Positive material identification

I recently investigated an incident caused by counterfeit material of construction. How good is your positive material identification system? Be careful as there are a lot of counterfeit material being offered at low cost which may be tempting to buy but will cause a major process incident later.

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Pipe replacement in refinery after incident

Chevron's refinery which experienced a fire last August has mentioned that they are replacing materials of construction of certain pipes with chrome alloy to avoid corrosion problems. Read the article in this link.

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Incomaptibility incident

An incident caused a fatality when sodium hydrogen sulphide was accidentally unloaded in to a tank containing dilute sulphuric acid causing H2S generation. Read about the incident in this link.

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AVoid Verbal Instructions!

A friend send me this. Avoid Verbal Instructions... no offense meant to anyone but it is a powerful lesson!

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Applying Tank Farm safety Standards for India - Honeywell paper

A good article by Honeywell India about Applying Tank farm safety standards in India can be read in this link.

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Industrial Control Room: The Control Room of the Future - Smarter Reality

 Industrial Control Room: The Control Room of the Future - Smarter Reality

 
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Worlds Largest ammonia storage tanks

For my friends in the fertilizer industry, QAFCO is building the World's largest ammonia storage tanks, each of 50,000 MT capacity. I started my career in ammonia plant in 1979 when tank capacities were 5000 MT!!
The new tanks are single wall with concrete containment.
Read more in this link.

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Tank design standards

I often see tanks not being given their due importance by process engineers when modifications are being carried out. Many modifications are done without the use of proper engineering standards. A tank failure can be catastrophic and a good article mentioning the basic precautions and standards to be followed is available in this link.

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Trainee engineer dies due to nitrogen

The Hindu newspaper has reported a fatality in a valve manufacturing company where a trainee engineer entered a cryogenic pit that was filled with nitrogen. It is sad that people continue to loose their lives due to this gas. Please share with all your colleagues. It may save a life. Read the article in this link.

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Bromine gas leak incident

Thanks to Abhay Gujar for sending news about a bromine gas leak. The Times of India reports that "Over 150 people needed treatment and three are in intensive care after bromine gas leaked from a pharmaceutical company in Dombivli's MIDC and spread over a 1-km radius area affecting over 2.5 lakh people. Anger and fear are frothing in the surrounding settlements as this was the fourth instance of carelessness with chemicals that has imperiled people in the industrial area in the past two months".

Read the full article in this link.

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Top management competency and process safety

I often interact with senior management regarding process safety issues and what I see presently troubles me. Over the years, the senior management in many chemical industries have gradually changed from hardcore chemical engineers and well experienced in plant operations and maintenance to those without a chemical engineering background and plant experience (finance and commercial background). Now this should not be a problem as long as the factory heads are in a position to assert their requirements in process safety and obtain the budgets necessary. But there is also a decline in the competency of factory heads in many units. The disease seems to be spreading and many future accidents are going to be attributed to this.
I don't know if there is a solution to this!
I would appreciate feedback from readers on how this works in their organization. You can mail me at bkprism@gmail.com
 
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H2S leak from oil well

Thanks to Vinod Kumar (my chemical engineering classmate!) for sending details of a H2S leak from an oil well which had reportedly reached Kuwait city. A news article mentions that the leak has been set afire to reduce the toxicity. See pictures and read the report in this link.

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Pipe opening hazards

Many accidents continue to occur when pipelines carrying hazardous materials are opened without proper clearing, resulting in accidents. The pressure to complete a job quickly results in major accidents
Read an excellent safety alert by the CSB regarding the hazards of pipeline opening in this link.

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Accident due to incompatibility

An accident in Germany has been reported due to the mistaken addition of an acid to a caustic soda storage tank. About 1400 people are reported to have been evacuated and the tank is being cooled. Read more in this link.

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Dead Leg hazards

A refinery in the USA has been cited for "not ensuring that inspection and testing procedures for process piping followed recognized and generally accepted good engineering practices for all dead leg piping circuits. The proposed penalty for the willful violation is $65,000".
Read the article in this link. 
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Another explosion in a Pharma unit

A news report mentions about explosions at a bulk drug unit in the Jawahalal Nehru Pharma City at Parawada. The explosions in apparently occurred in three mother liquid tankers and two diesel tanks.
Read the news article in this link

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Chlorine process safety

Please see a good presentation by Shri Harisaran Das on process safety in chlorine production in this link.

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Hydrofluoric acid leak in Korea

A hydrofluoric acid leak in Korea two weeks ago has hundreds of people evacuating. A news article mentions the following:
"The accident at a factory owned by Hube Korea, a local manufacturer of hydrofluoric acid used for the production of displays, has claimed five lives. More than 2,000 residents have also suffered from the effects of the acid on their skin, eyes and respiratory system, while some 300 local residents have opted to temporarily relocate".
Read the news article in this link.
A MSDS of HF mentions an incident where a lab technician dies two weeks after a spill covering 10% of his total body. The delayed effects of HF must be made known to everyone handling it. The MSDS also mentions that fatalities can occur even with 2.5% exposure of body area. The MSDS also explains how HF causes death. Worth a read for those handling HF. Read it in this link.

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Another reactor blast

A reactor blast has been reported at a bulk drugs unit in Andhra Pradesh on Friday.
Read related articles in these links
Link 1
Link2

Everytime an accident occurs in India, we rarely publicly get details of the root causes. When I compare this to the US, the CSB is doing a wonderful job by making all personnel aware of the root causes of many accidents in the chemical industry. If anyone has more details about the incident in AP, please share.


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Leak in breathing air hose causes incident

I read about an incident where a person entered a reactor which was under inert gas. He was wearing supplied air breathing apparatus. The catalyst was pyrophoric in nature. Unfortunately, the breathing air hose leaked when he was inside the reactor and his neck got burnt due to the pyrophoric catalyst dust that had accumulated on his suit.
Whenever you do an entry into a nitrogen filled atmosphere, be very careful and your JSA should take into account all possible eventualities.

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