One problem that seems to run wild across all businesses is DOT’s “25 feet and in line of sight” rule for unloading/loading hazardous materials. Just this year (September & November 2012) the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration issued LOIs on the matter, reaffirming their expectation in regards to this rule. The letters stated…
In processes handling flammable liquids, “flange jumpers” (also known as “bonding jumpers”) are critical safety components designed to maintain electrical continuity across piping joints. Since piping systems are often coated, gasketed, or subject to corrosion, a standard flanged connection may not provide a sufficiently low-resistance path to ground.
Gas detection systems are required to detect leaks in many uses and hazardous operations as regulated by BOTH the IBC and IFC. Gas detection systems are required in:
The Centers for Disease Control released a report today saying that a Tyson poultry plant worker who poured a solution into a 55-gallon drum, releasing chlorine gas, could not read the English label on the drum that would have alerted him to its contents, but Tyson disputes the findings.
In the world of boiler PSV design, the “length” of a vent line is less about a specific length in feet and more about BACKPRESSURE. According to ASME Section I (Power Boilers) and Section IV (Heating Boilers), the moment you add a vent line to a Pressure Safety Valve (PSV), you are introducing flow resistance.
When we are reading RAGAGEPs for Chlorine Process Design, we will certainly see references to “Wet Chlorine” and “Dry Chlorine,” and it’s one of the top questions I get when people/businesses are new to the chlorine business. In the world of process safety and metallurgy, the distinction between Dry Chlorine and Wet Chlorine is one
Since 2003, the International Fire Code has offered an “alternative” to complying with all the special hazard chapters of the “code”; it’s called the Performance-Based Design Alternative (PBDA). This alternative was intended to provide some relief to facilities that are already doing PSM/RMP style activities for their hazardous material(s) and to provide an IMPROVED alternative to
Each employer must address actions that workers will take when there is an unwanted release of highly hazardous chemicals. Employers will need to decide: if they want workers to handle and stop small or minor incidental releases; whether they wish to mobilize the available resources at the plant and have them brought to bear on
NH3 gas is COLORLESS! Check out the SDS or any data source if you think I’m kidding. What we are seeing in that “white smoke” or “cloud” is moisture in the air (i.e., humidity) condensing on the very cold NH3 gas. So the question I often get is: How much NH3 gas is needed to
Recent reports published by the National Academies Press provide conclusions and recommendations for improving acute exposure guideline level (AEGL) documents for several chemicals and chemical classes. AEGLs were developed by the National Advisory Council to provide values with which to assess acute adverse health effects for extremely hazardous substances (EHSs).
I wish all the states made compliance this simple! Well done MI.
Approximately 90 percent of hazardous materials (hazmat) injuries are due to inhalation. In general, although some solids are highly hazardous (upon physical contact with the skin or if ingested into the body), gases and liquids with high vapor pressures pose the most significant risks to responders. These chemicals are more hazardous because they can become
