The Haldia Naphtha Pipeline Fire: What We Know So Far
In June 2026, a naphtha pipeline caught fire at Haldia Petrochemicals in West Bengal, India, burning outward into homes, a railway, and a neighbouring LPG line. The suspected cause is…
Houston Recycling Fire: When Is a Recycling Center a Process Facility?
A tire fire at a Houston recycling yard raises a sharper question for functional safety practitioners: is a recycling center a process facility, was the fire a process safety event,…
Who Certifies Functional Safety Equipment, and Who Accepts It
A practitioner’s map of who certifies functional safety equipment and who accepts it: the manufacturer’s own documents, the certification body and the accreditation body behind it, Global ACI at the…
The Qatar Gas Plant Explosion: What We Know So Far
In June 2026, an explosion tore through the Barzan gas plant at Qatar's Ras Laffan during a restart after months of maintenance, killing 13 and injuring 66. Here is what…
Functional Safety Assessment (FSA) vs. Audit: What’s the Difference?
A functional safety assessment and an audit get used interchangeably, but they answer different questions and sit at different points in the IEC 61511 life-cycle. One judges whether the required…
The Longview Chemical Tank Implosion: What We Know So Far
On May 26, 2026, a 900,000-gallon white liquor tank imploded at the Nippon Dynawave mill in Longview, Washington, killing eleven workers. This piece covers the facility, the chemical, and why…
Functional Safety Is Not the Same as Occupational Safety
Occupational safety, process safety, and functional safety are not the same discipline, and treating them as interchangeable is a common mistake at process facilities. Different training, different credentials, different daily…
The Garden Grove Chemical Incident: What We Know So Far
A tank of methyl methacrylate at a GKN Aerospace facility in Garden Grove, California has been the center of a multi-day chemical emergency. This article walks through the facility, the…
SIL Verification: The Three Gates Every SIF Must Clear
SIL verification under IEC 61511 is three independent gates, all of which must pass: PFDavg, systematic capability, and architectural constraints. The gate that gets the most attention rarely fails an…
