STAA: Just a Little Bit Longer

“Because things are the way they are, things will not stay the way they are.”  — Bertolt Brecht Of all the recent revisions to the EPA’s Risk Management Planning (RMP) rule, 40 CFR 68, the requirements around Safer Technology and Alternatives Analysis (STAA) have probably gotten the most attention. For those facilities covered by Program [...]

By |2024-10-18T09:14:26-05:00October 18th, 2024|Chemicals, Current Events, PHA, Safety Lifecycle|Comments Off on STAA: Just a Little Bit Longer

Hot Work Permits: Has the EPA Created a New Fire Hazard?

“Paper doesn’t save people. People save people.”  — Dan Peterson I don’t know anyone in a regulated community that likes regulations. Some may accept them because they bring clarity in a confusing situation, but no one likes them. Even with the best of intentions, someone that must comply with a lot of regulations worries that [...]

By |2024-10-10T07:23:20-05:00October 10th, 2024|Current Events, Process Safety, Process Safety Management|Comments Off on Hot Work Permits: Has the EPA Created a New Fire Hazard?

Pool Fires

“Build a man a fire, and he’ll be warm for a day. Set a man on fire, and he’ll be warm for the rest of his life.”  — Terry Pratchett The most common fire in a process plant is a pool fire. A pool of flammable liquid, something that exists normally or, more likely, something [...]

By |2021-01-08T17:48:33-06:00January 8th, 2021|Chemicals, Process Safety|Comments Off on Pool Fires

A New Enforcement Program: Ammonia and Ammonium Nitrate

“This program is an enforcement tool to emphasize the obligations under existing OSHA standards,”  – Kimberly Stille, OSHA Region VII Administrator When the West Fertilizer ammonium nitrate warehouse north of Waco, Texas caught fire and then blew up on April 17, 2013, killing 15 and injuring 160, much was made of the lack of inspections [...]

By |2018-10-04T13:49:22-05:00October 4th, 2018|Chemicals, Current Events, Process Safety, Process Safety Management|Comments Off on A New Enforcement Program: Ammonia and Ammonium Nitrate
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