As I have said for years, we may never know where the nasty rumor came from that installing threaded and/or flanged piping is easier and cheaper than welded pipe. That is a “pipe dream”… LOL see what I did there? For example, did you know that if the piping will be pneumatically pressure tested, then…...
One of the significant deficiencies we find in our audits/investigations is the lack of meeting ASME B31.3/.5 to install process piping. I have written about this topic for decades, and I still get inquiries monthly about this standard and its critical role in real process safety management. For those who attend my 5-day Advanced PS…...
Those of you who practice in the Process Safety arena are well aware of OSHA’s and EPA’s requirements to have “written procedures to maintain the on-going integrity of process equipment.” (1910.119(j)(2). However, OSHA and EPA also have a section in their Mechanical Integrity elements titled “Quality Assurance.” 1910.119(j)(6) Quality assurance. 1910.119(j)(6)(i) In the construction of…...
Most safety professionals are well aware of the many medical evaluations required by OSHA standards, such as those for workers wearing respirators, emergency responders, etc. But we also have a medical evaluation requirement in Process Safety Management that plays a critical role in our piping Quality Assurance (QA) program. When using either ASME B31.3 or…...
I see severe risk-taking regarding “safety assumptions” in process safety in my travels. I guess I am just “old school” and believe that every Pressure Vessel (PV) deserves its very own Pressure Relieving Device (PRD). But in today’s economy, where “costs” can be a driver in decision-making, I have experienced numerous scenarios where a single…...
Overview: A tire blowout occurs after the mechanical failure of the tire or rim assembly at pressures typically around 145 psi. Tires exposed to heat may undergo the process described below and violently explode. Explosive Process: There are three (3) phases leading to a tire explosion: 1. Air pressure inside the tire will rise from…...
The Respondent owns and operates a bleach manufacturing facility, which operates a bleach manufacturing process (the Process) and maintains a maximum chlorine inventory greater than the threshold quantity of 2,500 pounds. The Process is subject to OSHA’s process safety management standard, 29 C.F.R. § 1910.119, because the Process involves greater than the threshold quantity of…...
For my Process Safety followers, here is your Monday Morning “trick question” (which I do not know the answer to)… Scenario: I have an ASME Section VIII Pressure Vessel that will be used in flammable liquid service. The “dip leg(s)” inside the vessel do not extend down to 6″ from the bottom of the vessel…...
So many want to accuse Heinrich of being too heavy on “unsafe acts” and claim that he held the workers too responsible for their injuries. This is just pure hogwash! I have shared many passages from Heinrich’s writings from the 1920s-1930, and each one clearly shows that he was more a fan of what we…...
This was another WRONG CHEMICAL—WRONG TANK incident at a resort. It was an unloading accident, and “human error” was said to have caused it. The chemical leak is believed to have resulted from hydrochloric acid being accidentally poured into a chlorine tank during a delivery. The incident, attributed to human error, is under thorough investigation…...
Whether we are talking about Process Safety or Occupational Safety and Health management systems, the ability to track corrective actions and recommendations discovered from the Safety Process/SMS activities may be one of the most critical aspects of any management system; it is undoubtedly the driving force behind any “Continuous Improvement” efforts. In the process safety…...
These days, too many companies have short-circuited their “new employee safety orientation.” They have either substantially shortened the time employees are in “safety orientation” or, worse, changed the format from face-to-face to a CBT format using information that is NOT even specific to the site-specific safety programs/practices. And then they call me and ask, “Why…...
