Amplify Your Process Safety

In this episode, Rob and Jo talk about CMMS, or computerized maintenance managements systems. You'll learn how to make the best CMMS platform selection for your facility, important considerations you should make when it comes to the set up of your CMMS platform, and how to ensure your CMMS gets updated as changes are made in your facility. They'll also talk customization options, mobile apps, permissions, contractor involvement, recordkeeping, reporting/dashboards, and more. If you're considering making the move from a paper-based work order system to a CMMS platform, or looking to see how you can leverage the data currently captured within your CMMS platform, then this is the episode for you.

Some other episodes mentioned today that we recommend:    

In today's episode Rob and Molly answer two important questions when it comes to senior management and process safety: 1) Why is it important for senior management to understand process safety, and 2) how can senior management lead the company to ensure that process safety is a high priority?

They cover historic catastrophic impacts when process safety has not been prioritized, the Business Case for Process Safety (CCSP whitepaper), what "good" looks like when prioritizing process safety, the impacts of staffing and budget decisions on process safety, and more. No matter where your role falls within your organization's hierarchy, any employee who works at a facility handling highly hazardous substances is sure to find value in this episode.

Resources mentioned in today's episode:

In this episode, Molly is joined by guest Tom Kuechler. Tom (Ph.D., inorganic chemistry) has over 35 years of experience in the water treatment industry (pool/spas, drinking water, and cooling towers), chiefly with chlorinated isocyanurates, including 15 years at Occidental Chemical Corporation’s trichloroisocyanuric acid plant. His responsibilities have included product and application research, field trials, technical service, manufacturing support, and regulatory support.

Today, Molly and Tom discuss chemical reactivity issues in the hope that they will help to prevent other companies from suffering through catastrophic process safety incidents like those at Bio-Lab and Optima Belle, which were recently reported on by the CSB. They discuss safety data sheets and their importance, define what a water-reactive compound is, talk about the importance of preserving process safety knowledge at a facility over time, and address some process scale-up precautions that should be taken when handling reactive chemicals.

You can reach Tom Kuechler with any further questions at [email protected]. To learn more about the CSB incident investigations mentioned in today's episode, go to csb.gov or listen to Episode 76 - Incident Breakdown: 2020 Toxic Gas Release and Chemical Fire at Bio-Lab Facility and

Molly and Rob are back with Part 2 of Operator Training in this companion episode to Episode 77 - Operator Training - Part 1: Initial Training.

Today they're talking operator refresher training; what's required by PSM & RMP, what's considered a best practice, and some training considerations for facilities with infrequent turnarounds.

So it's your first time on a Process Hazard Analysis (PHA) team, and you don't know what exactly to expect. Start with this episode! In this episode, Rob and Molly discuss everything you need to know as a first-time PHA team member. They cover the goals of a PHA, the basics of the most common PHA methodologies, PHA team members and requirements, ground rules for the study sessions, how the experience is valuable, what to expect after the study sessions end, and more. If you are an operator, I&E technician, or maintenance technician who has never participated in a PHA before, but you'd like to or you've been asked to be on the PHA team, this is the episode for you.

Find other related episodes that we mentioned in today's episode below.

Plus two episodes on Training, coming soon (we'll update these show notes then).

If you have a comment or question about today's episode, please drop us a line at [email protected].

If you're curious about what we do at Amplify Process Safety, or think we can help your facility, please send your inquiry to [email protected].

Today's episode is an extra special one. We know we say that a lot, but we really mean it. In this episode, we bring you a collection of 11 stories from folks who share with us why process safety matters to them, and why you should care too. If you're new to the world of process safety, we hope this will inspire you, and if you're an experienced process safety professional, we think you'll enjoy these passionate stories that are sure to echo your own.

A huge thank you to everyone who participated in this episode.

If you have a comment or question about today's episode, please drop us a line at [email protected].

If you're curious about what we do at Amplify Process Safety, or think we can help your facility, please send your inquiry to [email protected].

In this episode, Rob and Jo team up to cover another CSB final report. In this incident breakdown, they cover the 2019 tank farm fire at the Intercontinental Terminals Company, LLC (ITC) bulk liquid storage terminal in Deer Park, Texas. On March 17, 2019, a circulation pump failure led to the release of a butane-enriched naptha product from a large aboveground storage tank, and the flammable vapors eventually ignited. The resulting fire spread to the other 14 nearby tanks and then burned for three days before being extinguished. In this episode, Jo and Rob cover additional details regarding offsite consequences, discuss the five safety issues that the CSB highlighted in their report, share the CSB's recommendations, and then finally cover key lessons for industry. Find the CSB's final report for this incident ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

If you have a comment about this week's episode, an idea for a future episode, or any process-safety related question, please drop us a line at [email protected].

In this episode, Molly and Jo are back with another incident breakdown, covering the CSB's final report on the 2020 fatal explosion at the Optima Belle Facility in Belle, WV. On December 8, 2020, workers were drying CDB-56 in a press-rated rotary double cone dryer, when the material began to decompose and generate significant amounts of toxic gases, leading to an overpressure of the dryer and subsequent rupture, fire, and toxic chlorine release. In this episode, Molly and Jo cover the materials involved in the incident, what exactly happened and why, contributing factors identified by the CSB, the CSB's recommendations, and what companies can learn from this incident to improve the safety of their own operations.

Find the CSB's final report for this incident ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Episode 65 - Chemical Reactivity Testing with Guest Michelle Murphy here.

Find the Chemical Reactivity Hazards website we mentioned here.

In this episode, Molly and Jo discuss the CSB's final investigation report on the 2020 fatal explosion and fire at the Watson Grinding facility in Houston, Texas. On January 24, 2020, a propylene release in a coating booth at the facility resulted in a fire and explosion that killed two workers and one nearby resident, injured two workers, and damaged over 450 nearby structures. Today, Molly and Jo provide some background information on the facility, including previous incidents, precautions in place at the time of the incident, and contributing factors. Then they delve into how various elements of a process safety program could have helped to prevent this incident, discuss the CSB's recommendations, and end with three key learnings that facilities can learn from this incident.

Find the CSB's final report for this incident ⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠.

Related episodes we mentioned:

Your Process Safety Journey, Part 3 - Nearing the Summit

Episode 52 - EPA's General Duty Clause with Guest Mathew Todaro

Episode 56 - Implementing EPA's General Duty Clause (GDC)

In this episode, Molly and Jo discuss the CSB's final investigation report on the 2020 fatal chemical release at Wacker Polysilicon facility in Charleston, Tennessee. On November 13, 2020, a contractor on the fifth level of an operating platform tightened the bolts on a graphite heat exchanger to an incorrect torque setting, cracking the exchanger, which released gaseous HCl and obscured two contractor groups' access down the 70-foot platform's only staircase. Three of the contractors attempted to climb down the outside of the structure, and all fell during their attempts; one fatally, while two others sustained serious injuries. Today, Molly and Jo provide some background information on the facility, its hazardous chemicals, and the events leading up to the loss of containment. Additionally, they discuss the safety issues identified by the CSB, including some interesting details regarding the PHA completed only three months prior that identified the need for a second means of egress in a release scenario identical to the incident. They point out other contributing factors, cover the CSB's various recommendations, and finally provide key learnings that any company can glean from this incident.

Find the CSB's final report for this incident ⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠.