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…...
The state of Georgia has instituted the following requirements for those handling Anhydrous Ammonia (NH3):… Membership Required You must be a member to access this content.View Membership LevelsAlready a member? Log in here...
On my soapbox again, regarding the catastrophic hazards associated with load/unloading/transferring large volumes of hazardous materials. via temporary hose hook-ups. Three weeks ago, I posted about the fatality event when a driver pulled their truck forward for unknown reasons, severing the LNG hose, and was killed as he entered the LNG cloud when it was…...
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…...
The simple answer is yes. Georgia had a state fire code regulating liquid and gaseous nitrogen in January 2021, when the Foundation Food Group (FFG) accident occurred in Gainesville, Georgia. What was in effect in January 2021?… Membership Required You must be a member to access this content.View Membership LevelsAlready a member? Log in here...
