PLEASE NOTE: this posting is about pressure vessel RVs discharing back into the process and not Hydrostatic RVs or pump RVs. Scenario: Process is shutdown using the emergency stop (e-stop) systems because the building is on fire. On the roof of the building/plant sit a number of vessels that have a “flooded system” which contains a “surge tank” that holds the EHS/HHC for the...

This case is especially sad (or disgusting)… the company was cited a Willful in 2012 regarding a failed rescue attempt when a 37-year-old supervisor was nearly buried alive in a 25-foot silo containing 50,000 pounds of sand.  Plant employees allegedly attempted to rescue the supervisor after he became engulfed in a sand bin and suffered serious crushing injuries for more than an hour...

US EPA is concerned that some natural gas processing plants that store and process liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) may not be designed in accordance with applicable industry standards and codes. When undertaking compliance monitoring activities at such natural gas processing plants, EPA considers whether facilities are designed in accordance with recognized and generally accepted good engineering practices...

I want to try an clarify a couple of misconceptions that I and others may have implied over the past year.  Each time I do a HAZCOM session I get asked the same questions, not from the workers, but from the EHS/Management personnel overseeing the facility’s HAZCOM program.  In this post I try and answer these same questions in a very direct, clear and concise manner.  If you have further questions...

OSHA has cited a Frozen Food Manufacturer for six serious process safety management (PSM) violations.  At about 1:40 PM on July 20, 2013, approximately 13,800 pounds of anhydrous ammonia was released when a telescoping boom attachment being moved by a forklift under one of the HPR’s struck the pipe stem located at the bottom of the vessel, causing a rupture in that vessel, spilling the entire...

Today in Omaha, NE there was an industrial accident at a business where one would expect to find combustible dusts. The accident resulted in several employees being treated for burns and there are two confirmed fatalities as of this evening. And although, we were quick to point out this accident may have involved a combustible dust explosion I now believe that the collapse of the structure was the...

  MANY THANKS to my NEWEST and RENEWING Partners in Safety   since 2014 since 2013 since 2009 2014 Fatality Tracker Electrical 4 (2013 = 32) (2012 = 68) Forklift/Manlift 4 (2013=62) (2012 = 52) Mining* 4 2013=87*) (2012 = 92*) *no longer includes China accidents Explosions 19 (2013=194) (2012 = 241) Cranes 1 (2013=51) (2012 = 52) Falls 10 (2013=106) (2012 = 99) Work Zone 0 (2013=42) (2012...

 

A little background on what this table is telling us: NFPA 77 classifies flammable liquids as Conductive, Semi-Conductive, and Non-Conductive: Conductive Liquids = >10,000 pS/m Semi-Conductive Liquids = >100<10,000 pS/m Non-Conductive Liquids = <100 pS/m In the tables below, 1 conductivity unit (C.U.) = 1 picosiemen per meter (pS/m) … HomeRead More »

Please join us for the Improving Chemical Facility Safety and Security (Executive Order 13650 (EO)) public listening session opportunities in January 2014. The EO Working Group anticipates having evening hours for several of the locations. Updates to the January public listening session schedule will be available on the Website: https://www.osha.gov/chemicalexecutiveorder/index.html and shared via...

Based on an RMProgram compliance monitoring investigation initiated on June 12, 2012, the EPA alleges that the Respondent violated the codified rules governing the CAA Chemical Accident Prevention Provisions, because Respondent did not adequately implement provisions of 40 CFR Part 68 when it: … HomeRead More »