Smith & Burgess

08/06/2026

How accurate is the Process Safety Information being used for your next PHA?

Years of facility modifications can leave P&IDs, equipment data, process conditions, and design documentation incomplete or inconsistent. Those gaps affect more than regulatory compliance—they influence the quality of PHAs, MOCs, operating procedures, and relief-system evaluations.

Smith & Burgess helps owner/operators identify and close PSI gaps, rebuild missing documentation, and establish evergreen programs that keep information current as the facility changes.

Learn more about our process safety services: https://bit.ly/4caQFxz

Smith & Burgess offers expert process safety services (PHA, siting, PSI) to ensure industrial compliance with OSHA PSM and EPA RMP standards. Reach out today!

08/05/2026

Ready to strengthen your relief system design knowledge?

Smith & Burgess’ three-day Relief System Design Online Training Course examines the engineering decisions involved in identifying credible overpressure scenarios, selecting the appropriate calculation methods, and evaluating relief and flare system performance.

Using practical examples, the live course covers the application of industry standards and the technical considerations that influence relief system design and evaluation.

The course will be held online August 18–20, 2026. Participants will earn 20 Professional Development Hours (PDHs).

Course details: https://bit.ly/4w2HdpK
Register: https://bit.ly/4bmKc56

08/04/2026

Relief and flare system assumptions established during FEED may no longer be valid by the time a project reaches detailed engineering.

Equipment selections, vendor data, process conditions, line routing, and project scope continue to develop. If these changes are not reconciled with the original design basis, outdated or conflicting assumptions can carry forward into the final design.

Smith & Burgess performs independent engineering design reviews during conceptual engineering, FEED, and detailed engineering. Our engineers review calculations, design assumptions, EPC and vendor deliverables, and revisions between project phases for consistency with owner/operator standards and RAGAGEP.

Identifying these issues during design allows them to be addressed before they result in field modifications or operating constraints.

Learn more about our engineering design services: https://bit.ly/4d4e98d

08/03/2026

Have you registered?

Smith & Burgess is hosting a 3-day Relief System Design Training Course with live online instruction from August 18–20.

This course is designed for engineers and safety professionals responsible for overpressure protection, relief system design, and flare system performance.

Course topics include:
• Relief and flare system design practices
• Identification and evaluation of overpressure scenarios
• Application of real-world examples
• Design considerations aligned with industry standards

Participants will earn 20 Professional Development Hours (PDHs).

Register here: https://bit.ly/4bmKc56

07/08/2026

Every chemical facility has its own process safety challenges.

Whether producing specialty chemicals, industrial gases, polymers, fertilizers, or commodity chemicals, facilities require engineering solutions that reflect their unique processes and operating conditions.

Smith & Burgess provides specialized process safety consulting, relief system design, and engineering reviews tailored to the needs of chemical manufacturers.

Explore our chemical industry expertise: https://bit.ly/3QMv2iu

Smith & Burgess provides process safety and relief system consulting for the chemical industry.

07/07/2026

Smith & Burgess is proud to share that Dustin Smith, P.E. was featured in the June issue of Hydrocarbon Processing with the first installment of a two-part article on relief systems design documentation in LNG facilities.

The article begins with a key misconception: that relief and flare systems process safety information is only a best practice for LNG facilities not directly covered by OSHA PSM. In reality, PHMSA requirements, referenced industry standards, insurer expectations, and operational risk all make current, defensible documentation essential.

Dustin also discusses safety as a profit driver, highlighting how structured safety programs can support fewer incidents, reduced downtime, improved reliability, and stronger financial performance. The article references case studies from Harvard Business Review, a European longitudinal safety study, and CCPS’s The Business Case for Process Safety to connect process safety discipline with measurable business value.

Part two will continue the discussion in Hydrocarbon Processing’s July issue.

Read the full article in Hydrocarbon Processing: https://www.hydrocarbonprocessing.com/magazine/2026/june-2026/special-focus-gas-processing-and-lng/from-compliance-to-safe-operations-why-relief-systems-design-documentation-matters-in-lng-facilities/

07/06/2026

Third-party engineering reviews provide valuable perspective when major project decisions are based on complex technical assumptions — whether evaluating relief system modifications, flare system capacity, debottlenecking, or expansion projects.

In one refinery project, Smith & Burgess reviewed recommendations that would have required new relief devices and flare system modifications. Our analysis determined the original calculations were incorrect, helping the client avoid more than $1 million in unnecessary expenditures.

Learn how we approach independent engineering reviews: https://bit.ly/4d4e98d

07/02/2026

The most challenging part of many Management of Change reviews is identifying the downstream impacts.

A modification that appears isolated can affect relief scenarios, flare system demand, utility assumptions, or other elements outside the immediate project scope.

Smith & Burgess supports Management of Change reviews through relief system evaluations, flare studies, and process safety analyses that help facilities identify technical impacts before implementation.

Explore our process safety services: https://bit.ly/4caQFxz

07/01/2026

Refinery process units are highly interconnected. A change in one area of the facility can influence relief loads, flare system demand, utility requirements, and operating constraints elsewhere in the refinery.

Understanding those interactions is critical when evaluating unit expansions, throughput increases, equipment modifications, and other capital projects.

Smith & Burgess supports refiners with relief and flare studies, facility siting analyses, PHAs, and engineering reviews that help project teams evaluate the broader impact of proposed changes.

Explore our refining expertise: https://bit.ly/4vZoImD

We provide process safety consulting for petrochemical and refining facilities, including PSM solutions, relief system studies, and engineering design reviews.

06/29/2026

PHAs are built around a specific understanding of how a facility operates — but facilities change.

Process modifications, revised operating limits, control strategy changes, and updated relief scenarios can all affect the basis of previous hazard evaluations. The question is whether those changes alter the scenarios, consequences, or protection layers considered in the original analysis.

Smith & Burgess facilitates PHA revalidations using current facility information and operating practices to help teams answer that question.

Explore our PHA services: https://bit.ly/47wJ2Rm