Risks while attending to an emergency

A friend has sent details of an incident in an onshore oil well which experienced a fire. When the operations team went in a vehicle to isolate the well, they had to cross a oil spill on the track. While doing so, the vehicle caught fire and 5 personnel died.
This incident highlights the need to address all possible scenarios in your drills. No drill can be the real thing but better be prepared for the worst.

Warnings before a disaster

An article by Reuters on the Fukushima nuclear disaster highlights the fact that no accident comes without warning. There will be enough signals that an accident is about to happen but we may ignore it either out of risk blindness or pressure on production. The article highights the following about the Fukushima disaster: Cost saving culture, complaceny setting in and maintenance philosophies for older plants. All the points are applicable in the chemical industry, too.
Read the article in this link

Appeal to readers

I have been regularly writing this blog with a view to spread awareness of process safety and avoid another incident like the Bhopal gas disaster. I had already appealed to all readers to send some process incidents (short summary) which they may know so that it can be shared with everyone. Company's name need not be disclosed. I appeal again to readers to send some incidents so that it can be shared with everyone, indicating whether you want your name to be published or not. I hope my appeal draws responses this time. If you spare few minutes of your time, it would make a difference.Thank you.Write to me at bkprism@gmail.com

Incidents in Heavy Water Plant - lessons to learn

I chanced to come across an old paper by Mr Kanthiah, Mr Vaidyan and Mr Bhowmick of Heavy water plant, Tuticorin about incidents that occurred in the heavy water plant. The lessons are valid even today. The incidents discussed are:
1. Rupture of ammonia cracker tubes
2. Water entry in a cable junction box thru nitrogen line. (A nitrogen hose connected to a boiler filled with DM water allowed water to enter the nitrogen line when nitrogen supply failed)
3. Potassium amide splash on personnel due to choking of line upstream of vent wth solid potassium amide
4. Synthesis gas booster compressor trip due to malfunction of seal oil level transmitter.

Read details of the incidents in this link.

Hazardous waste tanker explosion

A news article mentions the following:
"No one was injured when a truck carrying hazardous waste exploded at a Sawyer truck stop Thursday night, but crews spent all night Thursday and all day Friday cleaning up the mess.
 The truck carrying a type of industrial waste, which was being hauled from Chicago to Canada for disposal, started to leak after the chemical reacted with something else inside the tank or parts of the tank itself.
State police Trooper Jim Janes at the Bridgman post said the waste, some type of hydroxide, was not flammable. The explosion tore apart the truck but there was no fire, he said."The tank isn't designed to carry a pressurized load. There was some type of reaction inside that tank. The pressure built up faster than the tank could handle. The liquid did not appear to be flammable, but we haven't completely identified what the material was," he said".
Read the article in this link