Webinars

Electrostatics 101: Learning How Static Can Ruin Your Day

When: Weds., April 10, 2019 at 2:00pm EDT.

Electrostatics is everywhere, and this is a scientific fact! The uninformed are probably destined to experience its adverse effects. This is the principal reason for having at least an awareness of the topic. If you operate a process plant read on…

In a manufacturing facility where flammable materials (whether gases, liquids or powders) are handled, there is always the risk of igniting these dangerous materials from static shocks. Of course the consequences could be devastating; loss of process, production and personnel.

There are many other problems arising from static electricity:

• Frying of electronic components,
• Damage to glass lined reactors,
• Dust attraction where we don’t want it e.g. solar panels,
• Powders refusing to mix despite being put into a mixer, and many other examples.

At the very least, we have all received an annoying shock when we went to open the car door or get the door handle.

Join us on April 10, 2019. During this presentation, we will discuss:

• How static electricity arises and how to identify it?
• Common static problems in a process plant.
• Common solutions to electrostatic problems.

The Neuroscience Behind Getting Safety Critical Tasks Done Right

When: Weds., April 17, 2019 at 2:00pm EDT.

This session highlights the need for organizations to ensure strong understanding and application of human factors interventions that are embraced by the workforce and truly reduce exposure and risk. The discussion will feature case study examples of how human performance errors with Serious Injury and Fatality potential occur at work, and how neuroscience can inform optimal intervention design for reliably safe actions and outcomes.

Objectives:

• Understand how a Brain-Centric Approach improves performance reliability
• Review the key elements of a successful human performance intervention
• Consider how your organization can incorporate a human-centered reliability initiative

Using NFPA 30 for Flammable Liquid Safety

When: Weds., May 15, 2019 at 2:00pm EDT.

The National Fire Protection Association’s Flammable and Combustible Liquids Code (NFPA 30) is a widely-used Recognized and Generally Accepted Good Engineering Practice for facilities storing, transferring and using flammable liquids. This Code covers many aspects of flammable liquid safety, including:

• Container storage in locations such as warehouses, mercantile and industrial occupancies.
• Fire protection for storage areas
• Safe processing of flammable liquids
• Safe practices for dispensing, transferring, handling and use of flammable liquids.
• Safe practices for tank storage, piping systems, and bulk loading and unloading operations.

Join us for Using NFPA 30 for Flammable Liquid Safety. During this informative presentation, we will discuss topics that include:

• The relationship between OSHA’s Flammable Liquids regulation (29 CFR 1910.106) and NFPA 30
• An overview of the areas covered by NFPA 30
• The Maximum Allowable Quantity of flammable liquids in various storage configurations
• Storage Racks, Storage Piles and separation distances
• Allowable storage containers
• Proper fire protection design for flammable liquids storage areas
• Safeguards for dispensing, transferring, handling and using flammable liquids
• Recommended practices for storage tanks and piping systems
• Bulk loading and unloading of flammable liquids
• Recommendations for processing areas including handling, transfers and staging limitations

Dust Hazards 101: What Makes a Dust Explosive?

When: Weds., June 12, 2019 at 2:00pm EDT.

Dust Explosions and Flash Fires continue to occur in many manufacturing operations where combustible particulate solids are produced, handled and/or stored. These events have led to serious injuries, equipment damage, loss of production, and regulatory citations.

Manufacturers in the Food & Beverage (including grain handling), Pharmaceutical, Metal Fabrication, Additive Manufacturing and Chemical Process Industries are particularly susceptible to combustible dust flash fires and explosions. Unfortunately, many manufacturers have not performed critical explosibility testing to determine: (1.) if their dusts are combustible, and (2.) how reactive the dusts are.

With the looming September 7, 2020 deadline for combustible dust producing and processing facilities to a Dust Hazard Analysis (DHA) for new and existing process, it is extremely important know and understand what makes a dust explosive.

Join us for Dust Hazards 101: What Makes a Dust Explosive. During this informative presentation, we will discuss:

• Dust chemistry, including moisture
• How particulate characteristics and properties affect hazards
  • Particle size distribution
  • Particle shape characteristics
  • Etc.
• What you need to do as a dust producer and processor to better understand the hazards associated with your dusts.

Top 10 Rules for Process Safety

When: Weds., July 17, 2019 at 2:00pm EDT.

In this free webinar, we will discuss how the improvement of process safety performance must be a recurring discussion in organizations. Industries are still experiencing severe process safety incidents globally due to catastrophic events involving the release/loss of containment of highly hazardous materials that have resulted in large-scale health and environmental consequences.

This webinar is targeted to process safety professionals to give you a new perspective on a series of 10 essential rules that should be considered to better manage process safety at various levels of your organization.

Applying the Lessons of Reactive Chemical Case Studies to Your Operations

When: Weds., August 14, 2019 at 2:00pm EDT.

Incidents due to reactive chemical hazards continue to occur in the manufacturing industry, resulting in loss of life, property damage and environmental impact. There are many federal regulations as well as best industry practices that can be utilized to identify potential reactive chemical hazards, evaluate the impact of consequences and develop appropriate strategies to prevent or mitigate the impacts.

Several reactive chemical incidents investigated by the U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) will be reviewed to identify common root causes that will be developed into lessons learned. Resources will be provided to address these lessons learned from common root causes including the lack of hazard recognition and inadequate protection strategies. Strategies for applying these lessons learned and strategies for process design of reactive chemical processing will be discussed.

Join us for an overview of reactive chemical case studies as we review root causes and apply the lessons learned to ensure safer manufacturing processes. During this informative webinar, we will discuss:

• Common root causes of incidents due to reactive chemical hazards
• Lessons learned from these incidents
• Guidelines for identifying reactive chemical hazards in your process
• Process design considerations for exothermic reactions

Are You Ready to Complete Your First DHA? Things to Know.

When: Weds., September 11, 2019 at 2:00pm EDT.

Dust explosions pose serious and widespread hazards in process industries such as pharmaceuticals, foodstuffs, and aerospace. The accidents involving dust explosions can cause failure of equipment to contain the explosion, injuries and damages to people as well as the surrounding environment, plant shut-down and sometimes destruction of the factory resulting in fatalities and huge financial losses. Therefore, it is important to understand dust behavior and the processing equipment to better provide safe practices. There are four commodity specific standards, NFPA 61 (Agricultural), NFPA 120 (Coal), NFPA 664 (Wood Processing and Woodworking), and NFPA 484 (Metals). Any dust not covered in these standards are covered by NFPA 652 and NFPA 654. This covers a wide range of dust such as plastics, pharmaceuticals, adhesives, etc.

NFPA has given industries that handling dust until 2020 to perform a Dust Hazard Analysis (DHA) on their site by the appropriate expert in dust hazard. Whomever performs the DHA must have extensive knowledge of NFPA, understanding of dust combustibility, and provide appropriate recommendations to cover any gaps in safety.

This webinar will provide those conducting their first DHA with a better understanding of what is needed to cover the basics of a DHA from the explanation on dust combustibility characteristics (Kst, Minimum Explosible Concentration, Minimum Ignition Energy, Minimum Ignition Temperature) important to a DHA, processing equipment (dryers; dust collection systems; hammer mills and belt conveyors), and the appropriate methods of ensuring operator safety.

Do I Operate a Group H Occupancy? How Hazardous Materials Use and Storage Impacts Your Facility's Occupation Classification

When: Weds., October 16, 2019 at 2:00pm EDT.

Many companies consider the codes of the National Fire Protection Association to be the foremost documents on Fire Safety and Hazardous Materials. While these codes have generally not been adopted as law, they provide very good guidance on these topics.

These same companies are often unaware of the International Fire Code (IFC), maintained by International Code Council. Most states have adopted the International Fire Code as law, making compliance mandatory and non-compliance subject to legal action. This code, unbeknownst to many, places requirements for building construction on companies that use or store hazardous materials.

This webinar will:

• Provide an overview of the Hazardous Materials section of the IFC.
• Explain the Group H (Hazardous) Occupancies in the IFC.
• Show how to determine if your operations are required to be located in a structure meeting Group H requirements.
• Explain how to determine if changes to your process would be permitted under the IFC.

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.