Tag Archives: OSHA

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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Do I need to train this contractor?

Posted on April 18, 2011 by Brian Chapin

PSM require us to train all contractors “who could affect or be affected by” the ammonia refrigeration process. Here’s a good reminder why we train contractors working in a PSM facility to be aware of ammonia: “Fire officials say a … 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 →

Posted in Compliance, Good Engineering Practices, Incidents, Mechanical Integrity, Oddities | 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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RAGAGEP: Just what is it?

Posted on December 26, 2010 by Brian Chapin

RAGAGEP stands for Recognized and Generally Accepted Good Engineering Practice. OSHA: OSHA 29 CFR 1910.119 (D)(3)(ii): “The employer shall document that equipment complies with recognized and generally accepted good engineering practices.” EPA: EPA 40 CFR 68.73 (d)(2): “Inspection and testing … 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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Unattended Operation? Better get Ammonia Detection!

Posted on November 21, 2010 by Brian Chapin

Certainly your ammonia technician will pick up any minor leaks during a regularly scheduled walk-through of the facility. But what if that leak starts at 6pm Friday evening and everyone is gone for the weekend? You had better have some … Continue reading →

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National Emphasis Program targeting Chemicals to Continue

Posted on November 1, 2010 by Brian Chapin

“OSHA’s scrutiny of the refinery industry and of chemical facilities covered by the Process Safety Management standard will increase, Jordan Barab, deputy assistant secretary of OSHA said in an Oct. 27 speech at the 2010 Mary Kay O’Connor Process Safety Center … Continue reading →

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VFD Savings Calculator

Posted on October 29, 2010 by Brian Chapin

Here’s a simple spreadsheet I made up a while ago to calculate the possible savings using Variable Frequency Drives. Download VFD Fan Savings Calculator

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