"Get serious about safety"

An article in the Bangkok Post highlights lack of seriousness about safety. The article has similarities to what is happening in India. The recent train accident in Andhra Pradesh has the routine court of inquiry instituted but we never know the outcome of the inquiry! Read the nice article in this link.

Contribute to the surviving victims of Bhopal by buying my book "Practical Process Safety Management"

Risk management - Financial Vs Process safety

An article about the recent financial issue in a leading company mentions that a shareholder group warned the management that risk management was not up to the mark. The group also mentioned that there was no person with adequate financial expertise in the risk management committee. Chemical manufacturing companies also need to have persons with expertise in manufacturing and process safety in their risk management committees. Risk cannot be managed unless it is understood. Read the article in this link.

Contribute to the surviving victims of Bhopal by buying my book "Practical Process Safety Management"

Prevention of corrosion

Tata Steel (Corus) has brought out a good primer on "The Prevention of corrosion on structural steelwork". It succinctly explains the basics and helps to preserve asset integrity. Download it from this link.
 
Contribute to the surviving victims of Bhopal by buying my book "Practical Process Safety Management"

Steam reforming disasters

John R Brightling, Peter V Broadhurst and Mike P Roberts of Johnson Matthey Catalysts have written a good article called "Catalyst catastrophes in hydrogen plants". It is good reading for all those who operate steam reformers. Time and again, I see the same mistakes being repeated - lack of flow through tubes, bypassing of furnace high pressure trips, lack of close monitoring of the reformer during start up and deviations from SOP.
Read the article in this link.
  
Contribute to the surviving victims of Bhopal by buying my book "Practical Process Safety Management"

Sulphuric acid safety

NorFalco have published a good guide to sulphuric acid manufacture, handling and storage. Many explosions have recently taken place in sulphuric acid tanks due to generation of hydrogen. The guide mentions the following:
"Storage tanks for sulfuric acid in strengths of 93% through 99% are usually fabricated from carbon steel. At normal temperatures there is usually some gradual corrosion on carbon steel that results in the evolution of hydrogen gas and the formation of an iron sulfate precipitate, most of which settles to the bottom of the tank. Wall thickness should be carefully calculated to provide corrosion allowances and for the high specific gravity of the acid. Smaller storage tanks (under 10,000 gallons) are sometimes constructed from stainless steel or a type of HDPE (High Density Polyethylene) made especially for sulfuric acid service. Such materials reduce or eliminate hydrogen and iron-sulfate generation. Regardless of the material your tank is constructed from, always ensure that it has been designed and manufactured specifically for sulfuric acid. Many storage tanks use anodic protection systems to minimize corrosion. Storage tank cleaning and inspection procedures are available on request from NorFalco .
HYDROGEN GAS: Hydrogen gas is potentially explosive and special care must be taken when working near tanks or performing maintenance on tanks. A hydrogen meter and spark proof tools and lights should be used, and open flames and welding should be avoided. 
CORROSION, INSPECTION AND CLEANING: A program of routine internal inspection should be established to ensure early detection of excessive corrosion. It is necessary to clean out the tanks at regular intervals to allow for inspection. A suggested minimum frequency is every 3 years for tanks containing hot acid and every 5 years for tanks containing cold acid".
Read the complete guide in this link.
Contribute to the surviving victims of Bhopal by buying my book "Practical Process Safety Management"

Innovative solution for changing flange bolts online

I came across an article that mentions an innovative solution to replace flange bolts online.
The article mentions that "Stork’s technology hydraulically clamps pressurised bolted pipeline flanges together so that corroded stud bolts can be safely removed without exerting additional force to the gaskets. Once all of the bolts have been replaced, the hot bolt clamps are de-pressurised and removed. Change out of the bolts is achieved without taking the flanges out of operation, disruption to the standard line pressure or danger of hydrocarbon release".

I am not endorsing the product but you can read more about it in this link.

Contribute to the surviving victims of Bhopal by buying my book "Practical Process Safety Management"

Take care of your structures

Are you maintaining your structures properly? As plants age, corrosion seeps in and is a deadly killer. Do not ignore corrosion. It can cause catastrophic failures.
A safety bulletin by the Minerals and Energy department of Australia mentions " In January 1998 a wharf walkway structure failed due to extensive corrosion when 6 men were walking on the structure. All men fell with the failed walkway structure 8 metres to the ocean, some suffering serious injuries. An investigation identified that corrosion of the failed walkway truss was severe and some cross bracings in the truss had completely corroded through. It was further reported that in 1991 and 1993 structural engineering reports had been commissioned and these reports recommended that repairs be carried out to corroded members on several walkway structures including the structure which collapsed. At the time of the collapse, none of the rectification work identified in those reports for this walkway structure had been attempted. The investigation report concluded “the walkway truss failed as a result of the mine operators inadequately actioning reported recommendations by consultant engineers.” Treatment plants may also be very corrosive environments and there have been several incidents where steel floors have collapsed. Where corrosion in structural steelwork is more than merely a surface feature or where the corrosion may have diminished the original strength of the structure, a structural design engineer should be employed to assess the safety of the structure. If remedial work is recommended then such work should be carried out immediately, or in accordance with the priority timeframe identified in the consultant’s report. Furthermore, employees should be encouraged to report cases of structural steelwork corrosion they identify. Periodic plate and weld thickness tests should be performed on all bins, silos and hoppers to ensure their structural integrity has not been affectedby corrosion".
Read the safety bulletin in this link.

Contribute to the surviving victims of Bhopal by buying my book "Practical Process Safety Management"

The causes of fires and explosions - 75 years later

75 years ago, this month, the worst airship disaster took place when the hydrogen filled Hindenburg air ship caught fire and exploded as it was completing its 35th trip across the Atlantic, killing 35 people. Till date there are many theories about the incident. The Smithsonian magazine has published an article that mentions "Realistic alternatives for the cause of the explosion include a buildup of static electricity, a bolt of lightning or a backfiring engine, but at this point it’s impossible to determine what exactly caused the spark".
Today, static electricity. lightning and backfiring engines are still causes of fires, though there has been a lot of development in each of these fields to avoid fires. The BP Texas refinery disaster was started when the vapour cloud ignited due to a back firing engine. There are numerous cases of fires due to static electricity and lightning. Though technology has improved, man continues to commit the same mistakes!

Read the interesting article in the Smithsonian mag in this link. 
 

Contribute to the surviving victims of Bhopal by buying my book "Practical Process Safety Management"

PVC plant explosion

 An explosion at a PVC plant few weeks ago in US has been reported.The accident forced area residents and plant workers to shelter in place for several hours. Read and see the video of the fires in this link.

Contribute to the surviving victims of Bhopal by buying my book "Practical Process Safety Management"

Using GIS for emergency planning and response

A news item mentions that "The latest version of the web-based Geographic Information System (GIS) emergency planning and response system, developed by the National Informatics Centre (NIC), is all set for operations in factories in Mahbubnagar, Krishna and Nalgonda districts. Introducing the fourth phase of the technology here on Friday, NIC deputy director general Sanjay Singh Gehlot said, “the latest version aims to minimize damages during explosion or chemical accidents in industries.” The first phase the technology was launched some eight years ago".
Read the news item in this link.

Contribute to the surviving victims of Bhopal by buying my book "Practical Process Safety Management"

Discharge of bleaching agent causes illness

An incident in Thailand has been reported where many workers were sent to hospital after an abrupt discharge of a bleaching agent. The accident took place about 6.30pm when workers smelled a strong chlorine-like odour at the plant. The article mentions that the odour probably came from sodium hypochlorite, which was discharged from the plant during an emergency shutdown.
Read the article in this link.

 Contribute to the surviving victims of Bhopal by buying my book "Practical Process Safety Management"

Blast in chemical factory

The Hindustan Times has reported a blast at a chemical factory near Chandigarh that killed 4 personnel.
"Initial reports suggested that the first blast was caused by a "static charge". However, according to sources linked with the probe, a safety valve of the reactor may have malfunctioned'.
Read the article in this link.

 Contribute to the surviving victims of Bhopal by buying my book "Practical Process Safety Management"

Commissioning new plants - hazards

In a new plant that was being commissioned, Hot Oil, used as a heating medium, leaked from a flange. The leak was on the second floor and the temperature of the medium was about 300 deg C. The leaking hot oil, caused major fires and a section of the new plant was destroyed. Ensure that commissioning is done in a planned way and that checklists are followed.

Contribute to the surviving victims of Bhopal by buying my book "Practical Process Safety Management"

Chemical plant cited for safety violations

A chemical plant in the US has been cited for safety violations by OSHA. These violations include insufficient ventilation, an inadequate sprinkler system, inadequate worker training and failure to conduct hazard assessments at the plant.Read the article in this link.

Contribute to the surviving victims of Bhopal by buying my book "Practical Process Safety Management"

Hazards in tanks and vessels

WorkSafe , Alberta has published a safety bulletin titled "Controlling explosion hazards in vessels, tanks and piping systems. The following is mentioned:

"Two workers were welding an overflow pipe on top of a tank truck that contained residual flammable materials. Welding sparks ignited the materials, the tank exploded and the workers were killed. The explosive atmosphere in the tank had not been tested prior to the workers beginning their work. The tank previously contained produced water.

A vessel was purged with natural gas to remove hydrogen sulphide. The vessel was opened and a worker was washing the inside of the vessel with a water wand. A pyrophoric iron reaction on the demister pad started to release sparks inside the vessel. An explosion occurred and the worker was fatally injured.

Iron sulphide is a pyrophoric material. This means that it can spontaneously ignite when exposed to air. It is created when iron oxide (rust) is converted into iron sulphide in an oxygen-free atmosphere where hydrogen sulphide gas is present or where the concentration of hydrogen sulphide (H2S) exceeds that of oxygen.
When iron sulphide is subsequently exposed to air, it is oxidized back to iron oxide and either sulfur or sulfur dioxide gas is formed. This chemical reaction between iron sulphide and oxygen generates a considerable amount of heat. In fact, so much heat is released that individual particles of iron sulphide become incandescent and glow. This heat can ignite nearby flammable mixtures.
Most refineries experience spontaneous ignition of iron sulphide either on the ground or inside equipment. Pyrophoric iron fires most commonly occur during shutdowns when equipment and piping are opened for inspection or maintenance. Iron sulphide fires can be avoided by preventing the sulphide from contacting air. This can be achieved by maintaining a continuous layer of liquid or inert gas between the material and the air. Inerting vessels with nitrogen gas is one such method.

A vessel containing hydrogen sulphide was purged with propane. The workers then opened the vessel for clean-out. When the manway was opened, an explosion occurred resulting in the four workers receiving burns to their faces and hands. The possible source of ignition that caused the explosion was static discharge or metal-to-metal contact"
Read the Workplace health and safety bulletin in this link


Contribute to the surviving victims of Bhopal by buying my book "Practical Process Safety Management"