FSE 480: FINAL PROJECT
Opening Scene
Your Boss: Thank goodness you were able to come in on short notice! I realize that this is going to be a huge burden to step up and get this together at the last minute. Unfortunately, we don’t have a lot of time, and our client, Bigglesworth Industries needs an analysis right away.
You remember Bigglesworth Industries right? They are the world’s leading manufacturer of wooden cat toys. They have been a good client to us, always paying their bills on time, and there is the added benefit that they bring so much joy to so many cats throughout the world. The bad news is that this project will be a short burn one. The good news is that I was able to let them know that we are short staffed, and so they have given us roughly two business weeks (Second Friday, EOD, end of day) to get our final report in!
You: No problem, Boss. I am glad to help. What type of analysis do they need, and where do you want me to start?
Your Boss: From talking with their Director of Safety, it sounds to me like they need a Fire and Explosion Hazard Analysis (FEHA) for a particular process they have in one of their production plants. This one seems to be particularly nasty as the process creates a good amount of wood dust. The main hazards are probably focused around the process line and the dust collection system that they have set up over the process. The process includes a semi-open woodcutting operation that takes place in a conveyor system. The system feeds dimensional lumber (4”x4”x16’) at one end and cutting takes place inside a fancy computerized cutting machine. The machine produces a steady stream of 4”x4” blocks that come out of the other end. Above the semi-enclosed machine is a series of dust collection hoods. The wood blocks are eventually binned and moved to a different part of the facility where a laser cutting machine crafts the finished product, which is pretty darn cute if you ask me. I can see why a cat would like it.
You: Sounds interesting. What type of information do we have to go on?
Your Boss: Not as much as I would have hoped, but enough that we should be able to put together a reasonable analysis. They have provided a conceptual diagram of their collection system and wood cutting machine and rough costs for the equipment and structure. Oh, and one more thing.
You: Yes?
Your Boss: They mentioned that at the last inspection they found close to ½ inch of dust accumulated on the surfaces of the wood cutting machine, surrounding space, and inside the production building.
You: That seems like a significant amount of dust to be sitting there.
Your Boss: It does at first glance, but I was hoping you would be able to determine that for sure. Also, the Director of Safety mentioned that they have been discussing internally the use of the NFPA codes on dusts for this one.
You: Ah, you mean NFPA 652 and NFPA 654?
Your Boss: Exactly, and NFPA 664 too, which I think deals with woodworking if I remember correctly. We will need a deliverable that describes those three standards and how they relate to the client’s operation, the fire and explosion hazards associated with process and collection system, and finally, they want us to put together a risk matrix describing the probability and consequences if something went wrong with the system. That is a requirement that their risk department has included.
You: Sounds like a good way to go. I will get started immediately.
Your Boss: Thanks champ. You do well on this project, and I can guarantee a nice fat bonus check to ring in the New Year!
You: Hot dog! Or, should I say “Hot Cat!”
(Both laughing politely…)
End of opening scene
Task 1
Begin by reading through NFPA 652, NFPA 654, and NFPA 664. Summarize in a few paragraphs the purpose and basic outline of what these standards do. Write up your summaries in such a way for inclusion in your final report as if you had to explain the purpose of the code to non-technical business decision makers.
Task 2
Identify the fire and dust explosion hazards in the process. This is where creativity and the NFPA standards (Hint: there are examples in NFPA 652) can guide you. Think about the different portions of the systems and where something can go wrong. For example, in the wood cutting machine, there exists a possible dust explosion hazard as the dust continues to build up. Additionally, if there is a steady stream of wood going into the machine, where is it coming from? Where is the wood stored, and are there means to ignite this fuel load? As another example to think about, how is power provided in these settings? Etc.
Task 3
Analyze the hazards you develop in the context of the expected severity if the hazard occurs versus the probability of the hazard occurring. For this Task, develop a risk matrix following the definitions outlined in the risk matrix PDF, which is based on a Department of Defense document, MIL-STD-882E 2012 SYSTEM SAFETY for assigning risk in the military (refer to the one page Risk Matrix PDF). To build the matrix for your report, do the following for each hazard you identify:
Assign an amount of expected damage if the hazard develops and no intervention occurs. Provide your substantiation in your report for this value.
Assign how often you would expect the hazard to occur (Hint: in woodworking, fires can occur between once every year and once every 10 years with good maintenance. Large fires would be more rare, and explosions more rare than large fires). Provide substantiation in your report for this frequency (Do not spend time digging through research for this value. The data is hard to come by. The expectation is for you to reason through a realistic value, or range, based on the starting point of a “normal” small fire occurrence).
Align the severity versus frequency for each hazard in a table like the one shown at the top of the risk matrix PDF. Please use the same color coding provided in your report (GREEN = No Risk, YELLOW = Acceptable Risk, ORANGE = Acceptable with engineering controls, oversight, RED = Unacceptable)
Discuss the outcomes of your risk and state whether they are acceptable or not.
Task 4
Form recommendations for making the operations safer. What can be done to ensure that the process is as safe as possible to personnel and reduce the chances of property loss?
Task 5
Produce an FHEA report deliverable with the following outline:
Title page
Introduction
Scope of the Project
Goals of the Analysis
Applicable Codes and Standards
(Insert your write-up on the three standards)
Process Description
(Write-up on your understanding of how the process and operation work, feel free to fill in gaps you may need.)
Hazard Descriptions
(Present your list of hazards in paragraph format with a sub-section dedicated to each hazard. Consider both fire and explosion, and support your hazards with references where possible, i.e., text, standards, or other sources like papers, etc.)
(Try to build a case for the damage that would be caused by each scenario and how often you would expect the type of hazard to occur.)
Risk Analysis
(Take each of your Hazards and build the risk matrix for each as described in Task 3 and in the risk matrix PDF.)
(Use the text of your report around each of your tables to explain what the level of risk is.)
Recommendations
(Provide recommendations to improve safety.)
Data
To complete your FHEA, use the following data:
Dust Collection System
Cost: $250,000
Sizing: Approximately 30 feet long between the pickup hoods. The baghouse holds 6 bags that are 4 feet long and 6 inches in diameter. The baghouse is 12 feet long and 3 feet in diameter. The system is driven by a vacuum pump that pulls air from the collection hoods through to the baghouse.
Woodcutting Machine
Under the pickup hoods sits the wood cutting apparatus. It is semi-open (no roof), with an automatic conveyer that moves the dimension lumber toward a sawing area. There is only one blade that cycles through as each cut is made. Cut blocks exit the machine at the end into a bin. Overall, the machine measures 30 feet long by 7 feet wide by 3 feet in height. There is approximately 210 square feet of surface area on the machine where dust could collect. The machine requires one operator at the controls, two operators to feed wood, and one operator to change bins at the outlet.
Cost: $750,000
Building
Sizing: 100 ft by 200 ft with the main woodcutting operation centered in the middle.
Construction: 2 hr concrete block walls on the exterior. Exposed metal beams, trusses, and steel decking with an asphalt and gravel BUR (Built up roof) roof.
Fire Suppression: A sprinkler system is installed, but there are no details on what type of system is installed.
Fire Alarm: The building is protected with a heat detector activated system that is tied into a fire alarm control panel. The panel is monitored by a monitoring company.
Cost of building replacement: $1,500,000
Operations
Revenue per year from plant: $20,000,000
Distributed cost of operations per year for the plant: $18,000,000
Final Note
In general with regard to your write-up and references, if you paraphrase, please provide a reference at the end of the section.
If you “direct quote,” put it in quotes and footnote or endnote it as well.