Amplify Your Process Safety

In this episode, Rob and Molly compare the requirements of combustible dust management systems with the requirements of the PSM standard. They walk through each similar element and then point out the three largest differences between the PSM standard and the NFPA combustible dust standard. Whether your facility is already PSM-covered, or isn't, you'll want to catch this episode if you handle combu...

In this very special episode, Rob is joined by guest Gilsa Monteiro, a process safety expert with nearly nineteen years of experience in the Oil & Gas industry, to discuss how an organization's decentralized structure may undermine process safety. In this episode, you'll learn the defining features of both a centralized and decentralized organizational structure, the process safety dangers of...

On August 19, 2022, an explosion at a sugar refinery in Andhra Pradesh's Kakinada district took the lives of two workers and injured nine others. In this episode, Rob and Molly bring you the latest information about the incident, and offer a reminder about the role good housekeeping plays in keeping the people who work in facilities that handle combustible dusts safe. For additional information, c...

On August 2, 2022, the US Chemical Safety Board (CSB) released its final report into the 2017 pressure vessel explosion at Loy-Lange Box Company in St. Louis, MO. In today's episode, Molly and Jo take a deep dive into that report and break it down for you. So what can you expect in this breakdown? We'll cover some background information about the facility and its process, give you details about th...

We're back with another Top 10 Talk, this time to discuss how to Amplify Your P&IDs. In this episode, Rob and Molly cover their top ten tips for how to improve your P&IDs, and touch on consistent standards, drawing details, managing revisions, reference flags, tag numbers, line numbering, instrumentation, equipment information, relief devices, referencing P&IDs across your PSM program,...

In this episode, Molly and John discuss the subtleties of Management of Change (MOC). If you're familiar with MOC, then you already know that in order to comply with the PSM standard, you need to "establish and implement written procedures to manage changes (except for 'replacements in kind') to process chemicals, technology, equipment, and procedures; and, changes to facilities that affect a cove...

In a previous episode (#52), Mat Todaro, an attorney who specializes in enforcement defense, talked with us about EPA's General Duty Clause (GDC) at a high level. In this companion episode, Molly and Rob dive into the specific requirements of EPA's GDC, and point out its similarities and differences to OSHA's Process Safety Management (PSM) regulation and EPA's Risk Management Plan (RMP) regulatio...

This week we're excited to bring you a new type of episode, a movie breakdown. In this episode, John and Molly give their take on what's happening in a clip featuring a nuclear power plant control room in the 1979 thriller/drama film, The China Syndrome. We invite you to watch the clip at the provided link below before you tune into this episode. In this episode, we cover our concerns related to t...

In Episode 45, we covered the basics of piping requirements for pressure relief devices. In this episode, Rob is joined by Eric Hirsch, to take a deeper dive into pressure relief device concepts. Eric, a principal process engineer at Nexus Engineering Group, works in process design with a focus on pressure relief devices. In this episode, Eric and Rob cover basic requirements for pressure relief d...

Operators, maintenance technicians, and I&E technicians - those we deem "boots on the ground" - are a vital and often untapped resource when it comes to a successful Process Safety Management (PSM) program. In this episode, John and Molly discuss how to set yourself up for successful buy-in and a positive PSM culture with boots on the ground personnel and talk about how experienced operators c...

Join us for a recording of another Top 10 Talk event. During this event, Rob Bartlett and John Doan, presented their top ten tips for successful Compliance Audits. A list of the tips that Rob and John elaborate on is presented below. 1. Know the Basics 2. Choose Your Auditor Wisely 3. Understand Compliance Criteria 4. Preparation is Key 5. Prepare Personnel 6. Have an Agenda 7. Documentation is Cr...

Mathew Todaro of Verrill Law joins us for a third time in this episode - this time to talk about EPA's General Duty Clause (GDC). In this episode, Mat, an attorney that specializes in enforcement defense, provides an overview of the objectives of EPA's GDC. But with such broad language and no specific list of covered substances, what are the real requirements for facilities when it comes to this G...

In this episode, Molly is joined by guest Michelle Murphy, a chemical engineer who has worked in process safety for 25 years. Earlier in her career, Michelle designed, built, and managed a combustible dust testing laboratory, and now she is the newly appointed president of Sigma-HSE INC., the North American division of Sigma-HSE. Molly and Michelle cover the basics when it comes to combustible dus...

In this episode, Rob and John talk about remote facilities - how a remote facility is defined, how risk is managed differently versus at a large, regularly populated plant, how operator response times differ, precautions taken for operators performing lone work, how incidents might be handled, security, and more. 

You may remember our guest David Hatch, from Episode 39, when he spoke to our listeners about using bow ties to manage risk. Today, David, a process safety expert and entrepreneur, is back to talk with Rob about the Integrity Cards that he has developed. In his process safety career, David had not seen a reduction in accidents and wondered to himself if maybe those in hazardous industries weren't...

In our first episode to kick off 2022, Rob and Molly talk Management of Organizational Change (MOOC). Management of Organizational Change is a systematic way to ensure that adherence to process safety policies doesn't suffer when any sort of organizational change takes place that could potentially affect process safety, including but not limited to pandemic effects on staffing and remote work, oth...

In the final installment of their three-part series, the A-Team shares advice for mature process safety programs. When your program reaches this phase, likely around the 10-year mark, it's important to continue maintenance of ongoing compliance and strive for continuous improvement. In this episode, Rob, Molly, John, and Jo cover best-in class practices for a mature PSM program, and touch on the u...

In the second part of our three-episode series covering facilities' process safety journeys, the team is back to share information pertinent to programs that are still "climbing the process safety mountain" - more specifically, those who are about 3-10 years into the development and deployment of their PSM program. In this episode, Rob, Molly, John, and Jo cover the main goals during this phase, i...

Join us for a recording of Amplify's first Top 10 Talk. During this event, Rob Bartlett and Molly Myers, P.E., presented their top ten tips for successful Process Hazard Analyses (PHAs). A list of the tips that Rob and Molly elaborate on is presented below.  1. Choose your facilitator wisely 2. Documentation in key 3. The method matters 4. Create nodes like Goldilocks 5. Valuable members make...

In this very special episode, the first of a three-part series, the whole A-Team comes together to share their expert advice for facilities that are just beginning their process safety journey. In this episode, Rob, Molly, John, and Jo cover the main goals that you'll want to keep in mind when you begin establishing your process safety program, including the unique challenges that you may face dur...

In this episode, Rob welcomes Nat Weiner to the podcast. Nat, who has extensive experience both as a plant manager and in a role managing plant managers tells us what advice he would give to someone who has recently taken on the "Plant Manager" title. Tune in to this episode to learn Nat's best tips for new plant managers, including how to best leverage the information contained in the last PHA, w...

In this episode, Rob welcomes process safety consultant Mike Robertson to the podcast. With over 30 years of experience in the chemical industry, Mike provides a thorough overview of what a Dust Hazard Analysis (DHA) is, why and when they are required, required versus preferred documentation to gather for DHA prep, and provides listeners with both similarities and differences between a DHA and a P...

In this episode, Rob and Molly talk piping requirements for pressure relief devices, including which Recognized and Generally Accepted Good Engineering Practices (RAGAGEP) apply. With an extensive background as a pressure relief specialist, Molly walks through the basic requirements outlined in ASME Section VIII and API 520, Part II, tips for layouts, including safe discharging locations, and addr...

In this episode, Rob welcomes Nicholas Krump, an expert in changing safety cultures. Nicholas shares the challenges he sees companies face again and again when it comes to implementing a positive safety culture, actionable tips for walking into a new safety culture, and elaborates on the value of buy-in/participation from hourly employees.  To learn more about Nicholas and to connect with him...

In this episode, Rob is proud to introduce the newest member of the Amplify Team, Molly Myers. Along with a diverse background across multiple industries, Molly has sat on both sides of the table when it comes to supporting a facility's PSM compliance, sometimes with an internal role supporting process safety and other times as an outside consultant. Molly shares what drew her to process safety an...