(57bk) 20 Years of Personal Process Safety Lessons

This paper presents some of the many process safety issues encountered by the author in his 20 years of industrial experience. It describes better ways to address the situations and applicable RAGAGEP.

Some of the issues covered may include amine towers; anchor bolts; asphyxiation; auditing; carbon dioxide; communication and restriction; competency; compliance; culture; design temperature; dissolved versus entrained gas; documentation; drawings; driving in facility; electrical area classification and safety tagging; ESD testing; equipment vendor supplied PSVs and safety review; eyewash and safety shower; failure analysis; feedwater pressure; flare system; foundation design; gas blowby; HAZOP members and duration; heat and material balances; heat exchanger tube rupture; hydrocarbon tanks open to atmosphere; intimidation; investigation; lessons learned; limiting quantities to below PSM/RMP limits; LOPA; material of construction; mechanical integrity; NFPA 655; nitrogen; normally unoccupied exemption; nozzles; peer reviews; PHA revalidations; P&IDs not existing or being accurate; pipe codes, isos, repairs, restraints, spec breaks without PSVs, stress, supports; PPE; procedures; PSM; PSSR; PSV flowrates, fluid flow method, fluid phase, noise, incomplete analysis, oversimplified analysis, piping, reaction forces, temperature; reciprocating compressors with PSV upstream protecting the discharge; remote location exception; relief path; reporting; risk assessment; safety reviews; SIL; snuffing steam; spacing guidelines; SRU; steam; steam trap failure; stack draft; tank venting; temperature issues; transferring chemicals from buckets; unmanned exception; valve orientation; vent to safe location- flammability and toxicity; vessel repair; work sequence.

It is hoped that sharing this information will enable others to learn from the past and prevent similar issues in the future.