percent 1 177.834A Package not secure in vehicle 3,154 3,277 9.71% 3,138 95.76% 2 107.620B No Copy Of US Dot Hazardous Materials Registration Number 2,269 2,269 6.73% 3 0.13% 3 177.817E Shipping paper accessibility 2,150
Way back in the early 1990’s I learned a valuable lesson the “hard way,” and to this day, facility siting means something altogether different than how most view it. Those that work with me know I hate having combustibles such as empty pallets around chemical processes, especially flammable processes. But even non-flammable processes, such as
EPA has begun limiting the use of refrigerants that have high global warming-potential properties. The refrigerant manufacturing industry has responded by developing a number of replacement refrigerants. One of the characteristics of most of these products is that they are minimally flammable as compared to other flammable refrigerants. Different protection schemes exist for lesser risk
