Category Archives: Good Engineering Practices

Ammonia citations under the General Duty clause

Posted on July 17, 2012 by Brian Chapin

Most of us in the Ammonia Refrigeration industry are dealing with a PSM covered process, but there are some of us who are not required to implement PSM because we don’t have a threshold quantity. The real worry for those … Continue reading →

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Pressure Relief Valves – The Five Year Replacement Interval

Posted on June 20, 2012 by Brian Chapin

There has been a lot of discussion recently about the five year inspection interval for Pressure Relief valves. I believe that a lot of this discussion comes from this quote out of the National Emphasis Program for Refineries CPL 03-00-010: … Continue reading →

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The coming (and current) operator shortage…

Posted on May 18, 2012 by Brian Chapin

One of the biggest issues facing an Ammonia refrigeration facility today is finding qualified and competent technicians to operate and maintain the system. It’s not uncommon for me to receive 2-3 emails or calls a week asking for help finding … Continue reading →

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Two recent NH3 Refrigeration Fines

Posted on May 2, 2012 by Brian Chapin

US Labor Department’s OSHA cites Rochester, NY, milk products manufacturer, proposes more than $200,000 in fines, for repeat and serious hazards. . $153k of the citations are Repeat citations. . Failing to address the hazards of oil draining in the PHA. … Continue reading →

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PSM NEP Podcast

Posted on August 11, 2011 by Brian Chapin

I spent about two hours in the recording studio today with Jeremy Williams of GCAP. You can listen to the first part of our conversation on the NEP at GCAPCoolCast.com I’ve spent the last three weeks at GCAP re-working the … Continue reading →

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PSM National Emphasis Program

Posted on August 6, 2011 by Brian Chapin

If you aren’t familiar with the NEP (National Emphasis Program) currently going on in specific regions it would be well worth your time to get up to speed. Even if you have a top-notch program you’ve got a LOT of … Continue reading →

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Tanner agrees to install $345,000 in ammonia leak detection systems

Posted on July 20, 2011 by Brian Chapin

“While Tanner did take some actions to address the risks of an accidental release of ammonia at its facility in Rhode Island, Tanner failed to address the risk associated with the fact that its facility is not staffed except when … Continue reading →

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Chicago Jewel’s Citation on Operating Procedures and PSI

Posted on July 12, 2011 by Brian Chapin

The U.S. Labor Department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration inspectors noted 10 serious violations among 13 total violations at the Franklin Park facility, according to a release from OSHA. They included one repeat violation for failing to develop and implement … 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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