Category Archives: Incidents

A site update and a few interesting links

Posted on July 9, 2011 by Brian Chapin

I apologize for not posting in a while – I’ve recently accepted a position as an instructor at Garden City Ammonia Program in Garden City, Kansas. GCAP is the best ammonia training school for Operators and ammonia refrigeration PSM practitioners in the … Continue reading →

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Dairy SPCC exemption, Under-Ride Hazards

Posted on April 22, 2011 by Brian Chapin

These two items are not PSM related but they are of interest to those of us who work in Dairies and Cold Storage distribution warehouses and they are important enough that they merit wider discussion. EPA Exempts Milk From Spill … Continue reading →

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Ice Buildup: The worst case scenario

Posted on April 6, 2011 by Brian Chapin

Got some ice buildup on piping, air units or the structure itself? OSHA has been cracking down on this lately. This news story from Australia is a good illustration as to why… A 30-year-old Taiwanese national died when part of … Continue reading →

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Welding Slag Destroys Valves!

Posted on March 6, 2011 by Brian Chapin

“Wire drawing” is when the valve seat wears out at one area from operating with significant pressure differential near but not completely closed. This can be caused by not closing the valve all the way, such as using a control … Continue reading →

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Dumping Ammonia Down the Drain? That’s a bad idea and it will cost you!

Posted on January 20, 2011 by Brian Chapin

“On Jan. 24, 2008, an ARC technician was performing a service job that required the removal of all ammonia from the refrigeration system’s 1,683-gallon holding tank, Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Morse said. After transferring most but not all of the … Continue reading →

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Kent Ammonia Leak an Attempted Theft?

Posted on January 13, 2011 by Brian Chapin

Usually the meth-makers pick on agricultural ammonia sources but they occasionally go to a cold storage as well: “The attempted theft of ammonia appears to be the cause of a leak Tuesday morning at the Washington Cold Storage facility in … Continue reading →

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GCAP calls the National Response Center

Posted on December 23, 2010 by Brian Chapin

GCAP has posted their 10th podcast. This episode they call the National Response Center on a training call. They’ve edited the call to speed it up, but if you haven’t had to call the NRC before I think you’ll be surprised how … Continue reading →

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Fatal spill brings $91,000 fine

Posted on December 17, 2010 by Brian Chapin

South Carolina regulators have fined a Pennsylvania company $91,000 for a string of emergency preparedness failures they say occurred before a fatal chemical leak near its Swansea plant last year. The Department of Health and Environmental Control says the wrong … Continue reading →

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Classic Ammonia Video

Posted on December 13, 2010 by Brian Chapin

This video has been around for quite some time. Whenever I’ve been shown it I’ve been told it’s real. Some internet research leads me to believe it may not be. Still – it’s a good idea to show this to … Continue reading →

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A Reporters guide to Ammonia – Some Basic Information

Posted on October 27, 2010 by Brian Chapin

One thing you can usually count on when you see a news article about an ammonia release is that the reporter is unfamiliar with ammonia refrigeration. That’s not surprising – they can’t be expected to know everything! This article is … Continue reading →

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