At a poultry-processing plant, a worker (engineer) was responding to an ammonia leak from an air purger (equipment that removes air and other non-condensable gases from the refrigeration system to improve efficiency). He described the signs of the problem to a refrigeration mechanic over the telephone. While waiting for the mechanic to arrive, the worker […]
A worker on a contracted maintenance crew at an oil refinery partially unbolted a flange on a live crude oil heat exchanger. An undetermined volume of oil was released. Another worker, a refinery employee who participated in the incident response, was exposed to the resulting crude oil vapors, which are believed to have contained hydrogen
An auto repair worker was walking toward his mobile service vehicle, which contained an oxyacetylene welding system, to start work for the day. When he was approximately 32 ft. away, he clicked a button on the key fob to unlock the vehicle remotely. The vehicle immediately exploded and burst into flames. No one was injured
I have worked with three (3) organizations in the past 5 years on their efforts to make H2 an everyday fuel for household appliances, vehicles, and industrial fuels. Each project was a huge learning experience for everyone! But I am a lover of “codes” to establish the baseline design, construction, operation, and maintenance. I looked
An odor incident at the Gallipolis Water Treatment Plant was triggered by the accidental mixing of two treatment chemicals during a delivery. The incident was isolated entirely to the plant, and officials confirmed there was no threat to the public water supply or drinking water. Incident Breakdown
So I was curious as to how a 900,000-gallon white liquor tank could catastrophically fail. I am certain we will learn how this specific failure occurred, but I am not convinced the learnings will be shared broadly if the CSB does not get involved. With this much damage to people and property, there will be
In the context of a Safety Management System (SMS), auditing is the systematic, independent, and documented process for obtaining objective evidence and evaluating it against established criteria to determine the extent to which requirements are fulfilled. I recently had a lengthy discussion with the executive team regarding my PSM/RMP audits over the years. These men
We get so much slack when we push Hydrostatic Pressure/Leak Testing vs. Pneumatic testing. So many think that pneumatic is easier and cheaper, when in reality it is NOT. In fact, the B31 series makes it clear that HYDROSTATIC is the first choice for pressure and leak testing. The code makes it clear that pneumatic
Prayers to all involved, but things at the WA State Paper Mill are looking far more serious than what the media is saying. This is looking like a “white liquor tank” event based on the images I have seen (SAFTENG members can see them below). Emergency responders have confirmed: 10 individuals were transported to area
OSHA, IFC, and NFPA have “separation distance” requirements for flammable liquid storage tanks. These requirements have been around longer than I have been dealing with hazardous materials and process safety, and yet we always come across some wildly out of “compliance” arrangements of these flammable liquid tanks. using OSHA’s Flammable Liquid Standard 1910.106 we can
So I went back in time using Google Earth, and the last clear image was on June 1, 1994, and the three (3) tanks were present. Now, I have no idea if they were being used for MMA at that time. But the three (3) tanks were present, along with the larger tank next to
Not sure why “Over Pressure” events get all the attention. It is my belief that we destroy more vessels each year due to a vacuum than we do with over-pressure events. Of course, overpressure events have more layers of protection because they pose far greater risks. In my career, I have seen these failures occur
