Episode 118 - Recent Natural Disasters and Their Process Safety Consequences

In this episode, Magi and Jackson breakdown the most recent CSB final report. They cover the 2023 fire at the Marathon Martinez Renewables Facility that resulted in a significant injury for one employee and $350 million in property damage. This breakdown includes a review of the event, contributing factors and recommendations from the CSB. Tune in to find out more or read the report here.For more CSB final report breakdowns, check out the episodes below:Episode 105 - Incident Breakdown: 2022 Fatal Naphtha Release and Fire at BP-Husky Toledo Refinery in OhioEpisode 97 - Incident Breakdown: 2020 Fatal Oil and Gas Well Blowout in Burleson County, TexasEpisode 95 - Incident Breakdown: 2019 Fatal Explosion and Fire at KMCO in Crosby, TX

In this episode Magi and Jackson break down the CSB's Accidental Release Reporting Rule (ARRR) - what it is and some of the incidents reported under this rule. The ARRR requires reporting certain incidents to the CSB and has led them to deploy to some incidents that they may not have otherwise investigated. For more information about the Accidental Release Reporting Rule (ARRR), check out CSB Incident Reports Volume One

In this episode, Rob and Jackson lead listeners through NFPA 660; the new and improved combustible dust standard, which was released in late 2024. They discuss the reason for the new standard, other meaningful changes in the standard, general requirements of the standard, the titles of the industry specific chapters, which requirements are retroactive or not, and which annexes they found most valuable. For further listening related to Combustible Dusts, be sure to check out these past episodes. Episode 16 - Combustible Dusts & DHAsEpisode 46 - DHA Basics with Guest Mike RobertsonEpisode 51 - Combustible Dust Testing with Guest Michelle MurphyEpisode 61 - Combustible Dust Management Systems

In this episode, Rob is joined by Casey Houston, principal engineer of Chemitics, a consulting firm that specializes in overpressure protection and effluent handling system designs.  Casey has been a participant with the AIChE DIERS group since 2006 and has been a member with the API Subcommittee on Pressure Relief System designs since 2011.  He is also the co-chair for the API Task Force on Technical Report 522. In this episode, they discuss updating pressure relief device standards and what goes into making API standards updates. For more information about AIChE DIERS, visitwww.aiche.org/diers. To connect with Casey, email him [email protected]. For more on relief devices, check outEpisode 63 - Relief Devices Documentation with guest Chris Paskach andEpisode 72 - Incident Breakdown: 2018 Ethylene Release and Fire at Kuraray America, Inc. with Guest Christ Paskach.

In this episode, Rob and Magi discuss some of the natural disasters that have contributed to process safety incidents in recent years, including the impacts that Hurricanes Harvey, Laura, Ida, Ian, and Helene have had. For related content, please check out our past episodes below. Episode 26 - Natural Hazard Assessment and Planning Episode 103 - Quantitative and Qualitative Natural Disaster Preparation with Guest Mike Washington

In this episode, Rob is joined by Jackson Colley, the newest member of the Amplify Process Safety team. Rob sits down with Jackson to talk about his background and what ultimately led him to joining Amplify. Welcome to the team, Jackson! To connect with Jackson, find him on LinkedIn here or email him at [email protected]. To learn more about the rest of our team, visit www.amplifyconsultants.com/about or check out our other intro episodes below: Episode 0 - Amplify Your Process Safety Introduction Episode 30 - The A-Team Episode 98 - Introducing Magi

In this special episode, Rob and Magi present 2024 (Process Safety) Wrapped. They cover regulatory changes that took place this year, major incidents the CSB has deployed to, metrics on other minor process safety incidents they've tracked this year, CSB reports issued this year, and their hopes for a renewed focus on process safety in 2025. Do you have a process safety related resolution for 2025? Or a topic you'd like us to delve deeper into in an episode next year? Reach out to us at [email protected]. For full length episodes on topics mentioned in today's episode, please check out the links below: Episode 108 - 2024 EPA RMP Updates Episode 105 - Incident Breakdown: 2022 Fatal Naphtha Release and Fire at BP-Husky Toledo Refinery in Ohio

In this episode, Rob welcomes back Mathew Todaro, a partner at Verrill Law who defends and negotiates on behalf of his clients under statutes such as the Clean Water Act, EPCRA, and FIFRA, with a particular focus on Section 112(r) of the Clean Air Act. Today, Rob and Mat give listeners a crash course on the EPA's Risk Management Plan (RMP) Rule. They cover applicability, the three program levels, the components and requirements of RMP, and touch on some recent RMP rule changes. Be sure to check out Mat's previous appearances on our show at the links below: ⁠Episode 25 - After the EPA Inspector Leaves with Guest Mathew Todaro⁠ ⁠Episode 35 - Environmental Compliance Audits with Guest Mathew Todaro⁠ ⁠Episode 52 - EPA's General Duty Clause with Guest Mathew Todaro⁠ ⁠Episode 56 - Implementing EPA's General Duty Clause (GDC)⁠ (Does not feature Mat, but is a companion episode to #52) ⁠Episode 106 - EPA's National Enforcement and Compliance Initiatives with Guest Mathew Todaro⁠ Connect with Mat on LinkedIn ⁠here⁠.

In this episode, Rob welcomes back guest Neil Beekie, CEO and Co-Founder of OperAid. Listeners may remember him from Episode 79 (listen here) back in the summer of 2023, where he introduced us to OperAid, a software tool that assists operators with real-time verification of manual tasks. Today, Rob gets an update on present-day OperAid, including successes, the type of feedback that's been received since deployment, recent updates/improvements, how AI is and could be incorporated, and more. To learn more about OperAid, visit https://operaid.ai. To connect with Neil, find him on LinkedIn or send an email to [email protected].

In this episode, inspired by the CSB investigation update into the 2023 explosion and toxic chemical release at the Honeywell facility in Geismer, LA, Rob and Molly discuss the challenges of aging equipment and infrastructure at chemical plants and refineries. They discuss the aforementioned Honeywell incident, as well as three others where poorly maintained equipment was a key factor that ultimately led to an incident. Then they move on to discuss managing the asset life cycle, warning signs related to aging equipment, equipment deficiency management, and some considerations for aging support equipment and infrastructure. Find the U.S. Chemical Safety Board Releases Investigation Update into 2023 Explosion and Toxic Chemical Release at Honeywell Facility in Geismer, LA here. Here are the CCPS books we mentioned that are great resources to look into: Dealing with Aging Process Facilities and Infrastructures Recognizing Catastrophic Incident Warning Signs in the Process Industries Guidelines for Asset Integrity Management And finally, here are a few related podcast episodes we recommend: Episode 1 - Intro to Mechanical Integrity (MI) & RAGAGEP Episode 7 - API 510 with Guest William McBride Episode 75 - Mechanical Integrity (MI) Inspection Requirements with Guest William McBride PSM: Back to Basics, Part 6 - Mechanical Integrity (MI)