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

Human Performance (HuP): Nuclear Industry & Chemical Process Safety

Posted by The Fauske Team on 04.16.15

Human Performance (HuP) – The Nuclear Plant, Process Safety Industries and BeyondHuman Performance Poster

By Sara Peters, Fauske & Associates, LLC

“To err is human” – an adage we have all probably heard at some point in our lives packaged in many different ways. It is an all true reality though, as humans we have the potential to make mistakes despite our best efforts. Enter the idea of Human Performance (HuP) which is a nuclear industry concept based on developing and implementing behaviors to positively manage situations in a way that enables us to understand why errors occur and mitigate the incidence and severity of those errors.

At Fauske & Associates, LLC (FAI), we have always had a solid safety culture balanced with a commitment to quality. Recently however, in keeping with our roots as a provider of nuclear and chemical process safety testing and engineering services as well as being a subsidiary of Westinghouse Electric Company, LLC, we have bolstered these commitments further by adopting a human performance (HuP) way of thinking.

Per the Westinghouse Human Performance Handbook, Human Performance (HuP) is based on the following five principles that support a strong Nuclear Safety Culture:

  1. People are fallible, and even the best people make mistakes.
  2. Error-likely situations are predictable, manageable and preventable.
  3. Individual behavior is influenced by organizational processes and values.
  4. People achieve high levels of performance due largely to the encouragement and reinforcement received from leaders, peers and subordinates.
  5. Events can be avoided by understanding the reasons errors occur and applying lessons learned from past events (or errors).

The idea seems to be pretty common sense ─people want to succeed, yet errors will occur, whether from inattention, misinterpretation, inaccurate knowledge. Therefore, fostering a corporate culture where there is proper consideration for accountability and a system of checks and balances on the job is important to minimize their occurrence. This is accomplished by using a set of ‘tools’ designed to minimize the opportunity for errors in daily activities. These tools include:

  • 24-Hour Rule (or, appropriate time set for your facility)

Notify manager of an issue within 24 hours (2-4-8?) when an issue is identified where little progress can be made or resolution cannot be achieved so as to avoid jeopardizing quality, schedule and budget

  • Concurrent Verification

      Two individuals, performer and verifier, work at the same time to independently check, and collaboratively agree on the condition of a piece of equipment or component

  • Decision Making

Individuals anticipate all potential outcomes of a decision in order to make the best choice

  • “Do Not Disturb” Sign

Reduce distractions and interruptions for a person performing critical work so they can maintain focus

  • Effective Communication ─ Three-Way Communication and Phonetic Alphabet

Confirm understanding of verbal exchanges and use phonetic alphabet to clarify when using letters that sound similar

  • Independent Verification

Two individuals, both verifiers, work independently to verify condition of equipment or component

  • Peer-Check

In process check and agreement on direction between two peers before taking action

  • Peer Review

Project review to check for errors and verify quality of work

  • Personal Safety Assessment (Two-Minute Rule)

Review for possible safety issues prior to start of project

  • Post-Job Review

      Used to evaluate the project and gather information and lessons learned

  • Pre-Job Brief

Discussion prior to project start involving all stakeholders to set scope and expectations

  • Problem-Solving (PACTS)

Problem Statement. Analysis. Causes. Testing. Solution.

Seeking appropriate means to resolve a problem that does not seem to have a solution

  • Procedure Use, Adherence and Placekeeping

Ensuring use of correct procedures for each project and associated activity

  • Product/Design Review Meeting

Team approach for early design review to leverage talents of entire team in development

  • Self-Check (STAR)

Stop. Think. Act. Review

  • Signature

Provide personal affirmation that proper steps have been completed and work or project is acceptable for the next phase of the project

  • Questioning Attitude

Situational awareness through thought about the task at hand before taking action

  • Time Out

Briefly interrupting work to recalibrate when there is uncertainty about an action

  • Turnover

Efficient transfer of information between teams

  • Validate Assumptions (DEFT) and Devil’s Advocate

Documentation. Evidence. Field Walkdown. Track and close out. 

Justify, support and if necessary challenge assumptions

  • Vendor Oversight

Ensure quality provided by vendors is the same as our own

  • Work Product Review

Performance feedback process for continuous improvement

Although HuP is a nuclear industry concept, the tools above are applicable in any organization wanting to see continuous improvement and opportunities for growth. They have certainly helped us in our ongoing efforts to improve quality and plant safety across our nuclear and non-nuclear businesses. We've had fun creating posters such as the one included in this blog utilizing our own employees and displaying them in prominent areas where staff and customers alike have responded in very positive ways.  Are any of these “tools” part of your overall approach to safety and quality?

For more information on  building your process safety toolbox, contact us at info@fauske.com or 630-323-8750 or 1-877-FAUSKE1

Guide to Process Scale Up

Topics: process safety, nuclear plant, nuclear safety, plant safety

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