Webinars

Practical Steps to Investigate Fire and Explosion Incidents

When: Weds., November 20, 2019 at 2:00pm EST.

The devastating nature of fire and explosions in the process industry is very alarming. Every year, thousands of deaths and injuries occur, in addition to billions of dollars in property losses and production downtime. The US Chemical Safety Board (CSB) in 2006 stated that 281 dust explosions were reported between 1980 and 2005 in the USA alone, killing 119 workers and injuring 718. When these types of incidents occur, investigations are initiated to find the root cause of these incidents and to make recommendations to prevent further incidents.

NFPA 921 “Guide for Fire and Explosion Investigations” provides detailed guidelines and recommendations for the safe and systematic investigation or analysis of fire and explosion incidents. Fire and explosion investigation or analysis and the accurate listing of causes are fundamental to the protection of lives and property from the threat of hostile fire or explosions. It is through an efficient and accurate determination of the cause and responsibility that future fire incidents can be avoided.

Join us as we review the step to investigate fire and explosion incidents. During this informative presentation, we will discuss:

• Basic fire and explosion science
• Recognition and definition of the problem: In this case, identification of the fuel and ignition source(s) of a fire or explosion.
• Collection of data through observations and experimentation: Facts about the fire or explosion incident are collected by observation, experiment, or other direct data gathering means.
• Analysis of the data: This requires that all data collected be analyzed.
• Formulation of hypotheses: Based on the data analysis, hypothesis, or hypotheses are formulated, to explain the phenomena, whether it be the nature of fire patterns, fire spread, identification of the origin, the ignition sequence, the fire or explosion cause, or the causes of damage or responsibility for the fire or explosion incident.
• Evaluation and testing of hypotheses: Testing of the hypothesis is performed using the principle of deductive reasoning, in which to all known facts, as well as the body of scientific knowledge associated with the phenomena relevant to the specific incident, are compared with the hypotheses.
• Selection of a final hypothesis: The likelihood of the final hypothesis being the actual scenario is to be characterized (1) as “probable, to an acceptable level of certainty” or, alternatively, (2) as “possible” or “suspected”, in which case the scenario would be characterized as “undetermined”.
• Familiarity with this Guide will provide the use with the tools that he/she needs to conduct an effective cause and origin investigation of fire and explosion incidents.

Tips for Efficiently Conducting a Facility Siting Study: Requirements and Leading Practices

When: Weds., December 11, 2019 at 2:00pm EST.

Industry has been learning hard lessons about the risks to employees in occupied structures located within manufacturing facilities for decades. Accidents that occurred in Flixborough (1974), Hickson and Welch (1992), and Texas City (2005) are all examples of fatalities resulting from personnel being located too close the process hazard without adequate protection. These events have led to significant changes in risk assessment, specifically with regard to occupied structures. OSHA enforcement continues to increase as significant accidents occur, often citing issues with Facility Siting via the Process Hazard Analysis requirement held within 29 CFR 1910.119, “Process Safety Management of Highly Hazardous Chemicals.” Today, companies conduct Facility Siting Studies or Surveys (known outside the US as Occupied Building Risk Assessments) to evaluate these risks and provide appropriate risk reduction measures.

This webinar will discuss what is included in, and how to conduct, a Facility Siting Study (FSS). You will learn what hazards must be considered, how to identify vulnerable structures, determine potential consequences and the effect on employee populations. The discussion will include references to notable American Petroleum Institute Recommended Practices and other significant Recognized And Generally Accepted Good Engineering Practices (RAGAGEP).

Challenges Faced by the Industry: Pragmatic Ways to Address Combustible Dust Hazards

When: Weds., January 22, 2020 at 2:00pm EST.

There are many challenges faced by industry regarding combustible dust fire and explosion hazards. Join us as we share key learnings we’ve gathered after decades working with organizations within the baking, agriculture, pharmaceutical, consumer products, chemical and other industry market segments. We’ll even address some of your key questions if you contact us before the webinar.

During this informative presentation, we will address:

• the importance of having a robust housekeeping program which includes methods for cleaning, timetables for regularly scheduled cleaning and cleaning of spills
• establishment of a robust Management of Change (MOC) program that adequately addresses changes to processes/equipment, other than replacement in kind, with regard to their impact on fire and explosion hazards
• how to prioritize necessary upgrades to fire and explosion protection and isolation to existing processes and equipment
• the issue of gaps in institutional knowledge caused by retirement of older employees
• training of personnel exposed to combustible dust hazards to enable them to recognize the hazards.

Webinar participants will learn about these five important combustible dust risk management issues and the practical solutions for addressing them.