Pride:  “Don’t insult my intelligence.” Heroic: “I’ll get it done, by hook or by crook.” Invulnerable: “That can’t happen to me.” Fatalistic:  “What’s the use?” Bald Tire:  “Gone 60K miles without a flat yet.” Summit Fever:  “We’re almost done.” Pollyanna:  “Nothing bad will happen.”

 

Cases of Stress Corrosion Cracking (SCC) in steel vessels using NH3 have been reported by members of the ammonia refrigeration industry. When NH3 is used as a refrigerant, it is kept at -33° C (-28° F). While it was once believed that NH3 SCC)could not occur at such low temperatures, both practical experience and experimental studies have shown otherwise. The Industrial Refrigeration...

The Chlorine Institute Pamphlet 65, Personal Protective Equipment For Chlor-Alkali Chemicals, has been updated and is available in the bookstore. This edition was updated to include new guidance on the use of contact lenses. Additionally, guidance on exposure limits, respiratory protection, and maintenance of PPE was expanded.  Pictures and examples of levels of PPE and types of respirators were...

Coverage: National Period: 30 days, 7/17/15 to 8/16/15 New Inspections: Opened in the last 30 days = 4,371 Closed Inspections: Closed in the last 30 days = 4,319 Ongoing Inspections: Opened prior to 30 day reporting period and still not closed = 119,926 Inspections with Violations = 113 Inspections with no Violations =  4,258 Assessed Penalties= $0.4M … HomeRead More »

As I have written earlier, the new refrigerant HFO-1234yf is a Category 1 Flammable Gas.  This flammable gas is stored under pressure as a liquid, which by definition makes this material a candidate for a BLEVE risk assessment.  For those that are not familiar with the acronym BLEVE, it stands for Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapor Explosion and this week’s “Video of the Week”...

HFO-1234yf is a Category 1 Flammable Gas.  The manufacturers SDS(s) all say it, as well as 1910.1200 Appendix B. PLEASE see my article Refrigerant HFO-1234yf is a Flammable “4” in the NFPA 704 Diamond (Part 2) for the breakdown of these facts.  With this Cat 1 Flammable Gas comes the hazard of flash fire(s)/explosions.  Now there are some who like to say that this material...

Crescent City, Illinois propane explosion occurred in June of 1972 when a freight train with numerous propane cars derailed in the town. The resulting explosion leveled approximately half the town.  The water tower in the foreground was over 100 feet tall.  In the past, there have been many deaths and injuries to firefighting personnel as a result of transportation accidents that led to BLEVES...

This video is BY FAR the most educational training video on BLEVEs.  Hats off to Transport Canada.  

 

While doing some a BLEVE risk assessment I came across this 2007 research paper that I thought was an incredible read.  If you are one who works with BLEVE risk this is a MUST READ; if you’re someone who finds BLEVEs interesting and wants to learn the inner workings of a BLEVE, this paper breaks it down and challenges each failure mode (hot vs. cold BLEVE).  During a BLEVE there is...

Cal/OSHA today issued 19 citations to a refinery for workplace safety and health violations following an investigation into the February explosion at the company’s Torrance refinery that injured four workers. The proposed penalties total $566,600.  Eighteen of the citations were classified as serious due to a realistic possibility of worker death or serious injury. Six of these serious violations...