2018 Photo of the Week #41 (EAP assembly/muster area hazards?)
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2018 Video of the Week #41 (LOTO failure of epic proportions)
When you use your isolation device and verify the energy is at a ZES only to find out that this is your lockout device… Guess now we need to begin verifying our lockout device actually functions as such!… Membership Required You must be a member to access this content.View Membership LevelsAlready a member? Log in...
NYC RMPs
I came across an interesting “Annual HAZMAT Report” for New York City and in it was a listing of the RMP facilities within the cities boundaries. Who would have ever guessed there were 366 RMP facilities within NYC borders!… Membership Required You must be a member to access this content.View Membership LevelsAlready a member? Log...
Does my flammable liquid storage/processing require “explosion venting” design?
As I have said many times, OSHA’s 1910.106 is badly outdated, so for those who are looking for that extra edge to improve flammable liquids process safety (not just OSHA PSM/EPA RMP compliance, but real process safety), we should consider utilizing the 2018 International Fire Code (IFC). I should also point out that a fair…...
Flammable Liquids and Piping Design (IFC 2018)
The 2018 IFC has some great design requirements for flammable liquids (as does NFPA 30). Abiding by this 2018 IFC, Chapter 57 would provide a much higher degree of safety as compared to meeting OSHA’s 1910.106. So I have broken down and discussed these IFC requirements for those looking to improve their flammable liquid piping…...
Flammable Liquids and “low-melting-point materials”
Here we sit in the year 2018 and here I sit posting about the use of “low-melting-point materials” for use in flammable liquids and flammable gases piping systems – oh the insanity, but this debate seems to happen far too often these days! I have been working with Hazardous Materials, most notably Flammable Liquids and…...
EPA RMP GDC release investigation @ refinery (Flammables and Toxics; improper flange/gasketing arrangement)
Respondent owned and operated a petroleum refinery and it’s RMP lists covered processes subject to Program 3 requirements, including the Ultracracker (ULC) unit which consists of three sixty-three-foot-tall pressure cylindrical reactors, each containing five individual catalyst beds. The hydrocracking reaction converts the larger hydrocarbon chains into smaller, more valuable hydrocarbons. On March 10, 2018, operators…...
EPA RMP GDC @ chemical facility (Xylene Release due to overfilling RX & $31K)
The facility uses xylene as a cleaning agent to clean the reactors. Xylene is an extremely hazardous flammable substance, and is stored at the facility. On August 14, 2017, at 11:24am, an operator was cleaning the RX-2 reactor with xylene between tolling processes. The operator overfilled the reactor with xylene, leaving the reactor without a vapor space…....
EPA’s 2017 RMP Amendments Compliance Obligations
Due to a September court decision that vacated the RMP Amendments effective date delay, and the court’s expedited issuance of its mandate, the FINAL RMP AMENDMENTS RULE IS NOW IN EFFECT. Because the 2017 rule contains a schedule of compliance dates for many of the major provisions, the issuance of the mandate does NOT create current compliance obligations…...
Chlorine Accident Summaries (1968 – 2003)
Here are some excellent Chlorine Accident Data and Summaries:… Membership Required You must be a member to access this content.View Membership LevelsAlready a member? Log in here...
Fatal Explosion – catalyst Raney nickel was exposed to air during cleaning
NOTE: the text below is a translation from Chinese to English At about 13:49 on May 3, 2018, a catalyst explosion occurred in the hydrogenation reactor of No. 1 hydrogenation reactor of a Pharmaceutical facility causing one death and an immediate economic loss of 1.446 million yuan ($216,061,320 USD). According to the “Safety Production Law of…...
Technical Safety BC Workshop pinpoints two factors behind ammonia releases
Technical Safety BC conducted an ammonia release fault tree workshop to identify potential causes of ammonia releases from industrial refrigeration systems used in arenas and food storage facilities. The workshop is part of a Technical Safety BC project meant to detect and mitigate emerging and known technical safety risks in the province. The project used the…...