Pulp and Paper Safety & Security
The Original Renewable Resource
The production of pulp and paper from renewable and sustainable fiber sources, such as responsibly managed forests, represents an ancient craft and one of the world’s original renewable resources. The global pulp and paper industry supplies an array of organically derived products essential to daily life. Often overlooked, these include renewable packaging, personal care and hygiene products, textiles, bioplastics, filtration systems, building materials, and countless other items.
Risk Management
Effective risk management is critical to safeguard your company’s longevity. Pulp & paper manufacturing involves complex systems with significant human-machine interaction. These include, among others, elevated temperatures and pressures in digesters, evaporators, boilers, and paper machine dryers, as well as flammables and combustibles. They also involve reactive chemistries with strong acids, alkalis, and oxidizers for breaking down raw materials, pH control, color control, deposition/corrosion control, effluent treatment, and the safe handling of byproducts like combustible dusts, crude sulfate turpentine, non-condensable gases, and hydrogen sulfide. These elements require thorough understanding, precise risk identification, and robust management strategies to reduce the potential for major incidents.
Regardless of the end product, be it corrugated boxes, drywall, towel & tissue, shoes, biodegradable plastics, luggage, lamp shades or surgical gowns, your company can benefit significantly from proactive risk identification and management. Investing in process safety not only protects people and the environment but also ensures regulatory compliance and operational continuity.
The AcuTech Approach
AcuTech brings decades of experience to the table, employing structured and disciplined methodologies to identify and manage risks. We achieve process safety excellence while delivering substantial financial and intrinsic value to our clients. Our approach leverages modern PSM frameworks and develops tailored management systems. These systems ensure compliance while maximizing operational, strategic, and competitive potential.
- Process Hazard Analyses
- Quantitative Risk Assessment / Facility Siting
- Consequence Modeling
- Combustible Dust Hazard Assessment
- Asset Integrity Management
- PSM Program Development
- Compliance Audits
- Operating and Maintenance Procedures
- Emergency Management, Emergency Planning & Response
- Crisis Management
- Incident Investigation & Root Cause Analysis
- Security Risk Assessment
- Transportation Risk Assessment
- Physical and Cybersecurity
- Training
AcuTech’s consultants are well versed in codes and standards and will refer to these as well as each client’s local jurisdiction codes and standards.
- OSHA Process Safety Management (PSM) 29CFR1910.119: Establishes requirements for managing highly hazardous chemicals, including risk assessment, mechanical integrity, and emergency planning.
- OSHA 29 CFR 1910.261 (Pulp, Paper, and Paperboard Mills): Provides industry-specific safety requirements for equipment, chemical handling, and confined spaces.
- EPA Risk Management Planning (RMP) 40CFR68: Requires facilities handling hazardous chemicals to implement risk management plans to prevent accidental releases.
- NFPA 652 (Fundamentals of Combustible Dust): Outlines general requirements for managing combustible dust hazards, including dust collection and explosion protection.
- NFPA 664 (Prevention of Fires and Explosions in Wood Processing Facilities): Specifies fire and explosion prevention measures for facilities handling wood dust.
- NFPA 85 (Boiler and Combustion Systems Hazards Code): Provides safety requirements for recovery boilers and combustion systems commonly used in pulp and paper mills.
- NFPA 70 (National Electrical Code – NEC): Establishes requirements for electrical installations, including hazardous area classifications in pulp and paper mills.
- ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code (BPVC) Sec I, Sec VIII: Sets design, inspection, and maintenance standards for boilers and pressure vessels used in high-temperature and high-pressure operations.
- Department of Homeland Security Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standard (CFATS)
- General Industry Standards OSHA 1910, EPA 40CFR, ASME A13, B31.1 & 31.3; API 510, 570, 653, 2220; NFPA 25, 30, 56, 72, 101, ISO 14001, IEEE 1584
- Environmental Codes & Standards such as MACT II & III, EPCRA/SARA/RCRA