At approximately 10:00 a.m. on November 4, 2003, Employee #1 was filling a nurse tank from the bulk anhydrous ammonia tank at the ammonia plant. After the nurse tank was full, Employee #1 disconnected the hoses from the nurse tank and was exposed to anhydrous ammonia. The exposure resulted in burn injuries to his face, neck, chest, and one eye, and injuries to his respiratory tract. Employee #1 drove...

I have received quite a few e-mails and phone calls asking about NFPA 652: Standard on the Fundamentals of Combustible Dust, 2016 Edition and what it means to those it applies to.  This article will try and break down the basic requirements which can be put into four (4) categories.  PLEASE NOTE, this article assumes that you already KNOW YOUR DUST is COMBUSTIBLE. … HomeRead More...

 

As the car industry learns that the “mildly flammable” refrigerant (per ASHARE 34) HFO-1234yf is actually a Category 1 Extremely Flammable Gas (per the manufacturer’s SDS and 1910.1200) and those facilities who have over 10,000 pounds of HFO-1234yf fall under PSM (1910.119), it is becoming a less and less attractive global warming (GW) alternative.  And those who have been following...

With all the recent changes in the Process Safety community within the USA, I have been getting a lot of questions regarding pressure vessels and what to expect when it comes to how they play a role in PSM/RMP programs.  These vessels pose our greatest risk within our process as they contain the majority of our HHCs/EHSs.  Now I am not saying that these vessel’s failing is a “high...

What’s changed in MARPLOT 5.0.3? … HomeRead More »

In case you missed it, NFPA published their new COM DUST standard last month.  This FIRST edition of NFPA 652, Standard on Combustible Dusts (link to free access), was issued by the Standards Council on August 18, 2015, with an effective date of September 7, 2015.  NFPA 652, Standard on the Fundamentals of Combustible Dust, provides the general requirements for management of combustible...

  Over 12,500 exclusive unsafe acts/conditions and accident/injuries photosand over 1,300 ppt’s & doc’s from more than 2,797 contributors! 2015 Fatality Tracker Electrical 38 (2014 =55) (2013 = 32) (2012 = 68) Forklift/Aerial 48 (2014 = 60) (2013=62) (2012 = 52) Mining* 21 (2014 = 401) (2013=87*) (2012 = 92*) *ONLY developed nations and legal mines Explosions 135 (2014 = 157) (2013=194)...

MIOSHA issued citations for alleged violations of worker safety provisions totaling $357,000 in penalties. MIOSHA conducted a fatality inspection at a Warehouse from June 16, 2015 to August 19, 2015. During the inspection, six alleged violations were identified.  As a result of inspection #1071586, a total of one serious and four willful serious citations were issued. The citations are for violations...

 

 

On the night of October 23, 2009, a large explosion occurred at the Caribbean Petroleum Corporation (CAPECO) facility in Bayamón, Puerto Rico, during offloading of gasoline from a tanker ship, the Cape Bruny, to the CAPECO tank farm onshore. A 5-million gallon aboveground storage tank (AST) overflowed into a secondary containment dike. The gasoline spray aerosolized, forming a large vapor cloud,...