The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is issuing this safety advisory concerning pressure relief devices (PRD) that were not manufactured or intended for use on cargo tank motor vehicles. PRDs are an integral part of the safety mechanisms for U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) specification cargo tank motor vehicles and are vital to ensuring…...
The Ohio Department of Commerce, Division of State Fire Marshal (SFM) has recently completed training modules highlighting significant changes from the 2007 version to the 2011 version of the Ohio Fire Code (OFC). You can access the modules via links on the SFM’s website “2011 Ohio Fire Code Training Modules”. There you will find links to…...
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is amending its hazard categories in the regulations (40 CFR part 370) for reporting under Sections 311 and 312 of the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) due to the changes in the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Hazard Communication Standard (HCS). OSHA’s HCS was revised in 2012…...
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…...
The changes in NH3’s flammability ratings in NFPA’s 704 ratings comes down to the difference between ammonia’s inherent chemical properties and specific regulatory overrides designed for enclosed refrigeration systems. Strictly speaking, the base chemical rating for pure anhydrous ammonia is a “1”. However, the International Mechanical Code (IMC) and the International Institute of Ammonia Refrigeration (IIAR)…...
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…...
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…....
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...
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,…...
ASME B31.3 (Process Piping) treats double-walled piping—commonly referred to as jacketed piping—as two (2) distinct pressure systems. Because the failure of the inner pipe (core) or outer pipe (jacket) carries different risks, the code requires specific sequences and methods to ensure the integrity of both…. Membership Required You must be a member to access this...
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…...
