A major plant upgrade to the ammonia refrigeration machinery room was completed in September 2019. This upgrade included new: compressors heat exchangers pressure vessels pressure piping controls The refrigeration system was in operation for 3 months and on January 4, 2020, @ 0800 the shift engineer observed a reading of 12 ppm on the ammonia leak detector monitor. … HomeRead More &raq...

This is OSHA’s HAZWOPER (1910.120) Inspection Activity for their 2020 Fiscal year (October 2019 through September 2020).  I have broken down the data by # of Citations, # of Inspections, Penalty $’s, and NAICS Industry Classification.  As you can see, OSHA issued 38 citations from 19 inspections for a total of $130,373 in fines.  Here is a quick breakdown of the activity: Animal...

This is OSHA’s Respiratory Protection (1910.134) Inspection Activity for their 2020 Fiscal year (October 2019 through September 2020).  I have broken down the data by # of Citations, # of Inspections, Penalty $’s, and NAICS Industry Classification.  As you can see, OSHA issued 2,408 citations from 1,018 inspections for a total of $4,267,147 in fines.  Here is a quick breakdown...

This is OSHA’s Permit-Required Confined Space (1910.146) Inspection Activity for their 2020 Fiscal year (October 2019 through September 2020).  I have broken down the data by # of Citations, # of Inspections, Penalty $’s, and NAICS Industry Classification.  As you can see, OSHA issued 292 citations from 80 inspections for a total of $2,666,983 in fines.  Here is a quick breakdown...

This is OSHA’s LOTO (1910.147) Inspection Activity for their 2020 Fiscal year (October 2019 through September 2020).  I have broken down the data by # of Citations, # of Inspections, Penalty $’s, and NAICS Industry Classification.  As you can see, OSHA issued 1,699 citations from 962 inspections for a total of $10,602,486 in fines.  Here is a quick breakdown of the activity: Plastics...

This is OSHA’s PSM (1910.119) Inpsection Activity for their 2020 Fiscal year (October 2019 through September 2020).  I have broken down the data by # of Citations, # of Inspections, Penalty $’s, and NAICS Industry Classification.  As you can see, OSHA issued 195 citations from 50 inspections for a total of $1,806,072 in fines.  Here is a quick breakdown of the activity: Refineries...

A “B-Train” LPG rig crashed, sending the smaller MC331 over the side of an overpass.  Not sure if the accident threw the tanker over the edge or if the tanker was damaged in the accident and it launched in the air and landed over the side of the overpass.  But as we can see, the leak was significant.  Images below show us the hole in the side of the tank and it appears to...

This is a MUST READ accident report for those who are involved in entries into Permit-Required Confined Spaces.  It is a scenario that occurs daily around the globe and is often overlooked until tragedy strikes.  Many times over my career, the INITIAL testing of the space indicated NO ATMOSPHERIC HAZARDS were present; however, the work taking place within the space generated a hazardous atmosphere,...

I think I can announce my retirement, as I have collected a nickel every time a safety professional stated “we have no pressure vessels on-site, so there is no need for us to worry”.  I am always saddened by the lack of understanding of major hazards within workplaces and the fact that so many in our profession know so little about pressure vessels and the hazards they present. ...

NFPA updated NFPA 499: Recommended Practice for the Classification of Combustible Dusts and of Hazardous (Classified) Locations for Electrical Installations in Chemical Process Areas (2021 edition) with a revised definition of “combustible flyings”. … HomeRead More »

Flash-fire incidents occurred during multiple types of operations, including maintenance on a control panel when natural gas was being vented, flammable fluids being drained into a bucket, or flammable liquids being transferred between containers. A static discharge can occur when an electrical charge accumulates on the surfaces of two materials, one with a positive charge and the other with a negative...

Respondent is the owner and operator of the petroleum refinery. Respondent has filed RMPs with EPA since June 21, 1999, with its most recent filings on April 22, 2015, April 23, 2020, and September 2, 2020. The Facility has 14 Program 3 covered processes at the Facility. Each of these 14 covered processes has greater than the 10,000-pound threshold quantity of anhydrous ammonia and/or greater than...