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June 11, 2011

Submersible pumps and safe work practices

A friend was mentioning about an incident in his plant where a submersible pump was removed for maintenance. The tank contained a molten chemical. The opening where the submersible pump was fixed, was covered with a thin plywood cover. A trainee who was interested to know what was going on, accidentally stepped on the plywood cover which did not hold his weight. The cover gave way and opening was just sufficient for him to slip inside upto his armpits. Luckily other operators were around and lifted him up.
Do your job hazard analysis properly when you issue a permit. It is always better to custom make proper metal covers which are bolted down in place when submersible pumps are removed.

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