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I am proud to announce that SAFTENG and The Chlorine Institute have renewed our partnership for another year (through 2026). Members of The Chlorine Institute receive a FREE SAFTENG membership. If you qualify, please contact me
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SAFTENG has:
- Over 19,000 categorized unsafe acts/conditions and accident/injury photos
- Over 1,500 ppt's & doc's in the SAFTENG Library
- Over 5,000 Technical Articles on Process Safety, Emergency Response & OSH topics
- Over 450 videos (those not allowed on YouTube Channel)
Many THANKS to my NEW Members and those who CONTINUE to support SAFTENG:
February 3, 2026
On Friday, February 3, 2023, at approximately 10:46 p.m., a flash fire was accidentally released from a product purge vessel (“vessel”) flange during planned maintenance activities. The fire seriously injured four (4) contract workers. On January 29, 2023, the facility shut down its polyethylene unit for planned maintenance. Following the shutdown procedure, operators purged and isolated the vessel...
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February 3, 2026
Respondent operated a facility that utilizes chlorine for its aluminum smelting process for use primarily in the automotive and aerospace industries. On June 6, 2023, EPA performed an inspection ofthe Facility to evaluate compliance with the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act Section 103, Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act EPCRA Sections 304-312, and...
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February 1, 2026
On September 22, 2022, at approximately 9:00 a.m., a liquid mixture comprised of aniline, formalin, and hydrochloric acid was accidentally released, seriously injuring one contractor at a chemical manufacturing facility in Geismar, Louisiana.
On September 20, 2022, two days before the incident, an off-site power outage caused an immediate loss of process flow into the methyl diamine unit. The lack...
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February 1, 2026
On October 1, 2020, at approximately 9:00 a.m., approximately 554 pounds of chlorine gas were accidentally released. Exposure to the toxic chlorine vapors seriously injured one employee. At the time of the incident, four (4) workers (two unit employees and two contractors) were trying to stop a chlorine leak (described as a fugitive emission) from a drain valve in the company’s methyl diisocyanate...
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February 1, 2026
At the time of the event, contract workers were disassembling a 2-inch flange to remove a blind (a solid metal plate used to isolate equipment) before reinstalling a section of piping that had been removed and cleaned. This type of equipment opening is commonly referred to as a “line opening” or “performing a line break.”
The contract workers performing the line opening wore personal protective equipment...
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January 31, 2026
Scenario: Employees bring rechargeable lithium-ion batteries from home to the workplace for use in e-cigarettes, which are not used in any equipment or devices related to their work duties. You also state that, in this scenario, the battery terminals are unprotected and the employee or employees improperly carry these batteries in their pants pocket, a fire is sparked by the batteries, and that the...
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January 31, 2026
In some processes, there is ALWAYS a need to “leak test” before returning a segment of piping to service. These “leak test” pressures are done at NORMAL Operating pressures using a calibrated solution such as SNOOP. And every once in a while, I get a question about doing a “leak test” at some really low pressures. I do not usually allow these lower pressures on...
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January 31, 2026
There are limitations on even the best “bubble solutions” used for “leak testing. My favorite is SNOOPS, and as I indicated in the title, even it has limitations. There are two (2) different types of SNOOPS:
Snoop Liquid Leak Detector
Real Cool Snoop Liquid Leak Detector
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January 27, 2026
The old question… Do we need to pressure-test and leak-test our piping after we breach the pressure boundary? My response is always YES; however, the International Gas Code says something very different. Can we apply this approach to ASME B31.3 piping?
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January 27, 2026
ATF investigators determined that the fire originated in the upper level of the engine room, portside aft. A paint locker was located in the area of origin, with various combustible materials stored both inside and outside the locker. Interviews with the vessel’s engineer revealed that a boot warmer had been plugged into an extension cord a few feet from the paint locker.
The boot warmer was stacked...
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January 27, 2026
Hydrogen is finding some footing for wider use as a fuel these days, and I have seen a significant increase in inquiries from existing and new clients about process safety for H2 storage and use. I always follow Chapter 700 of the International Gas Code as my baseline code requirements and then move into NFPA 2 for a more detailed analysis of the process. In this article, we will cover the pressure...
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