A process worker and colleague were preparing for a scheduled maintenance task in the ammonia storage area of a processing plant. As part of a routine purging operation, the process worker connected a flexible rubber hose to a purge connection point via a coupling. The purge hose was charged with nitrogen and the valve was…...
Transferring a flammable liquid, even in small quantities, can have very serious consequences. A former client who handles large quantities of flammable liquids had an event a number of years ago that was caused by what many never recognized as a “change,” especially one that would lead to such a serious event. Take a look…...
NOTE: I have no idea how a PIT can strike a PSV on a pressure vessel, but this is what was reported to have happened. A forklift at the facility struck a pressure relief valve on a 60,000-pound NH3 tank that contained 14,000 pounds of ammonia, the Sacramento Fire Department said. One person was injured…...
A 35-year-old man suffered severe anhydrous ammonia burns to his upper body and lungs while he was unloading a semi truck with anhydrous ammonia when the liquid hose failed. Liquid NH3 doused the man’s face and entered his lungs, the Marion County ambulance director said. The man was taken by helicopter to Ascension Via Christi…...
A friend and I were just discussing this topic, and it reminded me that I never got around to sharing this most recent fatality involving a dock leveler plate. It surprises me that even after the agency issued its LOI in 2002 explaining how the space below these plates could be a Permit-Required Confined Space,…...
Last week, 8/25/26, during the initial start-up of the Amur Gas Chemical Complex in Russia’s Far East, has so afr claimed the lives of 15 workers, mostly contractors and sent 39 to the hopsital. The facility is a huge polyethylene/polypropylene project being constructed by Sibur and Sinopec and had not yet entered production. Equipment was…...
I have mentioned “farm leak testing” several times in my ramblings, and every time I caution against industrial facilities, especially those falling under OSHA’s PSM or EPA’s RMP. Essentially, a “farmer’s leak test” uses NH3 as the leak-test medium before using their implement to knife the NH3 into the ground as a fertilizer, as this…...
NOTE: I normally remove company names, as I am not about name shaming, but this company has earned its shame! The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) today released an update on its investigation into the deadly May 26, 2026, catastrophic failure of a 1.2-million-gallon atmospheric storage tank at the Nippon Dynawave Packaging…...
I talk a lot about “pressure and leak testing” our piping systems before they are put into service or returned to service after breaching the pressure boundaries, but the same practice should apply to our process vessels/tanks. But I almost always get the “you must be on drugs” look when I ask about this in…...
Recent Marine Minerals Administration inspections identified unsafe use of portable electronic devices (PEDs) – including pagers, cell phones, cameras, video equipment, and radios – in hazardous areas offshore. During one inspection, MMA observed a wireline operator using a cellphone on a mobile offshore drilling unit during active wireline operations. This use violated facility safety procedures…...
In winter 2026, a small gas explosion and fire occurred in a Dawson Creek home, causing two workers to sustain burns. The incident also damaged a furnace, hot water heater, and the home’s interior. Two (2) unqualified workers were disconnecting gas piping while the gas supply was still on in order to remove a…...
Five leaks of extremely flammable hydrocarbons occurred at the plant between February 2018 and September 2019, including one that lasted four months. The leaks were discovered after Health & Safety Executive inspectors detected a strong smell of flammable gas on a routine inspection – all five leaks were attributed to Corrosion Under Insulation (CUI). An…...
