This is a presentation from Safety2019! that was done by one of our longest running corporate sponsor (10+ years), Dow Corning.  Mike is now the Executive Vice President, Process Safety (Americas) with DEKRA and quite possibly the best “code pro” when it comes to flammable liquids, especially when they are in Intermediate Bulk Containers (IBC).  Mike has provided his SAFETY2019!...

Respondent owns and operates a controlled temperature storage warehouse. The Facility is located within a mixed business-residential area within half a mile of many businesses and residences. At the time of the EPA inspection, approximately 14,600 pounds in total ammonia was present at the Facility; however, the facility had two (2) separate refrigeration systems, each of which contained approximately...

As it usually goes, the vast majority of challenges and questions I have received thus far from yesterdays ASSP2019! presentation center around the most controversial characteristic of 1910.146… 4. Contains any other recognized serious safety or health hazard I could have spent a half day talking on this single characteristic, but I had only 35 minutes. Seems a some safety professionals were...

OSHA cited a chemical manufacturer after a chemical release at the manufacturing plant exposed workers to ethylene oxide. The company faces $262,548 in penalties. OSHA initiated an inspection after the exposure hospitalized one employee and left five others suffering symptoms of ethylene oxide (EtO) exposure. The Agency cited 25 serious violations, including deficient emergency action and response...

OSHA has cited the company contracted to clean lines and vessels at the plant and the processing plant for serious safety violations after a fatal fire at a natural gas processing plant in Pennsylvania.  OSHA inspected the company contracted to clean lines and vessels at the plant after four contractors suffered burns and needed hospitalization. One of them later died. OSHA cited the...

One of my pet-peeves is CONTROLLING ACCESS to process battery limits.  Even OSHA and EPA felt this was so critical that they actually mention it TWICE in their process safety standard/rule.  They cover it in Operating Procedures for all company personnel and again in Contractors for those visiting the facility.  But there is one group of “visitors” who MUST have access...

Technical Tip Tuesday… nitrogen is NOT heavier than air! In fact, pure Nitrogen gas is LIGHTER (~3% lighter) than the Oxygen and Argon (with the Nitrogen) that make up our atmosphere. It is perfectly mixed in the air. Hence the air we are breathing right now (assuming you’re on the surface of the earth) is 78% Nitrogen. Nitrogen and Oxygen (21%) are perfectly mixed in or atmosphere....

Anyone who works with SAFTENG knows we are serious about facility siting and more specifically VEHICLE IMPACT PROTECTION.  This stems from my horrible luck I had with vehicles around my covered processes.  I can not even remember how many incidents I suffered while a safety engineer in the petrochemical and semiconductor industries with everything from cranes to golf-carts hitting the...

2019 has been a year of coal-fired power plants or me so far!  It’s only June and I have spent more than four weeks in these facilities.  With that said, I wanted to provide my friends in that industry who operate an SCR some factual information on their Anhydrous Ammonia (NH3) piping and what ANSI K61.1/CGA 2.1 and ASME B31.3 have to say about how this piping is constructed. ANSI...

The state of North Dakota has an excellent state code for Anhydrous Ammonia.  They have done so much more than just adopted ANSI K61.1/CGA 2.1.  They have written a code for a process safety novice, using the RAGAGEPs as their foundation. … HomeRead More »

This study essentially concerns refrigeration installations using ammonia as a refrigerant.  However, in order to better understand and to place the risks associated with these installations in perspective, quantified information has also been collected on numerous accidents, both French or foreign, in other industrial or agricultural activities and in the field of transport....

Inside a vinegar plant, a 150-m³ tank containing 38.5 m³ of an alcohol vinegar mixture exploded around 9:40 am. The 3,000-m² site had been in activity start-up mode, but engineering works were still underway. The tank bottom became detached from the shell. It’s upper part, measuring 13 m high, 4 m in diameter and weighing some 3.5 tonnes, was projected upwards, by missile effect....