Phones
cameras
flashlights
headphones
speakers
the dreaded heat guns
scales
temp guns
Nothing goes into the C1D1 room.
Then, let’s talk static . . . .
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Spray booths can definitely be C1D1, some of the clear coats they use are crazy flammable. And I believe the distinction between D1 and D2 is wether or not the vapors present are intentionally released to atmosphere as a part of the process, which would be D1, that’s definitely the bill for usage.
Edit: Someone please feel free to correct me there if I’m mistaken on difference of cld1 and cld2
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I think about that explosion a lot. That’s the first real bho lab explosion video I’ve ever seen in my life.
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I hate this video. It is really important and cautionary. But I just can’t like it.
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This used to be one of my facilities before I got laid off. They were running a MEP with a Corken type pump in the booth iirc.
The Paul Reed Smith guitar factory is right across the street.
Edit: it was an ETS XT-70
They had a legit booth… at least they did 2 years ago. PharmaCann is going bankrupt so idk how they’ve been at upkeep.
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C1D1 implies the continuous presence of explosive gasses while C1D2 implies the occasional release of gasses.
While these are not strictly and exactly what you have in cannabis, the risk is considered great enough for hydrocarbon to justify the bump to D1.
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Everett, that is correct. From a construction and equipment standpoint the hazardous location C1D1 classification requires either low energy to prevent ignition or for high energy sources like power wiring, containment of combustion if it were to occur. Basically the electrical conduit and equipment can contain an explosion internally and not allow it to propagate to C1D1 atmosphere. Motors have special termination boxes and specific thermal characteristics that will not ignite the group gas/dust it is rated for.
As others have mentioned, no external electrical, welding, spark generating, bic lighters, heat guns etc allowed inside or within 3’ of any opening like a door.
Static is more problematic in low humidity environments. Grounding is important but most people just ground the equipment. Then in the middle of winter, lowest humidity possible, they change shoes to high dielectric sole shoes, wear a wool clothes, and tell stories of getting zapped with static all day before the incident…
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When you say static discharge systems are you just referring to electrical grounding/bonding and static dissipative hose or?
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My two cents overall… corporate penny pinching likely caused this. They’re fucking going bankrupt. I only know a couple that still work there. The VP I reported to got laid off a couple of weeks ago. The last regional manager I worked with got laid off a few weeks prior.
When I started PharmaCann was legit. They had internal testing labs in each location. I had labs on my crude prior to passing it through the short path. Then corporate mergers and LivWell. LivWell’s CEO used to brag he could make a profit on $59 ounces. And he loved to bottom out the Colorado wholesale market.
At one time that facility was designed and engineered and operated properly.
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That’s a solid risk ladder, but I’d put heat guns at the top and temp guns down near phones!
Lets face it, danger is danger, but it’s important to understand risk assessments (not saying anyone here doesn’t). An old cheap cell phone with a sub 5v battery is at very low risk as an ignition source.
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So, we may move heat guns higher on the list and waterproof phones with small batteries lower the list.
May I propose that we add the individuals that manage access control somewhere on the list?
@EverettMarm was there and noted the decision-making people involved, while we so often are looking for the items that may be ignition sources.
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Those guys safety culture was so fucked they were on borrowed time for years before that fire. It wasn’t if, but when.
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I was raised around guns and the rule in our house is that every gun is a loaded gun. Is it safe to point an unloaded weapon at someone. You might say yes, I say NO.
You are both right and also, this is a zero tolerance situation. None of those items should be in the booth ever. A small, older flip phone is still a loaded gun.
A lot of folks who would never take a heat gun into the room for “obvious” reasons would definitely walk in with a phone in their pocket or air pods on.
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I worked for a company that was acquired by Pharmacann. They went on to fire several skilled and experienced extraction technicians, team leads and lower level managers that had been there for years (there were a few diehards that had already invested years into nothing and convinced themselves things would get better, and were now being paid too much after several years of performance review raises); meanwhile, the higher ups did nothing but blame others for the problems that would come up and make the rest of the staff feel unappreciated to the point of looking for another job so we could quit. One time they even told us everyone in another department were getting raises and we now had the lowest starting pay of any position. This place had higher turnover than any place I had ever worked (including retail and fast food), and it seemed like we lost a person almost every week. Pretty soon there was almost no talent, passion, or drive and I was out of there as soon as I found a better job at a better company. I’m honestly surprised this wasn’t in my state.
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D. All of the above.
I am a fan of Ionizer guns, grounding anklets required for extraction room. Electrostatic discharge through rails, floor mats in commonly used walkways leading to c1d1, etc. The more the better. I assume 50% of the recommendations I give for static get ignored within 2 days, so redundancy is key.
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At the end of my time at PC there was me and one engineer to fix everything everywhere. They flew me to Detroit once to find a vacuum leak in their fancy EtOH auto still. All of their equipment was bought through third party lease programs with a finance company. It was a fucking joke of a Ponzi scheme.
Don’t worry, they’ll sell everything to a larger MSO for 10x valuation. All that equipment will end up in a 20k sqft warehouse collecting dust, as new ownership brings in “New” preowned equipment from other facilities that went bankrupt. How do I know this? Seeing it 1000x in the past 4 years.
Edit: I’m not salty, I swear.
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The easiest/best solution is one that can’t be disregarded/forgotten/not utilized. I see so many labs where techs are SUPPOSED to clip on with grounding straps (but that’s cumbersome and annoying so they do fuckall for benefit when the techs immediately stop using 'em once they’re not being watched.
In all of my extraction rooms we utilize grounded ESD flooring throughout the C1D1 with redundant grounding of the equipment. It’s really not that expensive to implement, ~$8 sqft for material + installation (does require some floor prep). Our current C1D1 (15’x25’) it was ~$8k for the flooring including installation, materials, and copper grounding rod / subfloor mesh.
Techs are required to wear ESD shoes (they stay at the facility so they don’t get forgotten at home) and no synthetic fabrics are allowed to be worn. Never had any ‘zaps’ on equipment even in dead of winter / low humidity days.
Honestly it should be a requirement for design on booths to have ESD flooring, it’s such a cheap and easy solution for static and its sadly underutilized.
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Can’t sell what you don’t own. That’s the bitch of leased equipment.
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