A tank cleaning company again chose to disregard federal safety standards that may have protected their employees from hazardous working conditions and prevented another employee from suffering a fatal injury. In December 2023, just two days before Christmas, the wife and son of an employee at the company grew concerned when he didn’t return after his shift. Later that day, he was found unresponsive....

Any safety pro who is also a parent will know exactly what I am discussing with this week’s rant. As parents who are leaders in safety, we have all seen it and experienced it firsthand throughout our careers. Every child will be different (even within the same family and home environment), as will every facility within an organization. But how we deal with our “children” (and the...

I have written a lot about leak testing and pressure testing our piping systems and those articles all mention using the “bubble test” method.  Now lets talk about the actual requirements of this test method. ASME B31.3, 345.8 Sensitive Leak Test refers us to ASME BPVC, Section V, Article 10, Mandatory Appendix I, for how this leak testing method is to be performed and documented. In this...

This BLEVE occurred on the BR-010 highway in Paragominas, northeast of Pará, Brazil, on July 3, 2024. At least six people were injured, including firefighters and a news crew (July 3, 2024). The news crew suffered second-degree burns but received medical attention at a Regional Hospital and are expected to make full recoveries. The news team was at least 1,000′ from the tanker truck when it BLEVE’d....

335 ASSEMBLY AND ERECTION 335.1 Alignment … … HomeRead More »

Both labels meet ASME A13.1 – Scheme for the Identification of Piping Systems.    Who can tell me…  What does the top label, and what does the bottom label tell us?   This is a NEW requirement from ASME A13.1-2020. … HomeRead More »

Our #1 RAGAGEP for labeling/marking piping that contains a hazardous material, ASME A13.1, saw a significant updates in 2020 and 2023.  The major revisions include: revising the Scope, updating each of the definitions, expanding the Legend section, and revising both the Color section and Table 4.2-1, Designation of Colors adding a new paragraph to address abandoned piping Also, ASME A13.1 was...

Respondent was the owner or operator of a pulp and paperboard manufacturing facility. At all times relevant to this Consent Agreement, Respondent was in charge of the Facility. At all times relevant to this Consent Agreement, Respondent produced, used, or stored chlorine at the Facility. Chlorine is a “hazardous substance” listed in 40 C.F.R. Part 302, Table 302.4, and an “extremely...

This case reflects a common issue in ammonia refrigeration: Lack of or Poor Lockout/Tagout Practices. This 1,600-pound release was caused by an existing ammonia compressor that was started up on an ammonia line that was meant to be “TAGGED OUT” of service (however, the tag had fallen off) while in the process of tying the existing system into new expansion equipment.  EPA inspectors...

A few weeks back, I mentioned that some “safety vendors” sell non-compliant EXIT signs. I received several inquiries about what I was talking about, as if “surely it’s not so.”  I am not going to call out these irresponsible safety vendors, but there are many!  I have even seen EXIT signs that the entire sticker/sign was 4″ X 4″.  The following...

OSHA has released a proposed Heat Illness Protection Plan (HIPP) to protect millions of workers from the significant health risks of extreme heat. If finalized, the proposed rule would help protect approximately 36 million workers in indoor and outdoor work settings and substantially reduce heat injuries, illnesses, and deaths in the workplace. The proposed rule would require employers to develop an...

Respondent owns and operates a wastewater treatment plant that uses chlorine, stored as liquified gas under pressure, to disinfect wastewater. In its October 2020 risk management plan, the plant indicated that it stored up to 12,000 pounds of chlorine on-site in one-ton cylinders. On November 3, 2022, EPA performed an inspection of the plant to evaluate the Respondent’s implementation of and...