Tag: Best Practice (Page 3 of 4)

One Hazard, Multiple Attempts at Control

Given the catastrophic nature of the hazards associated with PSM, the interrelationship of the PSM elements work together as a safety net to help ensure that if the employer is deficient in one PSM element, the other elements if complied with would assist in preventing or mitigating a catastrophic incident. Consequently, the PSM standard requires the use of a one hazard-several abatement approach to ensure that PSM-related hazards are adequately controlled. (OSHA, CPL 2-2.45A, 1994)

 

The text above, from OSHA’s old PQV (Program Quality Verification) audit is critical to understanding a key concept of successful Process Safety: The more ways you attempt to control a hazard, the more likely you are to be successful.

Sometimes this concept is referred to as the “Swiss Cheese Model.” I’ll quote from Wikipedia:

It likens human systems to multiple slices of swiss cheese, stacked side by side, in which the risk of a threat becoming a reality is mitigated by the differing layers and types of defenses which are “layered” behind each other. Therefore, in theory, lapses and weaknesses in one defense do not allow a risk to materialize, since other defenses also exist, to prevent a single point of failure. The model was originally formally propounded by Dante Orlandella and James T. Reason of the University of Manchester, and has since gained widespread acceptance. It is sometimes called the cumulative act effect.

To understand how this works in a functioning program, I want to point out how we recently addressed a single hazard in our program to show how many different ways we attempted to control it.

 

The hazard

 In IIAR’s upcoming standard 6 “Standard for Inspection, Testing, and Maintenance of Closed-Circuit Ammonia Refrigeration Systems” a hazard is identified and a prohibition is put in place to address that hazard:

 

5.6.3.4 Hot work such as the use of matches, lighters, sulfur sticks, torches, welding equipment, and similar portable devices shall be permitted except when charging is being performed and when oil or ammonia is being removed from the system.

 

The IIAR is recognizing that there is an increased likelihood of an Ammonia / Oil fire during charging operations and when oil / ammonia is being drained from the system. They are prohibiting Hot Work operations during these operations to remove potential ignition sources.

 

The Control(s)

You can make a (weak) case that simply referencing the RAGAGEP and inserting a single line in your Hot Work policy address the compliance requirement, but we’re going to need to do a lot more to make this prohibition a “real” thing in our actual operations.

 

Control Group #1: The Hot Work element

In the element Written Plan, we added two new “call-out’s” in the two places they are likely to be seen when planning Hot Work policies. First, in the section on Conducting Hot Work:

 

Second, in the section on Sulphur Stick use:

 

Third, in the Hot Work Permit itself, we modified the existing question on flammable atmospheres:

 

Control Group #2: The Operating & MI Procedures

All procedures that involve oil draining, ammonia charging and ammonia purging already point to the LEO (Line & Equipment Opening a.k.a. Line Break) written procedure. This makes our job a bit easier here, since we only have to modify our LEO rather than the dozens of procedures that might include this type of work.

We modified the traditional LEO “General Precautions section to place a check for Hot Work during an existing requirement to canvas the area for personnel that may be affected by the LEO:

 

In the more advanced, two-step “Pre-Plan and Permit” version of our LEO, we modified the “Pre-Plan Template” to include a warning:

 

In both versions of the LEO permit itself, we added an explicit check:

 

Closing Thoughts

This one small RAGAGEP change points to a single hazard – a hazard that we’re now trying to control in six different ways. Notice that we’ve made all these changes so they are popping up throughout the program:

  • In preparing policies for the associated work;
  • In the course of preparing for the work itself;
  • In the course of conducting the potentially hazardous operations.

This is critical because if we want to get the best “bang for our buck” in Process Safety, the safety portion has to be integrated into our actual processes on multiple levels.

Obviously, we’ll have to train on these changes to ensure that they’ll be effective. It’s quite possible that, after implementation, we’ll identify additional ways to prevent the hazard from being realized and will need to make further changes.

Responding to an OSHA NEP Inspection Document Request

Back in 2017 I posted on how to answer an OSHA document request from the published NEP.

OSHA’s published CPL-03-00-021 – “PSM Covered Chemical Facilities National Emphasis Program” includes an example document request list that often correlates fairly well to the one that OSHA inspectors provide during an NEP inspection.

Recently, a friend sent me the Document Request they received at the onset of the inspection which was quite a bit different from that PSM ChemNEP. Here’s what I noticed reviewing this new document:

  • It’s quite a bit longer.
  • The information – again – isn’t NH3 Refrigeration Specific. That means you have to interpret some of it.
  • In my opinion, It’s designed to be a huge fishing expedition.

I took that request and modified it to show how I would answer the 110 questions if you were using my PSM programs. You can download the 13 page, 4,500 word Microsoft Word monstrosity through the following link: 0419 OSHA Document Request.

Just a few general warnings about questions and document requests:

  • When in doubt, ask for clarification. Always get clarifications in WRITING.
  • When you are unsure of the appropriate documentation to provide, or what documentation addresses the issue, ask to get back to them and seek quality advice.
  • Always get additional documentation requests and follow-up questions in WRITING.

Previous Post on the subject.

If you need help preparing for, managing, or dealing with the aftermath of an OSHA or EPA inspection, please contact us.

Composite Fan Blades – A Replacement in Kind?

Imagine we’ve decided to replace the existing fans of an air unit (probably a blast cell) with composite blades. Should you consider that a Replacement in Kind?

Before we go into the change, you might be asking why people would change from a metal fan to a composite. The answer is usually three-fold:

  • Composites allow for some really elaborate / efficient shapes that are difficult to pull off with traditional metal blades. This means that the fan blades can be designed for low noise or to maximize throughput / throw. It’s not uncommon to see a composite blade manufacturer claim a 5% energy savings by using these types of fans.
  • Corrosion Resistance. The commonly used FRP (Fiber reinforced polymer) blades are more resistant to common cleaning chemicals and water than traditional metal fans.
  • Composite fans usually provide a far better weight/strength ratio than even cast aluminum. This means higher efficiency, lower motor wear, etc.

Should you consider the replacement of traditional metal fans (in an air unit for example) as a Replacement in Kind? My thinking on this is the same as the answer to every other “Is it a Replacement in Kind” question: It’s a change that falls under the MOC procedure(s) until you prove that it isn’t.

To meet the lowest possible compliance threshold of OSHA and the EPA we have to know if it “satisfies the design specification.” In this case, that pretty much comes down to asking if it has the same (or better) performance characteristics as the fan it’s replacing.

Assuming you do those checks, and you find the new fan can operate at the same temperatures, static pressure, speed, etc. as the old fan, OSHA and the EPA would allow us to qualify this as a Replacement in Kind. As always, I would suggest you document that work so you can prove you’ve correctly qualified the change as a Replacement in Kind. That’s the minimal compliance answer. The process safety answer is different and it’s the answer you should care about!

For the process safety answer we also ask a few more questions. For example:

  • Does the fan have the same MI requirements?
  • Does the fan have the same failure modes?
  • Are our PHA answers concerning fans (evaporators, condensers, etc.) still the same based on these new fans?

I would like to focus on the PHA question because the others are part of our PHA answer. If you are using the IIAR’s What-If checklist (or something like it) you have a question that looks like this:

EV1.22  What If…a fan fails catastrophically? (air unit cooler only)

It’s likely you answered that for metal fans by saying there were appropriate safeguards to control this hazard such as your MI program, daily walk-through’s, 5yr independent inspections, etc. It’s also likely that if you had those safeguards in place you made “no recommendation” on that question.

Now, let me ask: What if the new fans have different failure modes / MI requirements? Wouldn’t that change your analysis?

Recently I’ve been getting reports of fan failures in the field. While not unheard of with traditional metal fans, these reports lately seem to all be about composite fan blades.

What we seem to be seeing in these composite fan failures is that they appear to be caused by:

  • Turbulent uneven air flow through the coil (usually caused by debris on the coil but could also be caused by partially blocking the airflow out of a coil)
  • The turbulent air flow causes the fan to oscillate, sometimes at a resonant frequency
  • Over time this resonant frequency causes small stress cracks to start on the fan blade at the hub
  • If the condition lasts long enough, the crack propagates, and the fan catastrophically fails

Now, that’s not a failure mode / sequence of events we are used to seeing on traditional metal fan blades. Does that mean we shouldn’t use composite blades? No, of course not – it means Identifying new hazards like this requires us to institute new / altered controls. Some good examples of appropriate changes:

  • LOWER our acceptable threshold for debris on air unit intakes. This could mean more walk-through’s or just more debris removal. We’re not talking about dust buildup here, we’re talking about the removal of large debris: cardboard chunks, labels, etc. The things that are likely to cause turbulent and uneven flow through the unit.
  • LOWER our acceptable threshold for product blocking airflow out of a coil.
  • Specifically look for signs of cracks during annual / 5yr MI inspections.

Making changes to our program like this show us that the change from a traditional fan blades to composite fan blades should not be treated as a Replacement in Kind. It is, however, a fairly simple Management of Change. I want to re-emphasize here, had we chosen to view this change as a Replacement in Kind, we would have missed these opportunities to identify and control these new hazards introduced by the change.

IIAR 5 updates out for Public Review

The IIAR has announced the Second (2nd) Public Review of BSR/IIAR 5-201x, Startup of Closed-Circuit Ammonia Refrigeration Systems. This is another “partial” review in that it only shows the changed text in context, not the whole standard. I can already see that the PSM-related section in 5.4.1 is tying itself in knots trying to avoid using the term “review the PHA” like the new IIAR Compliance Guidelines draft will. Your review of these documents – and your subsequent comments – help guide our industry.


 

March 22nd, 2019
To: IIAR Members
Re: Second (2nd) Public Review of BSR/IIAR 5-201x, Startup of Closed-Circuit Ammonia Refrigeration Systems

A second (2nd) public review of draft standard BSR/IIAR 5-201x, Startup of Closed-Circuit Ammonia Refrigeration Systems is now open. The International Institute of Ammonia Refrigeration (IIAR) invites you to make comments on the draft standard. Substantive changes resulting from this public review will also be provided for comment in a future public review if necessary.

BSR/IIAR 5-201x, defines the minimum requirements for startup of closed-circuit ammonia refrigeration systems. It presupposes that the persons who use the document have a working knowledge of the functionality of an ammonia refrigeration system(s) and basic ammonia refrigeration practices and principles. This standard is intended for those who startup closed-circuit ammonia refrigeration systems. This standard shall apply only to stationary closed-circuit refrigeration systems utilizing ammonia as the refrigerant. It supplements existing general refrigeration standards issued by IIAR and other organizations such as ASHRAE, ASME, and ANSI. It is not intended to supplant existing safety codes (e.g., model mechanical or fire codes).

IIAR has designated the draft standard as BSR/IIAR 5-201x. Upon approval by the ANSI Board of Standards Review, the standard will receive a different name that reflects this approval date.

We invite you to participate in the second (2nd) public review of BSR/IIAR 5-201x. IIAR will use the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) procedures to develop evidence of consensus among affected parties. ANSI’s role in the revision process is to establish and enforce standards of openness, balance, due process, and harmonization with other American and International Standards. IIAR is the ANSI-accredited standards developer for BSR/IIAR 5-201x, and is responsible for the technical content of the standard.

This site includes links to the following attachments:

 

The 30-day public review period will be from March 22nd, 2019 through April 21st, 2019. Comments are due no later than 5:00 pm Eastern Standard Time (EST) on April 21st, 2019.

Thank you for your interest in the public review of BSR/IIAR 5-201x, Startup of Closed-Circuit Ammonia Refrigeration Systems.

Update on the Cyrus Shank LQ Series Relief Valves Replacement Schedule

A little over a year ago, our Process Safety Engineer, Josh Latovich, posted an article entitled “The Cyrus Shank LQ Series Relief Valves – A Discussion on Manufacturer’s Recommendations and the 5 Year Pressure Relief Valve Interval.” The article dealt with confusion surrounding dueling RAGAGEP’s for the replacement interval of hydrostatic valves.

Since that time the issue has come up repeatedly with various opinions provided by industry organizations, end-users, OSHA & EPA inspectors and others. In an October 10th, 2017 update to the article to say “If the Cyrus Shank engineering department changes their position then this issue can be re-evaluated…”

Well, GOOD NEWS. At the 2018 RETA Conference in Dallas, TX this week I was lucky enough to get to spend some time with Cyrus Shank engineer Matt Powell. He was willing to discuss the issue and provide assistance to resolve this issue. Here’s what we need from Cyrus Shank regarding this issue:

 

This means that the manufacturer is onboard with the IIAR’s position on NOT having to replace these valves if they are visually inspected.

THAT SAID, you still need to look at the FUNCTION of these valves in your system during your Process Hazard Analysis (PHA) to see if their failure will negatively impact your system. In the way they are NORMALLY used, a failure of these valves would cause efficiency issues, rather than safety ones. But you will need to look at the unique situation you have with them before deciding whether a replacement schedule is appropriate or not.

Thanks again to Matt Powell and Cyrus Shank for finally putting this issue to rest. You can download a copy of the letter from them at this link.

For a full recap of the issue, you can go to the original article.

IIAR 2-2014, Addendum A Third Public Review

The IIAR has announced a 3rd Public Review of Standard BSR/IIAR 2-2014, Addendum A, Standard for Safe design of Closed-Circuit Ammonia Refrigeration Systems. This brings some interesting changes to IIAR 2 . Two of these proposed changes are :

  1. Clearing up the “corrosion allowance” debate in a way that most reasonable people can live with.
  2. Clearing up the NH3 detection requirements – mostly by moving Level 2 & 3 to the informative appendix.

For more information, check out the announcement (with links) below:

A third (3rd) public review of draft standard BSR/IIAR 2-2014 Addendum A, Standard for Safe Design of Closed-Circuit Ammonia Refrigeration Systems is now open. The International Institute of Ammonia Refrigeration (IIAR) invites you to make comments on the draft standard. Substantive changes resulting from this public review will also be provided for comment in a future public review if necessary.

BSR/IIAR 2-2014, Addendum A specifies the minimum safety criteria for design of closed-circuit ammonia refrigeration systems. It presupposes that the persons who use the document have a working knowledge of the functionality of ammonia refrigerating system(s) and basic ammonia refrigerating practices and principles. This standard is intended for those who develop, define, implement and/or review the design of ammonia refrigeration systems. This standard shall apply only to closed-circuit refrigeration systems utilizing ammonia as the refrigerant. It supplements existing general refrigeration standards issued by IIAR and other organizations such as ASHRAE, ASME, and ANSI. It is not intended to supplant existing safety codes (e.g., model mechanical or fire codes).

IIAR has designated the revised standard as BSR/IIAR 2-2014, Addendum A. Upon approval by the ANSI Board of Standards Review, the standard will receive a different name that reflects this approval date.

We invite you to participate in the third (3rd) public review of BSR/IIAR 2-2014, Addendum A. IIAR will use the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) procedures to develop evidence of consensus among affected parties. ANSI’s role in the revision process is to establish and enforce standards of openness, balance, due process and harmonization with other American and International Standards. IIAR is the ANSI-accredited standards developer for BSR/IIAR 2-2014, Addendum A, and is responsible for the technical content of the standard.

This site includes links to the following attachments:

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The 30-day public review period will be from October 5, 2018 to November 4, 2018. Comments are due no later than November 4, 2018.

Thank you for your interest in the public review of BSR/IIAR 2-2014, Addendum A, Standard for Safe Design of Closed-Circuit Ammonia Refrigeration Systems.

Properly Addressing PSM / RMP Findings & Recommendations

Process Safety managers are often buried under a torrent of Findings and Recommendations from PSM/RMP elements such as Employee Participation (EP), Process Hazard Analysis (PHA), Pre-Startup Safety Review (PSSR), Incident Investigations (II), and Compliance Audits (CA).

In compliance audits over the past decade the single most likely deficiency I find is failing to properly “address” these Findings / Recommendations. Note: a Finding / Recommendation is considered “addressed” when you either accept & implement it, or justifiably delay the implementation while assuring safe operation. The most common problems are:

  • Failing to respond to the Finding / Recommendation.
  • Failing to document the response to a Finding / Recommendation even if it was addressed.
  • Planning to accept a Recommendation (or proposing a solution to a Finding) in the future (usually through CapEx) while not either:
    • Assuring the situation is safe in the interim.
    • Implementing an interim solution to ensure the process is safe during the delay.

Let’s look at each of these and discuss how Process Safety manager typically fail, and what YOU can do to avoid common failures.

 

Failing to respond to a Finding / Recommendation

Failing to respond to known issues is all too common. There are many reasons this happens, but in my experience, here are the most common problems:

Not understanding the issue.

Solution: Ask questions about the reason for the Finding / Recommendation. Don’t let someone tell you that something has to be done a certain way without an adequate explanation. Many unnecessary Findings / Recommendations  can be avoided or solved simply by asking the person making it to provide their actual reasons for it. This isn’t about feelings. Ask for the specific hazard, regulation, code, standard, etc. You can’t judge a Finding / Recommendation without understanding it, and neither can management. In the case of legitimate Findings / Recommendations, understanding the issues behind the Finding / Recommendation will help you gain momentum to address the problem.

Assuming the solution won’t be approved

Solution: Don’t prejudge. That isn’t your role. Your role as the Responsible Person is to bring these issues to the people that are in charge of the process. Ask the right questions and present the necessary information to management. THEY are responsible for their decisions after that. Your role is to document their responses and remind them if you haven’t received adequate direction on the disposition of the Finding / Recommendation.

Losing Track of the Finding / Recommendation

Solution: Implement a robust tracking method. Personally, I’ve always liked tracking sheets, but electronic software can work too. Whatever your method, you need a *system* to promptly address and resolve Findings / Recommendations. Once you’ve established this system, use it to set the agenda of your regularly scheduled Process Safety meetings. A tracking system should document:

Where the Finding / Recommendation came from.

Why the recommendation was made and the the actual text of the Finding / Recommendation.

When the Finding / Recommendation was made. When the Finding / Recommendation (and any interim measures) are to be completed by. When activities on it occur and, ultimately, when it is marked as fully addressed.

Who is Responsible for it.

What has been done, is being done, and is planned to be done.

 

Failing to document the Response

If you’ve implemented a system to track Findings / Recommendations, then this shouldn’t be an issue. Where most people fail here is not documenting what they are told. An example: you bring up a recommendation during a conversation with management and they give you an answer, but you don’t document that verbal answer in your tracking system. Even better, when you are given verbal answers to a Finding / Recommendation, either document that answer in the meeting notes or in a follow-up email to the person that gave you the verbal answer.

Even when you actually addressed the Finding / Recommendation, failing to document it can come back and bite you. I’ve witnessed a situation where a recommendation to paint a valve group was implemented but not documented. A few years later, during an OSHA inspection, the facility was cited for not documenting that they did the work – even though the CSHO agreed that the valve group appeared to have been painted. Remember, there are explicit requirements in the PSM rule that you document Finding / Recommendation resolutions: PHA e(5) “the resolution is documented; document what actions are to be taken…” Incident Investigation m(5) “…Resolutions and corrective actions shall be documented.” Compliance Audit o(4) “…determine and document an appropriate response to each of the findings of the compliance audit, and document that deficiencies have been corrected.”

 

Assured Interim Safety or Interim Measures

When you receive a Finding / Recommendation, it’s best to work with the j(5) standard: “… correct deficiencies…before further use or in a safe and timely manner when necessary means are taken to assure safe operation.”

Put simply: Either shut it down or ensure it’s safe to operate while you are planning & implementing your response.

Let’s use the example of a valve group that has been identified as “rusty.”

First, we need to evaluate the condition of the valve station. Is it so bad that you don’t know if it’s safe? If so, shut it down until you can evaluate it further. Document this decision and the reasons for it.

Is it mild surface rust such that it just needs cleaning and a fresh coat of paint? Either clean and paint it right away or document why it’s safe to operate until when you plan on cleaning and painting it.

 

Bonus: What a flowchart of a SYSTEM for Finding / Recommendation resolution can look like:

IIAR 6 Public Review #3

IIAR 6 continues its development. This document will replace IIAR Bulletin 110 (among others) and will be very important. The current review only lists changes since Public Review #2.

To: IIAR Members
Re: Third (3rd) Public Review of Standard BSR/IIAR 6-201x, Standard for Inspection, Testing, and Maintenance of Closed-Circuit Ammonia Refrigeration Systems.
A third (3rd) public review of draft standard BSR/IIAR 6-201x, Standard for Inspection, Testing, and Maintenance of Closed-Circuit Ammonia Refrigeration Systems is now open. The International Institute of Ammonia Refrigeration (IIAR) invites you to make comments on the draft standard. Substantive changes resulting from this public review will also be provided for comment in a future public review if necessary.

BSR/IIAR 6-201x, specifies the minimum requirements for inspection, testing, and maintenance applicable to stationary closed-circuit ammonia refrigeration systems. It presupposes that the persons who use the document have a working knowledge of the functionality of ammonia refrigeration system(s) and basic ammonia refrigeration practices and principles. This standard is intended for those who inspect, test, and maintain stationary closed-circuit ammonia refrigeration systems. This standard shall apply only to stationary closed-circuit refrigeration systems utilizing ammonia as the refrigerant. It supplements existing general refrigeration standards issued by IIAR and other organizations such as ASHRAE, ASME, and ANSI. It is not intended to supplant existing safety codes (e.g., model mechanical or fire codes).

IIAR has designated the draft standard as BSR/IIAR 6-201x. Upon approval by the ANSI Board of Standards Review, the standard will receive a different name that reflects this approval date.

We invite you to participate in the third (3rd) public review of BSR/IIAR 6-201x. IIAR will use the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) procedures to develop evidence of consensus among affected parties. ANSI’s role in the revision process is to establish and enforce standards of openness, balance, due process and harmonization with other American and International Standards. IIAR is the ANSI-accredited standards developer for BSR/IIAR 6-201x and is responsible for the technical content of the standard.

This site includes links to the following attachments:

The 45-day public review period will be from July 6th, 2018 through August 20th, 2018. Comments are due no later than 5:00 pm Eastern Standard Time (EST) on August 20th, 2018.

Thank you for your interest in the public review of BSR/IIAR 6-201x, Standard for Inspection, Testing, and Maintenance of Closed-Circuit Ammonia Refrigeration Systems.

Learning from Failure

“Failure is only opportunity to begin again. Only this time, more wisely.” –Henry Ford

We often push PSM practitioners to perform Incident Investigations for fairly minor events in the hopes that the lessons learned from those minor incidents will stop the larger incidents from happening. This is, in part, due to CCPS (Center for Chemical Process Safety) guidance that, for every single catastrophic accident, there are typically nearly 9,900 minor issues / process upsets and 99 near misses.

So, if you only investigate the catastrophic incidents, then you are only acting on 0.010% of the opportunities available to you to improve your control over the process.

OSHA has promoted this idea as far back as a decade ago…

OSHA and industry have found that when major incidents have occurred, most of these incidents have included precursor incidents. Additionally, OSHA and industry (See CCPS [Ref. 41], Section 5, “Reporting and Investigating Near Misses” have concluded based on past investigations, that if employers had properly responded to precursor incidents, later major incidents might not have occurred. Consequently, anytime an employer has an “opportunity” to investigate a near-miss/precursor incident (i.e., an incident that could reasonably have resulted in a catastrophic release) it is important that the required investigation is conducted and that the findings and recommendations are resolved, communicated, and integrated into other PSM elements/systems so a later major incident at the facility is prevented. …It is RAGAGEP to investigate incidents involving system upsets or abnormal operations which result in operating parameters which exceed operating limits or when layers of protection have been activated such as relief valves. (An example RAGAGEP for investigating incidents, including near-miss incidents is CCPS [Guidelines for Investigating Chemical Process Incidents, 2nd Ed.], this document presents some common examples of near-miss incidents). (OSHA, Refinery PSM NEP, 2007)

Going a step further, it’s often true that you can learn something about managing complex operations from businesses in entirely different fields. One field that I like to follow – in part because it’s endlessly re-inventing itself – is information technology.

Google recently published an article on their Post-Mortem culture, with a farcical worked-example that includes the movie “Back to the Future” and a newly discovered sonnet by Shakespeare. The practice of learning from their failures is actually part of their Sight Reliability Engineer handbook and you can read the entire chapter if it appeals to you.

“Failures are an inevitable part of innovation and can provide great data to make products, services, and organizations better. Google uses ‘postmortems’ to capture and share the lessons of failure…

… For us, it’s not about pointing fingers at any given person or team, but about using what we’ve learned to build resilience and prepare for future issues that may arise along the way. By discussing our failures in public and working together to investigate their root causes, everyone gets the opportunity to learn from each incident and to be involved with any next steps. Documentation of this process provides our team and future teams with a lasting resource that they can turn to whenever necessary.

And while our team has used postmortems primarily to understand engineering problems, organizations everywhere — tech and non-tech — can benefit from postmortems as a critical analysis tool after any event, crisis, or launch. We believe a postmortem’s influence extends beyond that of any document and singular team, and into the organization’s culture itself.”

Google’s Pre-Mortem Tool – Anticipating what can go wrong.

Google’s Post-Mortem Tool – Dealing with what actually went wrong.

Two IIAR Standards announced for Public Review

IIAR has just announced that two standard’s revisions are available for public review and comment: IIAR 6 & IIAR 7.

IIAR 6 is a new standard. In our opinion, it is going to be the largest change to NH3 Refrigeration practices since the advent of the PSM/RMP rules. Among other things, it is meant to replace IIAR Bulletin 109 (IIAR Minimum Safety Criteria for a Safe Ammonia Refrigeration System) and IIAR Bulletin 110 (Guidelines for: Start-Up, Inspection and Maintenance of Ammonia Mechanical Refrigerating Systems)

Here is some info from the IIAR:

IIAR 6 (Maintenance) Public Review #2

A second (2nd) public review of draft standard BSR/IIAR 6-201x, Standard for Inspection, Testing, and Maintenance of Closed-Circuit Ammonia Refrigeration Systems is now open. The International Institute of Ammonia Refrigeration (IIAR) invites you to make comments on the draft standard. Substantive changes resulting from this public review will also be provided for comment in a future public review if necessary.

BSR/IIAR 6-201x, specifies the minimum requirements for inspection, testing, and maintenance applicable to stationary closed-circuit ammonia refrigeration systems. It presupposes that the persons who use the document have a working knowledge of the functionality of ammonia refrigeration system(s) and basic ammonia refrigeration practices and principles. This standard is intended for those who inspect, test, and maintain stationary closed-circuit ammonia refrigeration systems. This standard shall apply only to stationary closed-circuit refrigeration systems utilizing ammonia as the refrigerant. It supplements existing general refrigeration standards issued by IIAR and other organizations such as ASHRAE, ASME, and ANSI. It is not intended to supplant existing safety codes (e.g., model mechanical or fire codes).

IIAR has designated the draft standard as BSR/IIAR 6-201x. Upon approval by the ANSI Board of Standards Review, the standard will receive a different name that reflects this approval date.

We invite you to participate in the second (2nd) public review of BSR/IIAR 6-201x. IIAR will use the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) procedures to develop evidence of consensus among affected parties. ANSI’s role in the revision process is to establish and enforce standards of openness, balance, due process and harmonization with other American and International Standards. IIAR is the ANSI-accredited standards developer for BSR/IIAR 6-201x and is responsible for the technical content of the standard.

This site includes links to the following attachments:

The 45-day public review period will be from March 2nd, 2018 through April 16th, 2018. Comments are due no later than 5:00 pm Eastern Standard Time (EST) on April 16th, 2018.

Note: The changes in IIAR 6 PR2 are fairly large and will require you to review your MI program for compliance.

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IIAR 7 has been around for a while. Early last year we made some significant changes to our templates to be compliant with its unique requirements.

IIAR 7 (Operating Procedures) Public Review #2

A second (2nd) public review of draft standard BSR/IIAR 7-201x, Developing Operating Procedures for Closed-Circuit Ammonia Refrigeration Systems is now open which presents substantive changes only that were received and approved during the standard’s first (1st) public review and comment response resolutions. The International Institute of Ammonia Refrigeration (IIAR) invites you to make comments on the draft standard. Substantive changes resulting from this public review will also be provided for comment in a future public review if necessary.

BSR/IIAR 7-201x, defines the minimum requirements for developing operating procedures applicable to closed-circuit ammonia refrigeration systems. It presupposes that the persons who use the document have a working knowledge of the functionality of an ammonia refrigeration system(s) and basic ammonia refrigeration practices and principles. This standard is intended for those who develop, define, or review operating procedures, or a combination thereof, for closed-circuit ammonia refrigeration systems. This standard shall apply only to stationary closed-circuit refrigeration systems utilizing ammonia as the refrigerant. It supplements existing general refrigeration standards issued by IIAR and other organizations such as ASHRAE, ASME, and ANSI. It is not intended to supplant existing safety codes (e.g., model mechanical or fire codes).

IIAR has designated the draft standard as BSR/IIAR 7-201x. Upon approval by the ANSI Board of Standards Review, the standard will receive a different name that reflects this approval date.

We invite you to participate in the second (2nd) public review of BSR/IIAR 7-201x. IIAR will use the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) procedures to develop evidence of consensus among affected parties. ANSI’s role in the revision process is to establish and enforce standards of openness, balance, due process, and harmonization with other American and International Standards. IIAR is the ANSI-accredited standards developer for BSR/IIAR 7-201x and is responsible for the technical content of the standard.

This site includes links to the following attachments:

The 30-day public review period will be from March 2nd, 2018 through April 1st, 2018. Comments are due no later than 5:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST) on April 1st, 2018.

Note: The changes in IIAR 7 PR2 are fairly minor and are unlikely to substantially affect your SOPs if you are already compliant with IIAR 7-2013.

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