Below is summary (annualized average) of 20-year pipeline incident data from 1990-2009. [Source: Pipeline and Hazardous Material Safety Administration,PHMSA]
[Read more…]Pipeline Incident Data
on Risk & Safety
A listing in reverse chronological order of articles by:
- Greg Hutchins (editor) — CERM Risk Insights series
- Doug Lehr — Equipment Risk and Reliability in Downhole Applications series
- Sanjeev Saraf — Operational Risk, Process Safety series
Failing Project: Too Many Cooks in the Kitchen
Guest Post by Malcolm Peart (first posted on CERM ® RISK INSIGHTS – reposted here with permission)
“Too many cooks spoil the broth” goes the Elizabethan poet George Gascoigne’s proverb. Although only written down in circa 1575 it had probably been around for many years beforehand. It is still used today and, far from being archaic, it’s become more and more relevant despite mankind’s predilection towards efficiency and effectiveness. But why?
[Read more…]Boiler NESHAP Rules Postponed Until January 2011
EPA announced that the promulgation of National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) for industrial, commercial, and institutional boilers and process heaters is postponed to January 16, 2011. The regulation, commonly referred to as Boiler MACT, will affect approx. 13,500 boilers at various facilities deemed to be major sources of hazardous air pollutants (HAPs).
[Read more…]Future of Quality
Guest Post by Dianna Deeney (first posted on CERM ® RISK INSIGHTS – reposted here with permission)
The current state of the quality profession is affected by shifting business infrastructures and changing definitions of brand quality.
Businesses need to react and change against external pressures like increased frequency of consumer communications, the availability of big data, expanding regulations and standards, and the expectations to innovate quickly. The quality profession is at risk of losing its effectiveness in the overall business operations if it does not proactively change with the business.
[Read more…]API 752, 3rd Edition: Changes In Facility Siting Standard
The third edition of API 752, “Management of Hazards Associated with Permanent Buidlings” came out in late 2009 and there are a few major revisions to consider.
[Read more…]Don’t Get Caught Without Your Business Continuity Plans, Again
Guest Post by Patrick Ow (first posted on CERM ® RISK INSIGHTS – reposted here with permission)
When the COVID pandemic stuck in March 2020, many organisations struggled with business continuity. Many were caught out without business continuity strategies or plans to overcome the likely business disruption that was brought about by COVID.
Having worked with organisations on their business continuity planning, the key challenge many organisations face in developing their business continuity strategies and plans is the level of business continuity planning and effort required. Many business continuity consultants have adopted the ISO 22301 Business continuity management systems — Requirements approach and have unfortunately over-engineered the approach as a one-size-fits-all.
[Read more…]174 Times And Then KaBoom
You may have read about the 2007 incident at T2 laboratories in Florida – the explosion killed four of the company’s 12 employees, injured four other workers and 28 community members.
[Read more…]5S Workplaces Where Safety and Quality Meet
Guest Post by Bill Pomfret (first posted on CERM ® RISK INSIGHTS – reposted here with permission)
The five in a 5S workplace organizational and housekeeping methodology refers to five steps – sort, set in order, shine, standardize and sustain. Safety should be the honorary sixth “S.
Many manufacturing facilities have opted to follow the path towards a “5S” workplace organizational and housekeeping methodology as part of continuous improvement or lean manufacturing processes. The term refers to five steps – sort, set in order, shine, standardize and sustain – that are also sometimes known as the five pillars of a visual workplace.
[Read more…]Underwater Oil Plume Formation
Improving Your Risk Management Framework
Guest Post by Peter Holtmann (first posted on CERM ® RISK INSIGHTS – reposted here with permission)
This article is the seventh of fourteen parts to our risk management series. The series will be taking a look at the risk management guidelines under the ISO 31000 Standard to help you better understand them and how they relate to your own risk management activities. In doing so, we’ll be walking through the core aspects of the Standard and giving you practical guidance on how to implement it. [Read more…]
The Next Attack
For the month of September, I thought it would be appropriate to write a post on Terrorism Risks.
Since 2001, there have been an average of 5 attempted terror attacks annually in the U.S. that have resulted in arrests, trial, or raising of the DHS threat level. Now you know what changes the threat level at the airport.
[Read more…]Enterprise Risk Management and Environmental Risk
Guest Post by James Kline (first posted on CERM ® RISK INSIGHTS – reposted here with permission)
In CERM Risk Insights #354 I discussed the risk management study of local governments in New Zealand. One of the cases in the study was Environment Canterbury Regional Council. The regional council’s focus and the increasing concerns about environmental risks by both the public and private sector represents a challenge to the common approach used by most of the New Zealand local governments, ISO 31000:2018 and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) more generally. This piece discusses this challenge to ISO 31000:2018 and its implications.
[Read more…]High Pressure Gas Cylinders…Relief Valve Failure
The following video desribes 2005 fire/explosion in Praxair’s gas cylinder filling and distribution center. The incident occurred when gas from a pressurized propylene cylinder was released through the relif valve and got ignited.
[Read more…]Projects Emergencies: Response or Reaction
Guest Post by Malcolm Peart (first posted on CERM ® RISK INSIGHTS – reposted here with permission)
In project management we can’t always be in control of the environment around us. We can only forecast rather than predict risk and despite our ‘reasonable’ or even ‘best’ efforts to mitigate risk; shit happens and emergencies ensue! It’s not just physical emergencies but also those related to time and cost; remember overbudget or late projects can create an emergency for shareholders and stakeholders alike.
Maybe it’s because we tend to look at the ‘big risks’ or the ‘top ten’ after some semiquantitative assessment but then fail to consider that risks can change with time as more information becomes available. Or, maybe it is because only those risks that can be clearly defined and are ‘likely’ are communicated to the eyes and ears on the ground. Those low probability, high impact risks can tend to slip under any risk radar.
[Read more…]
