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Parent Category: Safety Info Posts

Category: Chemical Process Safety (PSM/RMP)

Published: 12 September 2017

Check-valves are utilized in all sorts of applications, including safety applications - most notably in process safety and hazardous materials safety.  In some state fire codes, these valves may even be required in certain lines, and in some process safety RAGEGEPs, they are required.  Although this incident occurred in an off-shore rig, the sight-glass involved can be found in just about any "processing facility" in the world.  Our first line of protection for these sight-glasses MUST be to protect them from external damage (e.g., mobile equipment striking them); our second layer of protection are these check-valves should the sight-glass fail/begin to leak.  These valves can work and work well when they are designed into the process properly, installed properly and maintained properly.  Although the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) bulletin does not indicate how these valves came to be missing their primary component, we can still learn from this incident and use it to drive awareness around this layer of protection.  Both OSHA and EPA have stated that "check-valves" can aid in the reduction of a release, they should NEVER be relied upon solely to stop a release (pdf download from SAFTENG).  

Also, Chemical Safety Alert: Shaft Blow-Out Hazard of Check and Butterfly Valves

NOTE: SAFTENG Members can read my 2/2016 article Does your PSM/RMP utilize “check valves” as a safe guard to PRVENT “reverse flow”? (NRC and API 570)

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