Hazards Analysis, Code Compliance & Procedure Development

Services to identify process safety hazards and facilitate compliance with established standards and codes.

Combustible Dust Testing

Laboratory testing to quantify dust explosion and reactivity hazards

Flammable Gas & Vapor Testing

Laboratory testing to quantify explosion hazards for vapor and gas mixtures

Chemical Reactivity Testing

Laboratory testing to quantify reactive chemical hazards, including the possibility of material incompatibility, instability, and runaway chemical reactions

ISO Accreditation and Scope
Fauske & Associates fulfills the requirements of ISO/IEC 17025:2017 in the field of Testing
DIERS Methodology

Design emergency pressure relief systems to mitigate the consequences of unwanted chemical reactivity and account for two-phase flow using the right tools and methods

Deflagrations (Dust/Vapor/Gas)

Properly size pressure relief vents to protect your processes from dust, vapor, and gas explosions

Effluent Handling

Pressure relief sizing is just the first step and it is critical to safety handle the effluent discharge from an overpressure event

Thermal Stability

Safe storage or processing requires an understanding of the possible hazards associated with sensitivity to variations in temperature

UN-DOT

Classification of hazardous materials subject to shipping and storage regulations

Safety Data Sheets

Develop critical safety data for inclusion in SDS documents

Biological

Model transport of airborne virus aerosols to guide safe operations and ventilation upgrades

Radioactive

Model transport of contamination for source term and leak path factor analysis

Fire Analysis

Model transport of heat and smoke for fire analysis

Flammable or Toxic Gas

transport of flammable or toxic gas during a process upset

OSS consulting, adiabatic & reaction calorimetry and consulting

Onsite safety studies can help identify explosibility and chemical reaction hazards so that appropriate testing, simulations, or calculations are identified to support safe scale up

Mechanical, Piping, and Electrical

Engineering and testing to support safe plant operations and develop solutions to problems in heat transfer, fluid flow, electric power systems

Battery Safety

Testing to support safe design of batteries and electrical power backup facilities particularly to satisfy UL9540a ed.4

Hydrogen Safety

Testing and consulting on the explosion risks associated with devices and processes which use or produce hydrogen

Spent Fuel

Safety analysis for packaging, transport, and storage of spent nuclear fuel

Decommissioning, Decontamination and Remediation (DD&R)

Safety analysis to underpin decommissioning process at facilities which have produced or used radioactive nuclear materials

Laboratory Testing & Software Capabilities

Bespoke testing and modeling services to validate analysis of DD&R processes

Nuclear Overview

Our Nuclear Services Group is recognized for comprehensive evaluations to help commercial nuclear power plants operate efficiently and stay compliant.

Severe Accident Analysis and Risk Assessment

Expert analysis of possible risk and consequences from nuclear plant accidents

Thermal Hydraulics

Testing and analysis to ensure that critical equipment will operate under adverse environmental conditions

Environmental Qualification (EQ) and Equipment Survivability (ES)

Testing and analysis to ensure that critical equipment will operate under adverse environmental conditions

Laboratory Testing & Software Capabilities

Testing and modeling services to support resolution of emergent safety issues at a power plant

Adiabatic Safety Calorimeters (ARSST and VSP2)

Low thermal inertial adiabatic calorimeters specially designed to provide directly scalable data that are critical to safe process design

Other Lab Equipment and Parts for the DSC/ARC/ARSST/VSP2 Calorimeters

Products and equipment for the process safety or process development laboratory

FERST

Software for emergency relief system design to ensure safe processing of reactive chemicals, including consideration of two-phase flow and runaway chemical reactions

FATE

Facility modeling software mechanistically tracks transport of heat, gasses, vapors, and aerosols for safety analysis of multi-room facilities

Blog

Our highly experienced team keeps you up-to-date on the latest process safety developments.

Process Safety Newsletter

Stay informed with our quarterly Process Safety Newsletters sharing topical articles and practical advice.

Resources

With over 40 years of industry expertise, we have a wealth of process safety knowledge to share.

Recent Posts

Dust Hazard Analysis and Risk Assessment

Posted by The Fauske Team on 08.23.19

In this month's Chemical Processing, authors David Steil, Matt Caulfield and Brian Richardson, of Camfil Air Pollution Control contribute a thorough piece "Deftly Deal with Dangerous Dust". Catchy alliteration aside, the article clearly outlines a roadmap for understanding OHSA regulations, reducing worker exposure, filters, NPFA standards, mitigating combustible dust, and explosion protection including passive and active devices.

Chemical Processing Magazine

As the authors point out, a DHA or DHA or Dust Hazards Analysis is key to determining if a dust is explosive is key to determining if a dust is explosive and is also required by the Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ).

Combustible dust experts can visit your facility to evaluate your receiving, storage, use, processing and disposal of all “powder” materials.  They will evaluate existing dust management programs, handling practices, equipment, fire/explosion suppression systems, warning devices and onsite extinguishing capabilities.  Possibilities for fugitive dust control will also be identified where appropriate.  A comprehensive testing lab can provide the following services: 

  • Incident investigation for dust explosions and fires
  • Evaluate compliance with relevant national, local and industry standards
  • Electrostatic hazards – e.g. grounding and bonding issues
  • Recommendations for explosion hazard risk reduction
  • Identify dust sampling points and collect samples for dust explosibility testing

NFPA and OSHA NEP Combustible Dust Compliance

  • Preparation for an OSHA Combustible Dust NEP inspection, including appropriate responses to inspector’s questions
  • Perform a Process Hazard Analysis (PHA) for compliance with NFPA
  • Documentation review for NFPA and OSHA Combustible Dust NEP requirements
  • Testing services to meet all NFPA and OSHA Combustible Dust NEP requirements
  • Conduct employee training to comply with OSHA Combustible Dust NEP requirements

Additional Engineering Services

  • Vent size calculations for new or existing equipment (American and European standards)
  • Ignition source evaluation (NFPA 654 and 77)
  • Electrical area equipment classification (NFPA 499)
  • Integration of combustible dust hazard management into existing process safety programs for process safety management (PSM) facilities
  • Development of process safety programs to manage combustible dust hazards for non-PSM facilities

DHA Facilitation ID Characterize ManageMitigation Strategy

Following a Dust Hazard Analysis (DHA), testing and engineering lab should provide a mitigation strategy. For those seeking an optimal balance between operability and cost, risk assessment products can create a simple but comprehensive solution based on probabilistic and statistical analysis.

Risk Assessment Products

  • Human Factors Assessment
  • ALARP
  • Fire Protection Assessment
  • Bayesian Network Design Optimization

Human Factors Assessment

  • Program Development
  • Design and Operation
  • Use of Risk Based Approaches with Human Factor Modeling

Fauske & Assocates, LLC (FAI), for example, has advanced human factors experience capitalizing on the work done for the design and operation of the AP1000 plant. The results of the tests and human factor planning led to enhancements into the plant operating procedures and training program.

ALARP (As Low As Reasonably Practicable)

ALARP is a decision-making logic that, when applied correctly, results in actions or designs balanced between benefit and cost or effort. The ALARP concept requires applying the notions of: reasonability and practicability. It is difficult to clearly define what is reasonable and practicable, but simply put the process of assessing the risks to be ALARP is an assessment of the safety benefits against the expense of implementing the option to determine if the level of risk is tolerable.

Fire Protection Assessment

A thorough lab will review DHA findings and determine if there are recommendations and next steps for fire protection. This analysis would include the re-baselining of fire areas to support a fire hazard analysis (FHA). The product is an overall matrix to address audit findings, DHA findings and open recommendations.


Bayesian Network

This product uses Bayesian network methodology to demonstrate risk-based design and decision making. The quantification of the design criteria for each design alternative leads to the consideration of on-site and off-site risk. The overall optimization of these risks leads to lowered damage cost to process equipment and lower likelihood of population impact.


For more information regarding DHAs, check out our 3 step approach to proper dust hazards analysis.
FAI's 3 Step Approach to DHA

Topics: Combustible Dust, Fire protection services, mitigation strategy

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