Vacuum - the frequent killer!

During the last one year I came across 4 cases of tanks/pressure vessels collapsing/buckling due to vacuum developing inside. Why do we forget so easily that tanks/vessels that are not designed for vacuum will fail if vacuum develops inside? Time and again operating personnel make the mistake of either draining the tank/vessel, with the vent valve or vacuum breaker blocked in, or allow the tank/vessel to cool without ensuring the vent valve or vacuum breaker is lined up. The reason for this, I think, is due to human psychology. When we look a a large tank/vessel, we tend to believe it is very strong! If the tank/vessel is not designed for vacuum, this is a dangerous thought! It is a matter of education and all organizations must train their personnel on the hazards of vacuum. Why must be keep repeating the same mistakes?
Watch a beautiful youtube video about a rail tank car implosion due to vacuum at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_hci9vrvfw

Process Safety Management Vs Experience

There is a school of thought that systems corrupt the people's ability to think. Recently I was in a debate with one of my friends in the Chemical Industry who was arguing that his organization has people with tremendous experience and there is no necessity for him to implement any system.
Trevor Kletz has said it very beautifully "Organizations do not have memory". What happens when these people leave or retire? Having spent my whole career in the chemical industry, I am convinced that the phrase "History repeats itself" can be adpated to "Incidents repeat themselves". I keep investigating incidents of tank ruptures,fires and explosions, runaway reactions that uncannily had happened either to me or my friends decades ago.Having a robust process safety management system that captures organizational memory and integrates it with day to day decision making is what is needed to prevent these incidents from recurring.

Training in the Aviation and Chemical Process Industry - why different approaches?

With the advancement of instrumentation in the chemical industry,today plants are operated by DCS systems. These systems are excellent from a data collection and control point of view. The more I look at it, it appears that plant control rooms are now beginning to look like a plane's cockpit! While a pilot (similar to a control room operator) is put through mandatory rigorous training before he commands a plane, there are no mandatory requirements for the qualification of a control room operator. I was earlier a simulator trainer in a methanol plant in Saudi Arabia and I realized the enormous benefits of the benefits of investing in a chemical plant simulator. We could study and give feedback on the trainees response to various artificially created abnormal scenarios. In India, the concept of simulator training is yet to catch on. With the software experts available in India cannot we provide simulators that are cost effective?
I believe the simulator training is mandatory in the Indian Nuclear Industry but not in the chemical industry. Comments are welcome.

Process Safety and Behaviour Based Safety

There's a lot of buzz to day in behavior based safety. My experience indicates that as far as any safety is concerned, the behavior of top management is what dictates the behavior of the entire workforce.If top management keeps on talking about cost cutting and not talking about safety, that's what they will get - cost cutting measures getting implemented without analyzing the effect of the change on process safety! The BP Texas refinery incident is an example of this. The behavior of top management towards process safety does not involve rocket science. However, presently, a dangerous trend is taking place in the Industry. The board of directors in many of the chemical facilities do not have a technical person. My problem is not with the board of directors but with the information that reaches them. The president and other members of the top management who report to the board sometimes do not clearly communicate the risks involved in the implementation of certain decisions.This is a recipe for disaster.
I'm happy that the Baker Panel report has recommended that a person with adequate process safety experience must be on the board to explain to top management the effects of certain decisions on process safety.

LPG Tanker fire on NH47 - Lessons to be learnt

Yesterday a LPG tanker caught fire after colliding with a car on NH 47 near Kochi. The news article and pictures from the site indicate a total lack of disregard for safety by the public. The picture shows people milling around the tanker which is on fire and there is even a guy with a handycam, taking videos, standing barely 15 feet from the burning tanker. The fire department personnel are also not wearing any protective clothing. The only silver lining is that they were warned about the BLEVE phenomenon and were cooling the tanker. While India claims to be a superpower in software industry, why do we not imbibe the best practices in fire fighting and rescue? Its not that we cannot, but requires a change in mindset!
Lets hope for a safe New Year 2010!