Volume 2, Issue 8, August 2000, David M. Garcia, Editor

Welcome to AcuSafe News -- The electronic newsletter devoted to serving industry, government, and interested members of the public by providing information that is useful, timely and best of all - FREE. AcuSafe News is comprised of best process safety practices, incident news, lessons learned, and regulatory developments.

AcuSafe News is an extension of the AcuSafe website (http://www.acusafe.com/), the Internet resource for safety and risk management information, products, training, and professional exchange. We hope you visit the website and find AcuSafe News and the AcuSafe site to be valuable tools.
 

In This Issue

  RMP Update: EPA Releases Final Rule on Public Disclosure of OCA RMP Data
  OSHA News: 1. Reduced OSHA Inspection Scrutiny for Voluntary Self-Audits 
                             2. OSHA Raises the Bar for VPP Participation  
  Chemical Safety Board Update: Investigation Report RE: Nitrogen Asphyxiation at a Union Carbide Plant in Hahnville, Louisiana
  Hot Topics: Editorial: The Debate About Chemical Accidents; Where Do We Stand?
  Industry Focus: Warning - Hot Work Can Ignite Titanium Tube Bundles
  Technical Topics: Key Factors for Successful PHA Studies
  Resources: Announcement of the revised EPA Accidental Release Information Program and AcuSafe Updates
  Incident News: Monthly Summary of Incidents, July 18 - August 18, 2000
  Software: 1. Announcing AcuTrack - Simple, proven and effective Recommendation Follow up Tracking
                      2. A Preview of TranSafe, an Internet Service for Critical Situation Management Online
  Events Update: 1. 18th International System Safety Conference in Unionville, VA 
                                2. AIChE CCPS International Conference & Workshops in Orlando, FL

Story Abstracts
RMP Update
EPA Releases Final Rule on Public Disclosure of OCA RMP Data
On August 4, the EPA released its final rule on how it is handling the release of sensitive offsite consequence analysis information. It builds on the proposed rule concept of making the information available in public reading rooms and defines how the public and LEPCs/SERCs may gain access to the information. Click here for a summary of the rule and copy of the text.
  
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OSHA News
Reduced OSHA Inspection Scrutiny for Voluntary Self-Audits  
OSHA has developed a final policy describing its treatment of voluntary employer self-audits that assess workplace safety and health conditions and compliance. To read more about OSHA's new policy, which will result in less scrutiny for these internal audits, please click here. 

OSHA Raises the Bar for VPP Participation
 OSHA announced changes on July 24, 2000 to its Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) that expand the number of eligible worksites and raise the level of achievement required for participation. A summary of the changes is available in the full article.

 
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Chemical Safety Board Update
Accident Investigation Results of Nitrogen Asphyxiation at the Union Carbide Plant in Hahnville, Louisiana
The Chemical Safety Board presented its findings about two workers who asphyxiated at the end of large horizontal pipe. The event took place on March 27, 1998 and the investigation report was released February 23, 1999. It demonstrates how a few simple precautions would have minimized the risk of this threat. Click here to read more about their findings.
 
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Hot Topics
Editorial: The Debate About Chemical Accidents; Where Do We Stand?
Opinions are sharply divided on the state of chemical accident prevention. Certainly accidents continue to happen, but are we comfortable with the programs that are in place? Do they offer sufficient protection so that the chance of accidents, similar to the Union Carbide plant in Bhopal, India or the Phillips plant in Pasadena, Texas, is remote? This article touches on the need for effective process safety and chemical accident prevention programs, measures the commitment that the process industries have for such programs, identifies the most significant factors in accidents that occur, and discusses whether specific industry sectors are responsible. For more information, please read the full article.
 
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Industry Focus
Warning - Hot Work Can Ignite Titanium Tube Bundles
In the April 2000 issue of Chemical Engineering Progress, Glenn Mahnken with FM Global wrote an article detailing the hazards of doing hot work on titanium heat exchanger tube bundles.  Titanium is a combustible metal, and can ignite and sustain combustion – just like aluminum or magnesium.  Read more about this phenomenon in our summary report. 
 
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Technical Topics
Key Factors for Successful PHA Studies
AcuTech's Leslie Parchomchuk offers tips on the qualities that make good team leaders and members, identifies process safety information (PSI) needed for the study, identifies the appropriate PHA methodology for the study, how to improve the study environment, and document the PHA study. Click here to read more.
 
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Resources
EPA ARIP Update
EPA has updates its Accidental Release Information Program database to include the 1999 calendar year. ARIP involves collecting questionnaire information from facilities that have had significant releases of hazardous substances, developing a national accidental release database, analyzing the collected information, and disseminating the results of the analysis to those involved in chemical accident prevention activities. The update can be found at AcuSafe.

AcuSafe Updates
AcuSafe is constantly updated with news, original content, new links, and more. Two areas that received particular attention in the last month are the Risk Data Center and the Emergency Response section of the Regulatory Center. Historical incidents, such as the ones in Bhopal and Flixborough, as well as archived information on some more recent events. Among the gems in the Emergency Response section are examples of response and safety plans found at other facilities, and compliance guidance to build your own programs. We have also improved the interface on the AcuSafe Forum. See whether other members of the AcuSafe community can share insights to help you with PSM implementation questions, software solutions, hazard analysis, and much more. 

 
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Incident News
Monthly Summary of Accidents Involving Process Chemicals or Flammable Materials 
As a service for our readers, we collect and share incident news. This month's installment covers incidents brought to our attention between July 18 and August 18. All of them caused significant injury, deaths, or major property damage. This month's issue includes accidents in the U.S., Canada, Indonesia, Turkey, Japan, the Czech Republic, and Brazil.
 
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Events Update
18th International System Safety Conference, Fort Worth, TX, September 11-16, 2000
The System Safety Society is holding its 18th international conference September 11-16, 2000 at the Raddison Plaza Hotel in Fort Worth, TX. With the theme of "System Safety on the Frontier of Technology," presentations will include tutorials on fault tree analysis, electrical safety, and airline accident investigation. This year it divides topics into transportation safety, occupational safety, software safety, root cause, industrial safety, hazard analysis, and safety analysis issues. Talks during this 6-day event include:
  • Information for Decision Making: Do You Have the Right Stuff?
  • Dynamic Safety Threading in Software Hazard Sensitivity Analysis
  • Accreditation of Software Systems in the Safety Environment
  • Perspective versus Experience/Knowledge Based Approaches to High Consequence Safety
  • Consideration of the Psychology of a System Accident and the Use of Fuzzy Logic in the Determination of System Risk Ranking
  • Hazard Analysis: How Much is Enough?
  • Automotive System Safety: Process and Technologies
  • Hazard Control Processes in Emerging Technologies: A Study of Current Techniques
  • and much more.

For more information about the symposium, contact the System Safety Society at:

System Safety Society
18th ISSC
P.O. Box 70
Unionville, VA  22567-0070
Ph: (540) 854-8630; fax (540) 854-4561
Email:  syssafe@ns.gemlink.com

or visit their web site at http://www.system-safety.org/Conference2000/default.htm. 

AIChE CCPS International Conference & Workshops in Orlando, FL
Held October 3 - 6, 2000 in Orlando, FL, the focus of this event is process industry incidents: investigation protocols, case histories, lessons learned. Attendees will be privy to the latest incident investigation technologies and protocols. Incident investigation reports and case histories with lessons learned will be presented. All aspects of incident and near-miss causation will be discussed, including: mechanical failure, chemical reactivity scenarios, human factors, management systems, and corporate cultural. For a preview of the topics and registration information, visit the conference home page at http://www.aiche.org/ccps/icw/. Registration is made through Premier Resources at:
  125 Elm St.
  Westfield, NJ 07090 USA
  Fax: (908) 233-2015
  Tel: (800) 329-6062 (in the US)
  (908) 233-2300 (international)

A free calendar detailing important conferences, events, meetings, and regulatory deadlines is available on AcuSafe. The calendar is updated regularly, so we suggest you bookmark it for future reference - http://www.acusafe.com/Calendar/index.html. Our readers are encouraged to contribute other events of interest to Process Safety professionals.
 
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Software
Announcing AcuTrack - Simple, proven and effective Recommendation Follow up Tracking
Our former editor, John Lee, has been finalizing the commercial version of AcuTrack, a LAN based tool for tracking the status of safety health and environmental recommendations arising out of a variety of sources. Have you been frustrated after pleading: "Please update the PHA list by next Thursday because I have to report the status to the Manager?" Or how about finding the final status of recommended actions from the last Fire Protection audit from 4 years ago - when you weren't even in the job?

Now AcuTech Consulting is offering AcuTrack, a simple tracking database designed for average plant user. It's easy to use and makes complex "database queries" easy for the average user. It is a robust program, having a proven track record of the concepts in over 12 years of use in a plant environment on mainframe, DOS, and Windows based computers.

Unlike many databases, AcuTrack is secure, offering detailed 'Record Level' locking of individual items to ensure data integrity. Users update the status of items themselves. Delegation for updating items is easy and equally as secure. The program is comprehensive - including all discrete recommendations for sources such as HAZOPs, Insurance Audits, Accident Reports, PSM Audits, Startup Reviews, EPA Audits, etc. And perhaps best of all - it's fairly priced.

The recommendations are tracked in one LAN database. This allows prioritization of resources to accomplish the most pressing issue with the greatest risk reduction payout. Stewardship reporting is now as simple as a few keystrokes. Spend your time analyzing the information for trends rather than tracking plant personnel down to find out the current status.

Find out more by contacting AcuTech Consulting for more information about its features and a demo version. 
 

A Preview of TranSafe, an Internet Service for Critical Situation Management Online
TranSafe is an internet-based tool that provides key resources for response locations anywhere in the U.S. Intended as a resource for transportation-based hazardous materials incidents, TranSafe provides instant access to GIS maps, chemical danger zones and phone numbers of  impacted receptors, and instant access to ERG2000 and MSDS information tailored to the hazardous material involved. Its database even  contains the names and phone numbers of hazmat responders and cleanup contractors in the area. The service should be available in September 2000; just send an e-mail to the AcuSafe News editor to be placed on the distribution list for future announcements and information. An informational brochure is also available.


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