Johnston, J. E.
Jim Johnston is the Principal Engineer and Business Director for Bath Group Process Safety Management. He is nationally recognized as an expert on the topic of process electrical safety in hazardous locations. He earned a BSEE degree from the University of Houston and is registered as a professional engineer in Texas. Mr. Johnston has more than 40 yr of experience in the petrochemical and petroleum industries. He has designed process safety shutdown systems, performed electrical safety reviews, implemented compliance design solutions, participated in process safety reviews and installed field instrumentation application and control system designs. He has also been published in several trade journals.
Hazardous area classification compliance: Focus on communication
On November 30, 2013, an explosion and fire occurred at the UCB Farchim SA site in Switzerland. Fortunately, no injuries or fatalities occurred.
Demystify hazardous area classification and compliance assessments
As safety becomes increasingly paramount at hydrocarbon processing facilities, so too does the importance of addressing and clarifying the confusion associated with hazardous area classification (HAC) assessments and compliance auditing in Class 1 locations.
Determining the proper hazardous area classification
Here's a common-sense approach using a basic four-part process
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