How times have changed in 30 years regarding “materials of construction” in hazardous materials processes.  I grew up in process safety, seeing nothing but metallic piping systems; today, I bet I see piping systems made from non-metallic products upwards of 25% of the time.  This is becoming increasingly acceptable in one specific process I do a lot of work with, so I can not...

This article applies to BOTH facilities practicing process safety and basic OSH.  Many of the facilities will declare they have and utilize a Safety Management System (SMS) in their efforts to manage hazards and risks those hazards pose to workers, the environment, and the business.  However, I have developed five (5) simple tests to determine if the facility is managing safety/process safety...

In the social media “safety sphere,” it is literally impossible to spend five minutes and not be bombarded by all the new approaches to “safety.” In many of these new approaches, they will almost unilaterally denounce the traditional approach to safety management and provide case studies to prove their point.  Maybe I am just an old dog and can’t learn these new tricks,...

Most PSSR forms we encounter simply regurgitate OSHA’s 1910.119(i)(2). If the user is thoroughly knowledgeable of what each of these four (4) line items entails, we may be able to execute the PSSR appropriately. Let’s look at these four line items, especially the first line. 1910.119(i)(2) The pre-startup safety review shall confirm that prior to the introduction of highly hazardous chemicals...

The two (2) terms sound similar and will conjure up similar images when we hear them, but they are used in the ASME B31 piping standards in very different ways and apply to different groups. To state it very simply, the EXAMINATION is what the owner/operator does to pass the INSPECTION, which is what the Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) does.  In summary EXAMINATION is a thorough examination...

The business benefits to be obtained from employee engagement are huge. Studies have shown that (a) where employee engagement was low, companies had 62% more safety incidents (Harter, Schmidt, Killham, & Asplund, 2006); and (b) where employee engagement was high, engaged employees were five times less likely to experience a safety incident, and seven times less likely to have a lost-time safety...

An internal failure of a heat exchanger caused ammonia gas to leak through and absorb into the circulating liquid brine for the underfloor loop. The ammonia within the liquid brine spilled out of the expansion tank, pooling within an open sump in the mechanical room. The heat exchanger needed to be replaced as it was not repairable. The failure of the exchanger was internal between the ammonia hot...

Let’s have a little fun while we challenge your knowledge of human factors.  Which speed control sign is most effective, and which would be the least effective? NOTE: If you have attended one of my safety training courses where I use this in the HF training, don’t ruin it for others

Respondent owns and operates an ammonia refrigeration system at its ice cream novelty manufacturing facility, which maintained a maximum inventory of the regulated toxic substance anhydrous ammonia at the Facility, exceeding the threshold quantity of 10,000 pounds of anhydrous ammonia. The ammonia refrigeration system at the Facility services 3 freezer rooms and consists of 12 compressors (including...

 

Facilitating Process Hazard(s) Analysis (PHA) is one of my favorite process safety skills.  From having the honor to be the author of Part II in the CCPS’s Hazard Evaluation Techniques (3rd Edition) to working with several software companies on the development of their PHA products, there is nothing better than facilitating an actual PHA with a talented team of Engineers, EHS professionals,...