In terms of Fire and Building Codes, we have five (5) recognized areas associated with handling hazardous materials. We refer to these high-hazard areas/occupancies as “Group H”. High-hazard Group H occupancy includes, among others, the use of a building or structure, or a portion thereof, that involves the manufacturing, processing, generation or storage of materials […]
During a recent design review, we encountered some questionable “normal breathing” designs. I have always used the simplest of tests to ensure the tank has ADEQUATE venting during filling and emptying. Although OSHA allows the designer to use API 2000 (1968) or “other accepted standards,” the simplest test is that the VENTING capability MUST be
“We were doing some cleaning at the end of yesterday. I boiled some water in the HLT to pump through the heat exchanger. At the end of the day, there were 40-50 gal left in our 3bbl HLT. I turned off the heat and went home for the night. The next morning, I came into
An ISO container, partly filled with Monoethylene Glycol (MEG), imploded on the back deck of a ship, spilling around two cubic meters (528 gallons) of MEG onto the deck and to sea and causing unrepairable damage to the tank itself. There were no injuries. The tank was a 26-cubic-meter tank containing ten cubic meters (6600
OSHA has again found a large food manufacturer with a history of hazardous workplace safety practices in violation of dozens of safety and health hazards. The producer of glass-pack, canned, frozen, refrigerated, freeze-dried, and snack food products under it’s brand, as well as other private labels, also operates eight other manufacturing plants, including five in
One mistake many businesses make is their assumptions about how their flammable liquids will behave once they are outside of their primary containment. I have seen companies spend millions of dollars to classify an area as a HAZLOC when it was not even close to being necessary, and I have seen some PSM businesses claim
I will again reference my 30 years of teaching emergency response courses and the surprising lack of hazard awareness so many “certified technicians” lack. The one that get a lot of attention is the relationship between TOXIC and PHYSICAL hazards when the HAZMAT is both toxic and flammable. I have shared many tips over the
One of the top questions I get via SAFTENG and in my PRCS or Hazardous Atmospheres training courses is… Why did OSHA use 10% LEL to define a hazardous atmosphere? There is an official and logical reason, both of which should be understood. First, the “official” reason:
We have all seen them; most of us have used them to deliver a safety message. Let me say this up-front: it is never the banner’s fault! A SAFTENG member was reading my posts about “safety banners” and contacted me to discuss their use. They were convinced I was 100% against using “safety banners” after
Source: VnExpress/Anh Phu Seven (7) workers were killed, and three (3) others were injured while conducting periodic maintenance on one of the plant’s kilns when the incident occurred. When the workers entered the rotary kiln to start the repair work, the kiln unexpectedly restarted. Replacing the eroded kiln plates is done every 5-7
Since gas use was integral to the UH accident and since compressed gas cylinders present serious safety issues, several specific examples of improper gas and gas cylinder usage are detailed here. 1. Cylinders in the laboratories adjacent to POST 30 as well as in several laboratories located in different buildings, contained Teflon tape on the
He was working for a subcontractor on April 13, 2022, when a GC foreman used a flame torch to dry an area of the floor of an enclosed mechanical room beneath the football stadium as he and another worker were applying a flammable material to the floor. The torch sparked an explosion, and he was
