Safety Info Posts

Outsourcing Responsibility: Explosion at Optima Belle (CSB Video)

A CSB safety video on its investigation into the fatal December 8, 2020, explosion at the Optima Belle chemical facility in Belle, West Virginia…. Membership Required You must be a member to access this content.View Membership LevelsAlready a member? Log in here...

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Texas Chlorine (Cl2) Release UPDATE

The chlorine (Cl2) event in TX this week has been reported as a 10,000-pound release that lasted 48 minutes. Three of the four workers injured in the incident have been released, while the fourth is still receiving treatment. Still no word on what caused the release or what part of the primary containment system failed…....

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OSHA updates its “inspection program” based on Form 300A data from calendar years 2021-2023

OSHA announced it has updated the inspection program that directs agency enforcement resources to establishments with the highest rates of injuries and illnesses based on injury and illness data submitted in accordance with OSHA’s recordkeeping requirements. The Site-Specific Targeting program is OSHA’s primary planned inspection program for non-construction establishments with 20 or more employees. Using OSHA Form 300A data…...

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Disconnecting “process hoses” needs to be controlled by either an SOP or a Line Break Permit

At 12:30 p.m. on February 7, 2022, an employee, 45, was disconnecting the discharge line of a 4-inch mobile water pump. The discharge line was blocked with ice, and the running pump was deadheaded, leading to a buildup of heat and pressure in the discharge line after the check valve…. Membership Required You must be...

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Line Break gone Bad (Steam & $75K)

Another tragic ending to a “Line Break” gone bad. This one involved opening a flange on a steam line in an attempt to “bleed off” the steam by loosening flange bolts. IT DID NOT GO AS PLANNED, and two workers perished with 70% burns! At 6:52 p.m. on August 10, 2020, two (2) employees (30)…...

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Flanged Joint Assembly Records (ASME PCC-1)

As we have discussed here for years, “flanged joints” are usually MORE difficult to manage than are welded connections. However, somehow the rumor got started that flanged connections can be done by “Billy Joe Jim Bob.” Nothing could be further from the truth! And guess which connections most often leak? Yep, flanged connections. There are…...

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Large-scale (10K pound) Cl2 Release in Freeport, TX

Betting this was just under 10 pounds. That’s a RQ joke as the RQ for Cl2 is 10 pounds – CLEARLY we have exceeded that in this event. (But you never know!) All jokes aside, this is a big one. People wanting to know why it’s taking so long to get an “all clear” 2-hrs…...

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EPA EPCRA/CERCLA citations ($65K) for 350 pound NH3 release from refrigeration process

Respondent produced, used, or stored ammonia at the Facility and released a reportable quantity of an EHS, ammonia. On or about August 31, 2022, a “release,” as that term is defined by Section 329(8) of EPCRA, of ammonia in excess of 100 pounds occurred at the Facility (the release). As a result of the information…...

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Fire Captain falsified Fit-Test Records and is facing charges

A 45-year-old senior fire captain is facing charges after authorities say he improperly conducted respirator fit tests for firefighters and lied about it. He is charged with forgery and tampering with records, the County Prosecutor’s Office said Friday. He signed reports stating the tests had been completed when they had not been finished between Jan…....

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EPA RMP Citations (NH3 & $105K)

Respondent is the owner and/or operator of the Facility, which operates a chemical storage and distribution facility. The respondent had on-site storage for 50,000 pounds of cyclohexylamine, 1,800,000 pounds of chlorine, 1,500,000 pounds of sulfur dioxide (anhydrous), 265,000 pounds of ammonia (anhydrous), 350,000 pounds of ammonia (concentration 20% or greater), and 17,000 pounds of hydrofluoric…...

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Learning Human Factor mistakes from others

The PSM standard requires the employer’s PHA team to evaluate human factors during its process hazard analysis. CCPS defines human factors as “a common term given to the widely-recognized discipline of addressing interactions in the work environment between people, a facility, and its management systems.” The basic principle of assessing human factors is to determine…...

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Learning MOC mistakes from others

The Management of Change (MOC) section of the PSM standard requires the employer to implement written procedures for managing changes (except for replacements in kind) to processes involving chemicals, technology, equipment, procedures, and changes to facilities that affect a covered process. The MOC procedure requires descriptions of the technical basis for the change, impact on…...

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