At 1:00 p.m. on December 10, 2024, Employee #1, 28, was using a torch to heat the steel lid of a tank, intending to cut a hole for installing a level indicator. The flammable gas inside the tank ignited when the torch was applied, causing the tank to rupture. The employee’s lanyard was cut during […]
At 6:45 p.m. on December 13, 2024, an employee, 33, working as a laborer for a grain wholesale supplier was opening lids on top of rail cars prior to loading. The employee stepped from the catwalk onto the railcars while they were stationary. He was standing on top of one of the railcars with a
I have this debate regularly with facilities where I find “short-threading” on their flanges/manways, etc. This phrase is from an old pipe-fitters manual, and it’s what I was taught in 1993 when I entered the chemical process industry and PSM/RMP covered processes. Today, “full engagement” is defined at the bolt/nut being FLUSH. So I asked
I have railed against these refrigerants and all the code/standard revisions to make them easier to use. Now, OSHA has adopted the 7th edition of the GHS, and we now have Cat 1A and 1B. These flammable refrigerants fall in the 1B’s because:
It not often I come across a 70+ year old PV still in pristine condition. Below is the name plate for this vessel and it carries an interesting code compliance story. As I said, it’s not often to find a NH3 storage vessel this old and because of its age, it carries some SPECIAL PRV
What would you require for this bypass around a safety critical valve? Temporary SOP, Car Seals or BOTH? The automated valve is the Emergency Shutoff Valve tied to a Hi-Hi Interlock on an above-ground atmospheric flammable liquid storage tank. The LOPC/Over-Fill event occurred because the worker filling the tank was “shorthanded” that day and had
What exactly does this phrase mean, and how is it done? This is a CRITICAL aspect for conduit in our Hazardous Locations (HAZLOC). It is something we should be checking (sampling) in our conduit runs in our HAZLOCs. The video below is by far the best I have ever seen that explains why we “pour
A former (sort of) client has suffered a serious event simply because they failed to follow the direct reading instrument manufacturer’s WARNINGS. The space being monitored involved NH3. The facility was using the WRONG PUMP and WRONG SAMPLING TUBE! (emphasis by me, and I have removed the brand name from the post)
The state of OH is currently working on its next revision of the State Fire Code. As in the past, the basis for these revisions comes from the International Fire Code (IFC). One major revision for those in the state of OH will be Section 916 – Gas Detection. This is an EXCELLENT RAGAGEP for
I often discuss how organizations need to audit, inspect, and verify their safeguards to either reduce the probability or severity of an undesired event. Most safety professionals are accustomed to auditing our safe work practices, behaviors, and other related aspects. In Process Safety, most safety engineers are accustomed to conducting annual functional testing of their
Big changes in the Province of British Columbia for boilers, pressure vessels, and NH3 refrigeration processes. The Province has published Ministerial Order M225-2024 that provides amendments to the Power Engineers, Boiler, Pressure Vessel and Refrigeration Safety Regulation (PEBPVRSR). These amendments will update the Schedule to the PEBPVRSR by adopting the new editions of the codes.
