Another great video showing the power of a compressed gas cylinder!  This from a German TV show called… Nicht nachmachen! (English: Don’t Do This!)

Not meant to be a trick question, but the matter of workers who MUST wear medically prescribed devices and work in Class I, II, and/or III Hazardous Locations tends to be a constant question for facilities that have HAZLOCs. Low voltage equipment is always a battle in HAZLOC! I swear the engineering schools in this country must be furthering the myth that somehow “low voltage” equipment...

Inadequate safeguards to protect workers against potential ammonia releases at an ice plant have resulted in $264,700 in fines at a nationwide ice manufacturer and distributor. This inspection was conducted under OSHA’s PSM Covered Chemical Facilities National Emphasis Program. OSHA cited the company for 19 violations of workplace safety standards following a comprehensive inspection that began...

On March 20th, 1989, the pressure in the cryo tank climbed abruptly between 11:00 a.m. and 11:15 and the tank burst at its base. Under the effect of the wave escaping from the gaping breach, the reservoir broke free from its stand, pushed in the opposite direction. It destroyed the reinforced concrete protecting wall and ended up 131′ from its foundation. The 7,000 tons of ammonia contained in...

This summer we saw a 300,000-gallon water tank fail which pushed a generator into a covered process which led to a release of the HHC/EHS. The questions I wish to pose are: Should the water tank have fallen under the PSM/RMP program due to its proximity to the covered process? Should the proximity of the water tank be part of the facility siting assessment in the PHA? … HomeRead More »...

 

During my 24-hr Tech course last week we had an interesting discussion about “the line” between an operator taking “emergency actions” and an operator being an “emergency responder”. This has to be a top question in all our HAZMAT courses at industrial facilities; however, OSHA has actually made the line very clear in their 2007 HAZWOPER CPL… … HomeRead More »

This is not the first time I have written about “limitations” of our emergency response equipment, but this is one I just learned first hand. Let me be CLEAR HERE… ALL equipment and gear we use has limitations so this is not any type of slam against any manufacturer – in fact the piece of equipment I will be discussing in this article can be found just about every HAZMAT vehicle in the USA and...

  2nd Quarter UPDATE with 289 Shocker and Accident Photos Now over 13,750 exclusive unsafe acts/conditions and accident/injuries photos and over 1,000 ppt’s & doc’s from more than 2,776 contributors!   Many THANKS to my NEW and RENEWING “Partners in Safety“ since 2011 since 2014 since 2014   2014 Fatality Tracker Electrical 37 (2013 = 32) (2012 =...

This is a neat and very helpful tool for those of you needing to get your compressed gas cylinders “hydro’ed”.  Using Google Maps, all one has to do is type in their zip code and the map will provide locations within a 15, 25, and 50 mile radius of those companies that can either perform visual inspections and pressure testing.  Although I will caution you… some of...

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