Insulation can burn!

Abhay Gujar has sent news about an insulation fire in a shoe factory in Hanoi, that killed 17 people. According to the news article, "The welder was installing a lightening rod on the factory's tin roof in preparation for a tropical storm that is expected to hit northern Vietnam later Saturday. The insulation fell to the factory floor in a fireball, blocking the 150-square-metre workshop's only entrance before quickly engulfing piles of shoemaking materials, it said".
Some insulating material can burn. Make sure you read the MSDS of your insulating material before attempting any hot work.

Handle waste with care

Waste chemicals can cause major issues if not handled properly. In 2007, an explosion took place in an waste aerosol can shredder unit in the UK An article about the incident mentions the following: "The HSE discovered that the machine had not been designed to safely shred waste containers containing residues of flammable liquids and gases. Furthermore, unsafe operating procedures were in place".
 The general human tendency when dealing with the ETP or waste handling is NOT to treat as seriously as an operating plant. With many waste treatment facilities being outsourced, make sure that you have robust systems in place to avoid incidents.

Read the article in this link.

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

Table top drills for terrorism

I read an article where emergency responders in the USA conducted a table top drill for terrorist activities in an utility plant. It is always better to be prepared than regret later. Assess your security vulnerabilities (both physical and cyber) and be always prepared. Read the article in this link.

The legacy of Bhopal

The Bhopal gas disaster comprises actually of three disasters - the first was the actual incident, the second was the inadequate compensation received and the third is the ongoing legacy of genetic defects and effects of the hazardous waste that has seeped into the ground water.Every plant operating and maintenance personnel must never forget the lessons of Bhopal. They are still relevant today. Read an article about the toxic wastes in this link.

Hydrochloric acid safety

Hydrochloric acid is used in many water treatment units attached to chemical plants. Occidental Chemical Corporation has published a Hydrochloric acid handbook, as part of its commitment to Responsible Care. The guidebook will be useful to everyone who handles and designs systems for hydrochloric acid storage, unloading and loading. Download the handbook from this link. (Pdf file...be patient)

Chemical company cited for process safety violations

A chemical company has been cited by OSHA for 11 process safety violations. They include the following
"failing to provide a written plan for employee participation, written shift change procedures, adequate process chemistry documentation, pressure relief system design and design basis, electrical classification documentation, and written mechanical integrity procedures.
Additionally, the company’s operating procedures lacked documentation of chemical properties and hazards, documentation of control measures to occur after physical and inhalation exposure to hazardous chemicals, and emergency shutdown procedures. The company also failed to ensure equipment complied with recognized and generally accepted good engineering practices, conduct compliance audits, conduct initial process hazard analysis, inspect and test equipment, and manage changes to the operating procedures before they were made".
Read the article in this link.

Cutting cost at what cost?

Recently, a low cost airline has been grounded in Australia allegedly for safety violations. In the chemical industry, too, cutting cost and maintaining competitiveness is the order of the day. But how can you cut cost without compromising process safety? Many organizations have institutionalized risk based approaches towards cost cutting initiatives. But I find that competency of the personnel using such approaches is key to its success. Top management oversight of such risk based approaches can be effective only of someone at the top understands process safety and the implications of a cost cutting change or modification . I often observe some cost cutting changes slipping through such risk based approaches as they were wrongly evaluated by the person doing the evaluation. Ensure you have robust risk management systems and more so, that a person at the top management level is providing management oversight of the whole process. This person must be competent in process safety and risk based approaches. You cannot compromise on this. Act before it is too late. At least the aviation industry has someone external to it to oversee its safety. But in the Chemical Industry, organisations must watch out for this.