Text For Citation: 01 Item/Group: 001A Hazard: EXPLOSION

Section 5(a)(1) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970: The employer did not furnish employment and a place of employment which were free from recognized hazards that were causing or likely to cause death or serious physical harm to employees in that operators and maintenance employees are exposed to fire and/or explosion hazards while working around the SMACKO crude oil processing equipment. Among others, one feasible and acceptable methods to correct this hazard is to comply with ASME Section VIII Paragraph UG-134 (e). There shall be no intervening stop valves between the vessel and its protective device or devices, or between the protective device or devices and the point of discharge: a)The suction scrubber, which is a pressure vessel, was not protected from over pressurization by a pressure relieving device. The over pressure discharge pipeline connected to the safety valve was not capable of relieving the over pressurization of the vessel because a flange had been placed on the discharge pipeline. b)Pressure vessels such as the sideline scrubber and the Murphy well three phase separator, were not protected from over pressurization by a pressure relieving device. The sideline scrubber and the Murphy well three phase separator had a safety valve, but it was not capable of relieving the over pressurization of the vessel when a valve down stream from the safety valve was in the closed position.ation