Monthly Archives: January 2011

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 →

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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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Update your RMP at least Every 5 Years

Posted on January 20, 2011 by Brian Chapin

EPA requires you to update your RMP at least every five years. It doesn’t take long to do at all if you haven’t changed much in the last five years. You’ll almost always find a little thing to change, even … 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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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.

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SOP Development Tip – Leave the Multitasking to the Computers

Posted on January 9, 2011 by Brian Chapin

As any parent can attest, it’s possible (though hardly optimal) to do two things at once – as long as none of the tasks you are performing require much thought. You’ve probably noticed that when you multi-task it’s very easy … Continue reading →

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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 →

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