API RP 585 - Pressure Equipment Integrity Incident Investigation
API RP 585, Pressure Equipment Integrity Incident Investigation, provides owner/users with guidelines and recommended practices for developing, implementing, sustaining and enhancing an investigation program for mechanical integrity (MI) incidents. This RP describes characteristics of an effective investigation and how organizations can learn from pressure equipment integrity incident investigations. It is intended to supplement and provide additional guidance for the OSHA Process Safety Management (PSM) Standard 29 CFR 1910.119 (m) incident investigation requirements, with a specific focus on incidents caused by MI failures of pressure equipment (vessels, columns, heat exchangers, piping, storage tanks, etc.).
Catastrophic MI failures are rarely the result of one isolated issue; there are almost always less severe precursors to a major failure (i.e. leaks, unexpected, or accelerated degradation). These precursors are frequently called near-misses when they are discovered. One of the intents of this document is to highlight the value in recognizing these precursor occurrences and promote investigating them to determine the immediate, contributing and root causes. If these precursor occurrences are uncovered, investigated and the contributing and root causes are resolved, then I believe most major catastrophic MI failures of pressure equipment could be prevented. Work processes and guidelines are presented for three levels of incident investigation varying from the simplest, quickest method conducted usually by one person for minor incidents which may take only a couple days, up to a full root cause investigation for major incidents involving a team of subject matter experts, who look into the deepest causes of incident, and which may take several months to complete.
Related Topics
API 510 - Pressure Vessel Inspection Code API 530 - Calculation of Heater Tube Thickness in Petroleum Refineries API 653 - Tank Inspection, Repair, Alteration, and Reconstruction API 936 - Refractory Installation Quality Control - Inspection & Testing Monolithic Refractory API Individual Certification Program (ICP) API RP 1169 - Basic Inspection Requirements for New Pipeline Construction API RP 572 - Inspection of Pressure Vessels API RP 573 - Inspection of Fired Boilers and Heaters API RP 574 - Inspection Practices for Piping System Components API RP 575 - Inspection Practices for Atmospheric and Low Pressure Storage Tanks API RP 577 - Welding Processes, Inspection, and Metallurgy API RP 578 - Material Verification for New and Existing Alloy Piping API RP 583 - Corrosion Under Insulation and Fireproofing API RP 584 - Integrity Operating Windows API RP 651 - Cathodic Protection of Aboveground Petroleum Storage Tanks API RP 754 - Process Safety Performance Indicators for the Refining and Petrochemical Industries API RP 934 - Materials and Fabrication of Heavy Wall Pressure Vessels for High-temperature, High-pre API RP 970 - Corrosion Control Documents API TES - Tank Entry SupervisorRelevant Links
STAY INFORMED WITH RELEVANT INDUSTRY CONTENT
Join 10,000+ subscribers and receive weekly updates on industry content, news, and events straight to your inbox. Enter your information below:
-
September/October 2015 Inspectioneering JournalBy Virginia Edley at Trinity Bridge, LLC.
If everyone in an industrial setting actively looked for things that were not right or seemed different, or looked at small mistakes as opportunities to prevent larger ones, what would the future look like?
-
BlogJune 2, 2014 By John Reynolds at Intertek
Three new API standards have been published, and one has been revised and updated to a new edition. The standards are described in this post.
-
September/October 2011 Inspectioneering JournalBy John Reynolds at Intertek
Three new recommended practices (RP) are under way within the API Inspection Subcommittee (SCI) which will add to the list of SCI standards available to owner-users to improve their mechanical integrity (MI) and inspection programs.
-
NewsAmerican Petroleum Institute, June 4, 2014
The American Petroleum Institute (API) issued three new first edition standards to enhance refinery safety and inspection programs as part of its core commitments to improving workplace safety and protecting the environment.
