US Chemical Safety and Hazard

The US Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board investigated an accident at the Morton Specialty Chemical Company in 1998. Evaluate the board s recommendations, and break them down into three layers of recommendations. See http //www.chemsafety. gov/. 

David Heller, US Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board... 

US Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board. Investigation Report - Hydrogen Sulfide Poisoning. US Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board Report No. 2002-01-I-AL, January 2003. 

The US Chemical Safety and Hazards Investigation Board Declares Sweeping Recommendations - Which May Change the Way We Do Business. 

US Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board. Management of change. Safety Bulletin No. 2001-04-SB, August 2001, http //www.chemsafety.gov/buUetms/2001/ moc082801.pdf... 

Investigation Report Refinery expbsion and fire, BP Texas City Report 2005-04-1 -TX US Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board 2007 http //www.csb.gov/assets/document/CSBFinalReportBP.pdf... 

BP s own reports during the years immediately before the accident reported multiple safety system deficiencies, and included the following comments and statements (as detailed in the report by the US Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board) ... 

The BOP was eventually recovered from the seabed and taken to NASA s Mi-choud facility in New Orleans for forensic examination, initially by DNV, a major consultancy. DNV s report was published one year after the accident. Four years after the accident, in June 2014, the US Chemical Safety and Hazard Evaluation Board (the CSB) pubhshed another extremely detailed report on the failure of the BOP. There were three main findings. 

Investigation Report (Vol. 1 and 2 and Appendices 2A and 2B), Explosion and Fire at the Macondo Well, US Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board, June 2014, downloadable at http //www.csb.gov/macondo-blowout-and-explosion/ which also contains an excellent 11 minute video explaining the failure of the blow-out preventer, accessible at https //www.youtube.com/watch v=FCVCOWejlag. 

To demonstrate exactly how the interpretation and classification of the data was performed, a heat exchanger rupture followed by an ammonia release, which occurred in a Tyre Rubber Factory, will be scrutinised on Table 2. This is based on the study case publication from the US Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (2011). 

US Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board 2011. Case Study2008-06-I-TXHeat exchanger rupture and ammonia release in Houston, Texas. Washington, DC CSB Publications. 

In 1990, the US Clean Air Act authorized the creation of an independent Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB), but it did not become operational until 1998. Its role, as defined by 40 CFR Part 1600, is to solely investigate chemical incidents to determine the facts, conditions, and circumstances which led up to the event and to identify the cause, probable cause or causes so that similar chemical incidents might be prevented. Its mandate is significantly different than a regulatory enforcement body, as it does not limit the investigation to only determine if there was a violation of an enforceable requirement, but to determine the cause or the causes of an incident. An assumption stated in the overview for the CSB is that it estimated that annually there would be 330 catastrophic incidents and of these, between 10 and 15 would be major catastrophic incidents with life loss. This is an alarming prediction for the industry and clearly indicates some improvement is needed. 

Present knowledge regarding the transformation of less harmful chemical(s) into more hazardous ones or vice versa is sketchy. The growing concern about chemical safety and health hazards from innumerable substances present around us in developed and third world countries has been well documented.1-18 Meaningful... 

The GHS applies to pure chemical substances, their dilute solutions and to mixtures of chemical substances. Articles as defined in the Hazard Communication Standard (29 CFR 1910.1200) of the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or by similar definition, are outside the scope of the system. 

The US Occupational Safety and Health Administration regulates phenacetin under the Hazard Communication Standard, and as a chemical hazard in laboratories. A reportable quantity (RQ) of 100 lb has been proposed for phenacetin under the EPA s... 

Recommended exposure limit (REL) is the name used by the US National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) for the occupational exposure limits (OELs) it recommends to protect workers from hazardous substances and conditions in the workplace. RELs are not regulations. While they are intended primarily as recommendations to the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) for use in promulgating legal standards, they also may help employers, workers, and health professionals to recognize and control occupational hazards. Most RELs have been developed for chemical air contaminants, usually... 

US Occupational Safety and Health Administration, US Department of Labor (OSHA) Process Safety Management of Highly Hazardous Chemicals Explosives and Blasting Agents Final Rule 29 CFR 1910.119, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Washington, DC, 1992. 

Please consider visiting the US Chemical Safety Board s website for the latest information on nitrogen hazards and a wealth of other topics. For the video you can use the CSB site or check YouTube https /Avww.youtube.com/watch v=f2ItJe2Incs... 

H. Safety considerations. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), US Department of Labor, standard entitled Occupational Exposure to Hazardous Chemicals in Laboratories (29 CFR 1910.1450) makes it necessary to address safety issues in the SOP. The standard requires laboratories that use hazardous chemicals to maintain employee exposures at or below the permissible exposure limits specified for these chemicals in 29 CFR Part 1910, Subpart Z. Hazards associated with any specific chemicals used in a method must be addressed so that the user has the information needed to follow the Chemical Hygiene Plan for their laboratory. The method developer should limit the use of hazardous chemicals where feasible. The use of toxic and/or carcinogenic reagents should be avoided or eliminated as much as possible. Additionally, the cost of disposal is increasing and could impact the practicality of a method. Material Safety Data Sheets for the analyte(s) and any unusual or hazardous reagents should be provided for the user. 

NIOSH. 1985. NIOSH pocket Guide to chemicals hazards. Washington, D.C. US Department of Health and Human Services, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. 85-114... 

US Department of Health and Human services (NIOSH) Occupational Safety and Health Guidelines for Chemical Hazards-SupplementIII-OHG (Pub No 92-110), pp 1-6. Occupational safety and health guideline for ammonium chloride fume. Cincinnati, OH, 1992... 

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