Category Archives: General Information

General Information

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 →

Posted in Compliance, General Information, Good Engineering Practices, Operator Training | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on PSM NEP Podcast

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 →

Posted in Compliance, General Information, Incidents, Operator Training | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on A site update and a few interesting links

The Five Stages of PSM Grief

Posted on May 10, 2011 by Brian Chapin

How many times have you as a PSM manager had to present to operators or management some new understanding of the requirements of PSM only to face gnashing of teeth and rending of garments? Individuals don’t like to change. Organizations … Continue reading →

Posted in Compliance, General Information, Oddities | Tagged | 1 Comment

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 →

Posted in Compliance, General Information, Incidents, SPCC | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Dairy SPCC exemption, Under-Ride Hazards

Mycom / Mayekawa

Posted on March 19, 2011 by Brian Chapin

A few weeks ago at our local RETA meeting the guest speaker was Dave Johnson, Service Business Manager-East Industrial Refrigeration Division from MYCOM U.S.A. He stripped down a Mayekawa compressor for us, which was a good experience for operators who … Continue reading →

Posted in General Information, Operator Training, RETA | Tagged | Comments Off on Mycom / Mayekawa

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 →

Posted in General Information, Good Engineering Practices, Incidents, Mechanical Integrity, Oddities | Tagged , | Comments Off on Welding Slag Destroys Valves!

The Failure of Lean/Six Sigma

Posted on January 20, 2011 by Brian Chapin

I’ve been asked in a few emails to comment on how to apply Lean/Six Sigma to ammonia refrigeration and PSM programs. Short answer: Don’t. The long answer follows but feel free to skip this once your eyes glaze over! I … Continue reading →

Posted in General Information, Standardization | Tagged , | Comments Off on The Failure of Lean/Six Sigma

Everything is working just fine – Now is the time to improve!

Posted on January 12, 2011 by Brian Chapin

Ever get down because the operator that is always “fixing” a “broken” refrigeration system is viewed as a hero while the operator who reliably and efficiently operates a system is forgotten about? Read on and see what I think you … Continue reading →

Posted in General Information, Standardization, System Optimization | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Garden City Ammonia Program PodCast

Posted on January 12, 2011 by Brian Chapin

I recently had a long conversation with Craig Ward of Garden City Ammonia Program. He turned it into an episode for their GCAP Cool Cast. You can listen to the entire conversation here. As always – feedback is welcome.

Posted in Community Involvement, Compliance, General Information, Good Engineering Practices, Operator Training, Standardization | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Garden City Ammonia Program PodCast

Updated Links

Posted on January 8, 2011 by Brian Chapin

I’ve added a bunch of links concerning ammonia refrigeration and process safety management to the right hand side of the page. A few  contractors, a lot of manufacturers and vendors as well as some other useful sites. If you know … Continue reading →

Posted in General Information | Tagged | Comments Off on Updated Links