Require the use of leading and lagging process safety indicators to actively monitor the effectiveness of process safety management systems and safeguards for major accident prevention. Randy Sawyer of Contra Costa Countys Health Services department, who oversees hazmat response, said the incident appeared to be a plant upset at the refinery, where gases in process were sent to a flaring system to be burned off. Require users to identify carbon steel piping circuits susceptible to sulfidation corrosion that may contain low-silicon components. He has worked as an online coordinator and, before that, a copy editor and page designer for Bay Area-based newspapers and magazines. At a minimum: a. A march organizer leads protesters in chants as the group proceeds through Richmond to the Chevron oil refinery. Smoke bellows from a fire at the Chevron refinery after a 2012 explosion in Richmond. Ensure the effective implementation of the damage mechanism hazard review program (2012-03-I-CA-R1 and 2012-03-I-CA-R2), so that all necessary mechanical integrity work at the Chevron Richmond Refinery is identified and recommendations are completed in a timely way. Implement or cause to be implemented a compensation system to ensure the regulator has the ability to attract and retain a sufficient number of employees with the necessary skills and experience to ensure regulator technical competency at all levels of process safety regulatory oversight and policy development in Richmond, California. A market analysis and benchmarking review should be periodically conducted to ensure the compensation system remains competitive with California petroleum refineries. Conduct a pre-response meeting with personnel with specific technical expertise (e.g., inspectors, operators, metallurgists, engineers, and management) and the Incident Commander to determine pressure, temperature, remaining inventory of process fluids, potential damage mechanisms that caused the leak, and worst-case leak scenario; c. Establish a hot zone that identifies the area of risk of exposure or injuries due to flame contact, radiant heat, or contact to hazardous materials, taking into consideration the worst-case leak scenario; d. Limit site access around leak location to essential personnel only; e. Isolate the leaking piping or vessel, or if isolation is not possible, shutdown of the unit when the leaking process fluid poses immediate danger to safety, health, or the environmentsuch as piping fluid that is toxic or near the autoignition temperature. How close we are to bringing lights back. This review shall be an integral part of the Process Hazard Analysis cycle and shall be conducted on all PSM-covered process piping circuits and process equipment. Robinson said while it was important to mark history, her group was looking forward to a Richmond without the refinery. The Richmond refinery produces about 150,000 barrels of gasoline a day or 16 percent of the region's daily gasoline consumption of 963,000 barrels, said Tom Kloza, chief oil analyst at Oil . The Chevron refinery in Richmond is experiencing a flareup Thursday evening. Require an oversight committee comprised of the regulator, the company, the companys workforce and their representatives, and community representatives. In a statement, a refinery spokesperson said a process upset "that. He has worked as an online coordinator and, before that, a copy editor and page designer for Bay Area-based newspapers and magazines. someone wrote on Twitter alongside a photo of the site with an alarming amount of smoke rising above it. Use terminology consistent with API RP 939-C: Guidelines for Avoiding Sulfidation (Sulfidic) Corrosion Failures in Oil Refineries and other API standards and recommended practices discussed in this report. There protesters painted and touched up colorful murals on the roadway with anti-Chevron slogans, waving yellow and black banners that said Stand Up to Big Oil.. "By my count - this is Chevron's 13th flaring incident of the year," he added. In that report, posted to social media by KQED reporter Ted Goldberg, refinery staff said the incident began at 5:40 p.m., with no injuries or fatalities and no reported evacuation. The Chevron Richmond long wharf at the Chevron refinery in Richmond in February 2021. Chevron filed a report with the state and revealed an "unplanned upset" caused the flaring activity, ABC7 reported. He is a graduate of Bowie State University in Maryland with a BS degree in communications. ", "Air District inspectors are on scene investigating and we are working to find the root cause of the smoke in addition to any potential air quality violations.". The goal shall be to drive the risk of major accidents to As Low As Reasonably Practicable (ALARP) or similar. We coexist with industry in the area, which is why we have high regulatory standards. Reports of smoke plumes over the refinery drew multiple posts to social media. Revise API RP 939-C: Guidelines for Avoiding Sulfidation (Sulfidic) Corrosion Failures in Oil Refineries to establish minimum requirements for preventing catastrophic rupture of low-silicon carbon steel piping. Im really frustrated how frequent their flaring is occurring. We expect industry to operate at the highest level with no room for error, because error causes harm to life, Gioia told this news organization last February. Include leading and lagging indicators that are measureable, actionable, and standardized. Air District inspectors are on scene investigating and we are working to find the root cause of the smoke in addition to any potential air quality violations. Off work, he enjoys playing in bands, busking and karaoke. Off work, he enjoys playing in bands, busking and karaoke. In that report, posted to social media by KQED reporter Ted Goldberg, refinery staff said the incident began at 5:40 p.m., with no injuries or fatalities and no reported evacuation. A Community Warning System Level 1 one of the lowest on the scale was issued earlier to keep residents informed, Hubinger said in part. Require the analysis and incorporation of applicable industry best practices and inherently safer design to the greatest extent feasible into this review; and. The purpose of this practice is to identify any low-silicon components that are corroding at accelerated rates. 679215 Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF. Richmond Fire added that there was no response from their department needed and that no actions from the public were necessary in response to the event. Fleck said the march was a remembrance, but also a call to action to use available technology to move away from dirty energy sources like fossil fuels. "We encourage our neighbors to visit www.richmondairmonitoring.org to view real-time air quality data," the statement added. Require that the reported data be used for continuous process safety improvement and accident prevention; b. Analyze data to identify trends and poor performers and publish annual reports with the data at facility and corporate levels; c. Require companies to publicly report required indicators annually at facility and corporate levels; d. Use process safety indicators (1) to drive continuous improvement for major accident prevention by using the data to identify industry and facility safety trends and deficiencies and (2) to determine appropriate allocation of regulator resources and inspections; and. Based on the findings in this report, enhance and restructure Californias process safety management (PSM) regulations for petroleum refineries by including the following goal-setting attributes: a. Open - Awaiting Response or Evaluation/Approval of Response (O - ARE/AR) - The recipient has not submitted a substantive response, or the evaluation by CSB staff of a response is pending, or the Board has not yet acted on staff recommendation of status. The Richmond refinery was in an excellent position with its plentiful crude oil, state-of-art equipment and prime location to capitalize on the increased demand for petroleum products on the West Coast. At 11 a.m., the Bay Area Climate Kayaktivists, a group who protests from kayaks, will make their inaugural launch at Keller Beach, the location of a February 2021 oil spill related to the Chevron refinery, among other planned actions. Why Pistons are praising Warriors' Map shows stunning improvement in California drought, A $200M bike bridge tantalized this Bay Area city. When you operate industry in an urban environment, there needs to be precautions to protect life.. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate. RICHMOND A process upset unit at the Chevron refinery Sunday sent flames, smoke and foul odors into rain-soaked West Contra Costa County skies. Inspect every component within all carbon steel piping circuits susceptible to sulfidation corrosion that may contain low-silicon components once. (Richmond Our Power via Bay City News). In a statement, a refinery spokesperson said a process upset that was quickly corrected within the refinery led to a safety flare at 2:40 p.m. The damage mechanism hazard review shall identify potential process damage mechanisms and consequences of failure, and shall ensure safeguards are in place to control hazards presented by those damage mechanisms. Chevron Oil Refinery Richmond; Richmond, CA. A report on the explosion found that it was made worse by a faulty emergency response and a lax approach to safety measures and inspections that might have prevented the event. George Kelly is a breaking news reporter for the Bay Area News Group's East Bay Times and Mercury News. To see all content on The Sun, please use the Site Map. The regulation should provide workers and their representatives with the authority to stop work that is perceived to be unsafe until the employer resolves the matter or the regulator intervenes. Smoke from a Chevron oil refinery fire fills the sky above Richmond in 2012. "RP states an unplanned upset occurred releasing an unknown amount of SO2 into the atmosphere," a statement noted. Require an expanded role for workers in management of process safety by establishing the rights and responsibilities of workers and their representatives on health and safety-related matters, and the election of safety representatives and establishment of safety committees (with equal representation between management and labor) to serve health and safety-related functions. Anyone with questions may call the refinerys general number at 510-242-2000, ask about specific noises or odors at 510-242-2127, visit the refinerys air-monitoring site athttps://www.richmondairmonitoring.orgor e-mailrichmondrefineryinfo@chevron.com. Organizers will recall smoke from the fire that sent thousands to local hospitals and clinics on Aug. 6, 2012. Monitor and confirm the effective implementation of the damage mechanism hazard review program (2012-03-I-CA-R9 and 2012-03-I-CA-R10), so that all necessary mechanical integrity work at all California Chevron Refineries is identified and recommendations are completed in a timely way. At all California Chevron U.S. refineries, report leading and lagging process safety indicators, such as the action item completion status of recommendations from damage mechanism hazard reviews, to the federal, state, and local regulatory agencies that have chemical release prevention authority. A massive fire broke out at an oil refinery in northwestern Iran on Saturday, the semi-official Fars News Agency reported. View our online Press Pack. The damage mechanism hazard review shall identify potential process damage mechanisms and consequences of failure, and shall ensure safeguards are in place to control hazards presented by those damage mechanisms. Originally aired on KPIX-TV Date aired 1/25/1979 Recording medium 16mm color film, magnetic sound 0:36 Rights for this video belong to Chevron refinery is on fire again?!!?" His first newspaper job was as a Washington Post paperboy. Replace the terminology high-temperature sulfur corrosion with sulfidation corrosion; b. @KRON4Desk #kutv #KCBSPhoneForce pic.twitter.com/UvOJriEG3G. According to this news organizations reporting, the refinery saw multiple flaring reports last year, including two straight days in February 2020 and an August 2020 episode. The goal shall be to drive the risk of major accidents to As Low As Reasonably Practicable (ALARP). Analyze and incorporate into this review applicable industry best practices, Chevron Energy Technology Company findings and recommendations, and inherently safer systems to the greatest extent feasible. Revise API RP 571: Damage Mechanisms Affecting Fixed Equipment in the Refining Industry to: a. d. Incorporate as a normative reference API RP 939-C: Guidelines for Avoiding Sulfidation (Sulfidic) Corrosion Failures in Oil Refineries; and. "A safety flare was activated for a short time due to a process upset that was quickly corrected this afternoon," Richmond Public Affairs at Chevron told The US Sun in a statement. He has worked as an online coordinator and, before that, a copy editor and page designer for Bay Area-based newspapers and magazines. e. Be periodically updated to incorporate new learning from world-wide industry improvements in order to drive continuous major accident safety improvements in California. His first newspaper job was as a Washington Post paperboy. c. In Section 9.3 Investigation of Leaks, require users to follow the leak response protocol requirements established in API RP 2001: Fire Protection in Refineries (pursuant to 2012-03-I-CA-R31). RICHMOND A process upset unit at the Chevron refinery Sunday sent flames, smoke and foul odors into rain-soaked West Contra Costa County skies. Will Bay Bridge go dark forever? Require a comprehensive process hazard analysis (PHA) written by the company that includes: i. The county has asked Chevron to provide a report within three business days explaining what triggered the incident. Investigation Status: The CSB's investigation is complete. In a statement Sunday, Chevron spokesman Brian Hubinger said the refinery was experiencing intermittent flaring due to a process unit upset. To inquire about a licence to reproduce material, visit our Syndication site. At 6 p.m., Chevron reported heavy flaming and smoke coming from the Richmond refinery. Anyone with questions may call the refinerys general number at 510-242-2000, ask about specific noises or odors at 510-242-2127, visit the refinerys air-monitoring site at https://www.richmondairmonitoring.org or e-mail richmondrefineryinfo@chevron.com. George Kelly is a breaking news reporter for the Bay Area News Group's East Bay Times and Mercury News. While (Contra Costa Health Services) did not order a shelter-in-place, this flaring incident impacted our communities through its odors and visibility.. A Richmondcity public-safety alert sent at 9:06 a.m. said excess flaring began at the refinery at 8:25 a.m. and was ongoing. The damage mechanism hazard review shall identify potentia process damage mechanisms and consequences of failure, and shall ensure effective safeguards are in place to prevent or control hazards presented by those damage mechanisms.