Amplify Your Process Safety

In this episode, Rob and Magi break down the CSB's incident report on the Honeywell Geismar facility, which includes three significant hydrofluoric acid releases that occurred between 2021 and 2024. They review the CSB's analysis of each incident, highlight safety issues and failures in process safety management, and review the CSB's recommendations for improving safety practices and preventing future incidents. Tune in to find out more and read the CSB's full report ⁠here⁠.For more CSB final report breakdowns, check out the episodes below:Episode 122 - Incident Breakdown: 2023 Fire Heater Fire at Marathon Martinez Renewables Facility⁠Episode 105 - Incident Breakdown: 2022 Fatal Naphtha Release and Fire at BP-Husky Toledo Refinery in Ohio⁠Episode 97 - Incident Breakdown: 2020 Fatal Oil and Gas Well Blowout in Burleson County, Texas⁠

In this episode, Magi and Jackson discuss the importance of lockout/tagout procedures in process safety, analyzing several incidents that highlight failures in energy isolation and the consequences of neglecting safety protocols. They delve into the need for thorough procedures and best practices to prevent accidents in industrial settings.For more about the CSB's ARRR, or AR3 as we like to call it, read volume one here and volume two here,k out the other episodes in the AR3 Miniseries: Episode 121 - ARRR Summaries & Trends and Episode 125 - AR3 Volume Two.

In this episode, Rob interviews Alex Pawlowski, Vice President of Design and Operations at SPEC Process Engineering and Construction. They discuss the critical role of process safety in engineering and construction, particularly in projects involving hazardous materials. Alex shares insights on how SPEC integrates safety into their design and construction processes, the challenges faced in maintaining safety standards, and the differences between capital and maintenance projects.For more about SPEC, visit their website here, or find them on LinkedIn here. To connect with Alex, find him on LinkedIn here.

In this episode, Magi and Jackson discuss some of the incidents included in Volume 2 of the CSB's Accidental Release Reporting Rule, and some safeguards that can be put in place to prevent such incidents from happening.For more about the 2023 Heater Fire at Marathon Martinez Renewables Facility, check out episode 122 here.For more information about the ARRR, check out Volume 2 of the CSB's Accidental Release Reporting Rule here.

In this episode, Rob is joined by Tyson Alexander, head of sales at APSM. Tyson has been at APSM for over 18 years and he talks us through some of the history of APSM, including what the "A" stands for, the evolution of process safety management, and real-world application of APSM software. For more information about APSM, visit their website at https://apsm.net/ and for the latest APSM news, follow them on LinkedIn here, or read their blog at https://apsm.net/blog/ To connect with Tyson, email him at tyson@apsm.net or connect with him on LinkedIn here.

In this episode, Rob and Magi discuss the recently released Safe Work Practice from the Center for Chemical Process Safety (CCPS) about Simultaneous Operations (SIMOPS) for offshore and operating plants.  SIMOPS are defined as "two or more different activities occurring at the same time that are close enough to interfere with each other and transfer risk or performance implications."  They discuss a few incidents where SIMOPS played a tragic part, as well as how CCPS recommends that facilities improve management of the inherent risk of SIMOPS.For more information about the Wacker Polysilicon incident, check out the episode below:Episode 80 - Incident Breakdown: 2020 Fatal Chemical Release at Wacker Polysilicon Facility in TennesseeFor more about SIMOPS, visit the AIChE page below:Simultaneous Operations (SIMOPS) - CCPS Safe Work Practice

In this episode, Magi and Jackson breakdown the most recent CSB final report. They cover the 2023 fire at the Marathon Martinez Renewables Facility that resulted in a significant injury for one employee and $350 million in property damage. This breakdown includes a review of the event, contributing factors and recommendations from the CSB. Tune in to find out more or read the report here.For more CSB final report breakdowns, check out the episodes below:Episode 105 - Incident Breakdown: 2022 Fatal Naphtha Release and Fire at BP-Husky Toledo Refinery in OhioEpisode 97 - Incident Breakdown: 2020 Fatal Oil and Gas Well Blowout in Burleson County, TexasEpisode 95 - Incident Breakdown: 2019 Fatal Explosion and Fire at KMCO in Crosby, TX

In this episode Magi and Jackson break down the CSB's Accidental Release Reporting Rule (ARRR) - what it is and some of the incidents reported under this rule. The ARRR requires reporting certain incidents to the CSB and has led them to deploy to some incidents that they may not have otherwise investigated. For more information about the Accidental Release Reporting Rule (ARRR), check out CSB Incident Reports Volume One

In this episode, Rob and Jackson lead listeners through NFPA 660; the new and improved combustible dust standard, which was released in late 2024. They discuss the reason for the new standard, other meaningful changes in the standard, general requirements of the standard, the titles of the industry specific chapters, which requirements are retroactive or not, and which annexes they found most valuable. For further listening related to Combustible Dusts, be sure to check out these past episodes. Episode 16 - Combustible Dusts & DHAsEpisode 46 - DHA Basics with Guest Mike RobertsonEpisode 51 - Combustible Dust Testing with Guest Michelle MurphyEpisode 61 - Combustible Dust Management Systems

In this episode, Rob is joined by Casey Houston, principal engineer of Chemitics, a consulting firm that specializes in overpressure protection and effluent handling system designs.  Casey has been a participant with the AIChE DIERS group since 2006 and has been a member with the API Subcommittee on Pressure Relief System designs since 2011.  He is also the co-chair for the API Task Force on Technical Report 522. In this episode, they discuss updating pressure relief device standards and what goes into making API standards updates. For more information about AIChE DIERS, visitwww.aiche.org/diers. To connect with Casey, email him atcasey@chemitics.com. For more on relief devices, check outEpisode 63 - Relief Devices Documentation with guest Chris Paskach andEpisode 72 - Incident Breakdown: 2018 Ethylene Release and Fire at Kuraray America, Inc. with Guest Christ Paskach.