Public exposure guidelines are intended to predict how members of the general public would be affected (that is, the severity of the hazard) if they are exposed to a particular hazardous chemical in an emergency response situation. The most common public exposure guidelines are: AEGLs (Acute Exposure Guideline Levels) ERPGs (Emergency Response Planning Guidelines) TEELs (Temporary Emergency Exposure…...
What are Public Exposure Guidelines? Read More »
Comparison of Pressure Vessel Inspection Requirements in the Refrigeration Industry Code Type of Inspection Component Description Inspection Remediation Inspection Frequency IIAR 109 (1997) All pressure vessels If signs of more than mild corrosion should inspect further by a professional engineer or ASME inspector (4.3.5) None listed – Annual ammonia safety check (5.2) – Thorough inspection every 5 years (5.3) IIAR 110 (1993) Including…...
Comparison of Pressure Vessel Inspection Requirements in Refrigeration Industry Read More »
Comparison of Piping Inspection Requirements in Refrigeration Industry Code Component Description Inspection Remediation Inspection Frequency IIAR 109 (1997) Uninsulated Pipe (4.7.4) Examine for corrosion Clean pipe down to bare metal and paint with rust preventative paint. “Badly corroded pipe should be replaced.” (4.7.4) – Annual ammonia safety check (5.2) – Thorough inspection every 5 years (5.3) …...
Comparison of Piping Inspection Requirements in Refrigeration Industry Read More »
Source Corrosion Rate or Degree of Corrosion Remaining Life or Fitness for Service Application API 570 Long-term (between last and initial inspections): (use corrosion rate resulting in shortest remaining life) Piping Short-term (between last and previous inspections): Piping and Vessels NBIC – 23 a) calculated from data collected by owner or user on vessels in the same…...
Corrosion Rates and Remaining Life/Fitness for Service Read More »
The following are all the “exemptions” permitted in EPA’s Risk Management Plan rule (40 CFR PART 68—Chemical Accident Prevention Provisions)… Membership Required You must be a member to access this content.View Membership LevelsAlready a member? Log in here...
Summary of the RMP Chemical Exemptions Read More »
Below is OSHA’s official position on the need for hydrostatic relief valves in an Ammonia Refrigeration process. This is a bold move on OSHA’s part as the Ammonia Refrigeration industry and their trade groups have consistently stated that a “trained operator” is better than a hydrostatic RV. (emphasis added by me)… Membership Required You must...
OSHA’s position on Hydrostatic Relief Valves and Ammonia Refrigeration Processes Read More »
I recently worked with a client on their emergency response efforts, and we continue to find businesses that do not understand the different requirements of qualifying a worker to use a respirator under CONTROLLED workplace exposures vs. UNCONTROLLED emergency response exposures. So, I wanted to write this article to make it as straightforward as possible……...
Normal Respirator Use vs. Emergency Response Team use Read More »
When analyzing barriers, investigators should first consider how the hazard and target could come together and what was in place or was required to keep them apart. Obvious physical barriers are those placed directly on the hazard (e.g., a guard on a grinding wheel); those placed between a hazard and target (e.g., a railing on…...
Accident Investigation – Barrier Analysis Read More »
Retail facilities are exempted from PSM requirements. At first glance, it appears this is a pretty broad exemption, as the standard just states. This section does not apply to:1910.119(a)(2)(i) Retail facilities; But as I wrote about last month, not all retail facilities selling a PSM Highly Hazardous Chemical (HHC) in the USA are exempt. In…...
As we have discussed before, the EPA broke down its RMP rule into three (3) programs, and each program has criteria that will place the process in one of the three. However, the one criterion that confuses some businesses is how EPA used the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) to qualify a process for…...
EPA’s RMP and Program 3 NAICS #’s Read More »
The proper installation of bonding and grounding systems is important in the protection of personnel and property. At the time of installation, a resistance test is needed to confirm electrical continuity to ground. Evaluating the maintenance requirements, the bonding and grounding system can be divided into three categories:… Membership Required You must be a member...
Testing and Inspection of Bonding/Grounding Systems Read More »
Jan 26, 2006 – An accident occurred in a factory in Brazil during pneumatic pressure testing with air from pipework around a tank. There were no blind flanges placed to isolate the pipework to the tank; only the valves were closed. Probably one or more valves failed or were not closed as the tank underwent…...
Catastrophic Failure during pneumatic pressure test Read More »
