Many businesses today have some form of compressed gas on-site.  As a scuba diver, one of the incidents we fear the most is a blown valve on a scuba tank.  The blown valve will let 3000 pounds per square inch of compressed gas come out a hole, the size of a dime.  The tank will become a torpedo.  The US DOT’s PHMSA considered any compressed gas a hazardous materials, even a fire extinguisher.  OSHA has safety standards (1910.101) when dealing compressed gases.  Even Homeland Security is developing new standards to deal with the threat of compress gases such as chlorine gas.  Compressed gas safety can prevent serious injury or death.

If your company transports compressed gases in commerce, the company must comply with US DOT shipping requirements and training, and if you use compressed gas on-site, such as acetylene, you must comply with OSHA standards and training.  (more…)

CSB Continues Danvers Accident Investigation, Urges All Businesses To Pay Heightened Attention to Flammable Solvent Safety

The U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) announced on Feb. 6 it is continuing its investigation to determine the root causes of the powerful explosion in Danvers, Mass., which damaged or destroyed dozens of homes and businesses during the early morning hours of Nov. 22, 2006.

A team from the CSB documented at least 100 different examples of blast damage — such as shattered windows or broken beams — throughout the Danvers community. These “blast markers” will be interpreted using computer models in an effort to better understand the nature and the explosive force of the blast. (more…)