In many Line & Equipment Opening (LEO) safe work practices, some leeway will be granted to the workers AFTER the INITIAL “break” based on the level of ISOLATION they have protecting them. For example: A LEO has a double block and bleed arrangement on BOTH sides of the opening. During the initial “break,” the worker(s)…...
On May 29, 2024, at about 3:15 p.m., several pounds of hydrogen sulfide and carbon monoxide gas were released at a Sugar Cooperative. As a result of the release, one employee was fatally injured, and another employee was seriously injured due to inhalation of the gases. The facility’s investigation found that, at the time of…...
On September 22, 2022, at approximately 9:00 a.m., a liquid mixture comprised of aniline, formalin, and hydrochloric acid was accidentally released, seriously injuring one contractor at a chemical manufacturing facility in Geismar, Louisiana. On September 20, 2022, two days before the incident, an off-site power outage caused an immediate loss of process flow into the…...
On January 7, 2023, at approximately 4:55 p.m., about one (1) pound of anhydrous ammonia was released at the facility. Exposure to the toxic ammonia gas seriously injured one refrigeration technician. At the time of the incident, the employee was working on an ammonia compressor that was “out-of-service”. The ammonia compressor is used in the…...
A contractor was injured and evacuated after a gas release incident on an offshore facility in the Gulf of America. The incident occurred while a contract employee was performing maintenance on an E-body control valve on a six-inch gas line. BSEE’s investigation found that residual pressure estimated at 128 psi inside the six-inch gas line…...
At 1:40 p.m. on May 7, 2024, Employee #1, 42, a Production Engineer, was performing daily assigned tasks when the Maintenance Coordinator requested that the employee replace a gasket on a wash tank camlock. While disconnecting a high-pressure hose from the bulk wash tank, the hose ejected water at 185F. The hot water burned 98%…...
Two (2) maintenance men at an electric power generation plant removed a check valve cover from a steam system. The section of the steam line was isolated and tagged, but it could not be vented or drained first. The section was only partially depressurized when the cover was loosened. When the employees removed all fasteners…...
On March 25, 2003, two employees working for an power generation facility were instructed to remove a cover plate from an electrical generator. The hydrogen gas had been purged from the generator and replaced with air pressurized at approximately 40 psi. The generator was pressurized with air so that the workers could perform a leak…...
At about 2:45 a.m. on March 13, 2001, Employee #1 and Employee #2, two operators, and Employee #3, a maintenance mechanic, were assigned the task of cleaning out a waste vessel, KD 502A. The three employees were removing the flange to the pot, and had removed several of the 44 bolts holding the flange, when…...
OSHA has addressed two (2) PRCS questions related to the Isolation of Piping that does NOT terminate within the space. This was a long time coming, as NFPA 350 and several trade groups have stated that piping that does NOT terminate within the PRCS need not be isolated. OSHA agreed, as long as six (6)…...
A member of a team of workers dismantling subsea emergency shutdown valves (ESDV) on deck was badly injured when hit by parts of a valve that were ejected with force. The team had successfully and without any problems already dismantled three (3) valves / ESDV as per the plans for that night. As the last…...
OSHA used its “Instance-by-Instance” citation policy to issue $2,812,658 in Willful citations to a food business. A total of 29 citations were issued. The breakdown of the citations is:… Membership Required You must be a member to access this content.View Membership LevelsAlready a member? Log in here...
