Ten Commandments of the Road Warrior

Ultrasonic Testing NDT: Eating Healthy on the Road

(Or, why my pants still fit after all these years.)

By John Taylor

Being in the non-destructive testing business means that I spend a good deal of time on the road.  Now you would think with all the climbing in and around all manner of storage tanks and the like that this would burn off any given amount of calories that I cared to ingest on the job.  The problem is that when a job takes me out of town, this means that I could wind up falling into the great American conundrum of eating in restaurants and out of vending machines.  So to avoid adding needless padding to my frame, I have come up with a list of do’s and don’ts that I have come to refer to as the Ten Commandments of Road Warriors.

1. Thou shall avoid alcohol at all cost

2. Snack on fruits, nuts and raw vegetables instead of junk food

3. Frequent supermarkets instead of restaurants

4. Pack it in, pack it out

5. Remember the salad and keep it handy

6. Take the stairs and avoid the elevator

7. Read

8. Stay hydrated

9. Get a good night’s sleep

10. Try to schedule some relaxation time every day.

Let’s just discuss these options one at a time. First on the list is alcohol of course. It’s one of the benefits of an expense account. But alcohol is high in calories and it can be an appetite booster for many people. Mixed drinks, beer and wine are pretty empty nutritionally and can make the next morning a little more trying.

Speaking about nutrition, this brings up the next commandment: Fruits, nuts and vegetables. Have you ever seen an unhealthy gorilla? These foods are high in vitamins and minerals, easy to carry and come in a great variety of flavors, colors and textures. And preparation is just a crunch away.

This brings us to no on the restaurants and yes to the supermarkets. Particularly because you can’t buy apples and grapes at The Olive Garden (they do have salad but it comes with a deadly portion of bread sticks), you need to create your own.   Luckily, all supermarkets have prewashed, prepackaged salads that are ready to eat.  Just add the low-cal dressing.  They also have containers of precut carrot and celery sticks.

Buy a lunch box. Not a Little Mermaid or Angry Birds but a cheap $10.00 insulated fabric job. You put ice in the freezer bags you bought at the grocery store and fill the box with canned fruit, juice, a tuna sandwich or anything else you like. Use a little imagination and try different foods for a change.

Grazing is the best part. No time wasted at a fast food stop or waiting in traffic. Put your hand in your lunch box and pull out a surprise and munch it right down. You have 55 minutes that now belong to you.

Take the stairs, walk, run, strut, hop, skip, MOVE. If your hotel has an exercise room, use it. If not, try anything that keeps you from sitting around thinking about breaking commandment number 1.

Reading takes your mind off food unless you are reading a recipe book which is not recommended.  Since reading keeps your hands occupied you can’t use then to put junk food in your mouth, or break commandment number 1.

Don’t let your destination lead you to dehydration. Most of us do not drink enough water and this is especially true when we are out of town. Sometimes it is just not handy or it can be hard to keep beverages cold if you buy them by the bottle. This is another good reason to invest in that little lunch box. But a good way to remember to drink plenty of water is to stop drinking everything else. And did you know water has zero calories. Isn’t that cool?

Get plenty of sleep just like your mother said when she used to tuck you in at night. It takes some training to sleep in a room that’s totally alien from your own home. You can always bring a small item that reminds you of your own sleep chamber. A pillow, bathrobe or slippers, maybe even a teddy bear.  Anything that will add a touch of the familiar to an otherwise alien landscape is sure to reduce stress.

Finally learn to relax while you are on the road. Time will melt by if you concentrate on your assignment and focus on your goals. Give yourself permission to spend some quality time every day, even if it’s only thirty minutes spent reading a novel or magazine. With the right nutrition, hydration and rest those road trips will not lead to that other great American conundrum: the crash diet.

John Taylor is president of Nova Data Testing, a leading Ultrasonic Testing NDT firm.  For more information and helpful videos, visit his website at http://ultrasonictestingndt.com/

Lighting a Fire Under Management is Cheaper Than Putting One Out

By John Taylor

Last week I wrote about the need to take care of the little preventive maintenance items before they turn into big problems. Apparently this message did not get to the management people at Chevron. Here is a brief excerpt from the San Francisco Chronicle from Monday August 6^th.

                                              Chevron Refinery, Richmond, C.A.

Thousands of East Bay residents were ordered to stay in their homes with the windows and doors closed Monday night after a series of explosions and fires tore through Chevron's Richmond California refinery.  The explosions started about 6:15 p.m., and at least two large fires spewed thick, black smoke into the darkening sky.

The fire started at the refinery's No. 4 Crude Unit, Chevron officials said. Just before 6:30 p.m., an inspection crew discovered that there was a diesel leak in a line in the unit - and that the leak was growing.  Shortly after the crew evacuated the area, the diesel ignited, said the manager of the refinery.

All employees had been accounted for and there were no fatalities, but one refinery worker suffered burns to his wrist and was treated at the on-site clinic.   About five minutes after the explosions, sirens tore through the air, alerting residents to stay indoors to prevent breathing tainted air. Some people got in their cars and drove away from the smoke that spread throughout the neighborhoods east of the refinery.

The Chevron Richmond refinery was founded more than a century ago and is Northern California's largest, capable of processing more than 242,000 barrels of oil each day. A prolonged closure could push up gasoline prices, which are already rising nationwide because of a rally in the market for crude oil.

The refinery has suffered fires before. In January of 2007, the seal on a pump in a crude unit failed, triggering a fire that lasted almost 10 hours.

Make no mistake that this kind of incident is a preventable failure. Chevron was fortunate to have dedicated fire and emergency personnel to contain this incident. 

As inspectors we hate to say “I told you so”, but facts are facts. Leaks just don’t happen. They are caused by a variety of conditions which can and should be monitored by experienced personnel. The questions that come to mind are:

1. What types of corrosion mechanisms are present?       

2. How often are nondestructive inspections conducted?

3. What systems are in place to report findings?

5. Who reviews these results?

6. What follow up is conducted if repairs or replacement is warranted?

Chevron needs to determine the factors that were responsible for this loss of containment as well as what inspection criteria needs to be changed to prevent any future occurrence. If companies would use basic investigation tools and learn to ask the right questions these catastrophic failures can be avoided or at the very least minimized.  It doesn’t take a seasoned professional to realize that lighting a fire under management is far cheaper than putting one out.

John Taylor is president of Nova Data Testing, a leading non-destructive testing company.  For all your ultrasonic testing needs, go to, http://ultrasonictestingndt.com

Nova Data Testing: An ounce of prevention can save a ton of money

Wikipedia defines preventative maintenance as:

1.    The care and servicing by personnel for the purpose of maintaining equipment and facilities in satisfactory operating condition by providing for systematic inspection, detection, and correction of incipient failures either before they occur or before they develop into major defects.

2.    Preventive maintenance can be described as maintenance of equipment or systems before fault occurs. It can be divided into two subgroups:

§  planned maintenance and

§  condition-based maintenance.

Here is a true story :

My name is Darrell Henderson and I am a technician and field inspector for Nova Data Testing. As of last week I am without a car. The other day I was driving my car from my home in Jacksonville, FL to my sister’s house in Kingsland, GA. I knew that my car needed an oil change soon and that my car also leaked oil, but I kept putting it off although I was warned of what could happen. I was told more than once, “Make sure your oil level is good and check it frequently, especially if you know the car has a small leak”.  Well I didn’t listen even after the oil light flickered on and off, on and off and I continued to ignore the warning signs.

One day after working out at the gym, I was on my way to my sister’s house in Kingsland. I felt good after the workout and proud of myself for taking the time to take care of my health.  As luck would have it I heard a loud rumbling sound from the engine compartment. Of course the car had waited for me to get on I-95 before reacting to its lack of lubrication. Maybe the timing was bad and it knew I had chosen gym time over oil checking time. When I pulled over to check out the problem guess what? No oil. This meant that I had probably been running nearly dry for a week or more. What could I do but place a call to the other Techs at Nova Data for a rescue. They showed up, gave me some oil which the car quickly sucked it all down. Unfortunately  it was too late and the damage was done. When I tried to start my car up all I got was a loud pop and some blue smoke. Now I’m paying the price for this error in more ways than one. Not only do I not have a car. For neglecting a $30.00 oil change I am now going to be out $2,000.00 for a new engine.

Oil change that suppose to happen.

Instead this happen "Blown motor"

What is the purpose of this sad but true tale?  Since I am an inspector it is an embarrassing story, although one that I felt needed to be shared. Nova Data Testing inspects all types of industrial equipment for many customers. However there are many who never bother to check their operating systems like piping, storage tanks and power boilers. If they do inspect equipment it might just be a quick check rather than a complete inspection. While most cars have only one owner to look after an oil change, industrial facilities have plenty of maintenance personnel and engineering support to track and document inspections. These plants also have the money and the time to develop precise and focused equipment testing. A blown engine might cost a few thousand dollars to repair but a ruptured boiler or storage tank can be in the millions. Remember that we all need to react to that flashing light on the dashboard.

The moral of the story:

Preventive maintenance is probably one of the biggest problems for failures.  Inspecting and maintaining a regular schedule on your equipment or facilities will keep costs down dramatically.  We have seen power boilers shut down due to pressure tubes exploding and bursting or tanks that had corrosion that led to leaks.  These can be prevented if the tank is inspected by a trained and certified technician.  Darrell was told plenty of times to check his oil and he just put it off one time too many.  Even though he was always concerned with the situation, he kept on pushing his car because he thought it could take another week or two without an oil change. A $30.00 oil change turned into a $2,000. 00 engine repair.  Just like a Full API-653 out of service inspection on a tank can range from $5,000.00-$10,000.00, a tank failure can cost up to $100,000.00 in repairs, inspections fee, fines from OSHA, and lost time.  That’s why it pays to do preventive maintenance on your equipment and facilities.

Nova Data Testing is a leader in Non-Destructive Testing.  To find out more about NDT Testing or to schedule an inspection, go to http://novadatatesting.com