Happy New Year 2014!

I WISH YOU AND YOUR FAMILIES A VERY HAPPY, HEALTHY AND PROSPEROUS 2014!

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Confined space engulfment hazards

A fatality in a grain bin in a ethanol manufacturing plant highlights the dangers of entry into bins containing material and its engulfment hazards. The victim apparently enetered the bin to clear a choke when the grain began to flow and he was trapped.
Read about the incident in this link.


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Laws of process safety

 And now for a bit of humour, I have coined some laws of process safety.....

• Process safety performance is inversely proportional to the time a plant / maintenance manager spends in meetings!
• The number of technical persons on the board of a chemical manufacturer is inversely proportional to the chance of a process safety incident occurring
• The more voluminous your PSM program, the more likely a process safety incident would occur.
• Managing process safety is no rocket science - it is look,listen and feel (look at what people are doing, listen to people and feel the pulse of the plant)
• Runaway reactions always happen when the human is around!
• Process safety management does not require six sigma, it requires stick sigma!

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Blast at pharma plant at Tarapur

An explosion and fire has taken place at a pharma plant at Tarapur. Read about the incident in http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report-twin-blasts-rock-tarapur-unit-1937012


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Fire in phenol plant in USA

A fire in a phenol plant in the USA has been captured in this video. Read the article in this link.

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Static charge causes dust explosion

A man was critically injured when a static charge in an improperly grounded vacuum cleaner which was being used to clean machinery, ignited the dust causing an explosion and subsequent small fire,

Read more: Static charge caused explosion in Woburn Tuesday - Woburn, MA - Woburn Advocate http://www.wickedlocal.com/woburn/news/x1892418290/Static-charge-caused-explosion-in-Woburn-Tuesday#ixzz2kIk25U9t

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Salt water tank explosion

In some places, oil and gas reservoirs are found in porous rock formations that also usually contain significant amounts of saltwater. The saltwater produced with oil and gas must be disposed of in a manner that will not cause or allow the potential for pollution of surface or subsurface waters.. In this incident, a salt water tank exploded and 13 other tanks caught fire. The explosion, which occurred after a truck driver had unloaded the salt water into the tank and was leaving the site. The only victim was the truck driver who offered to help firefighters by getting more water to extinguish the fire. While the truck driver was heading back, he suffered a suspected heart attack.The cause of the explosion is under investigation. But this incident highlights the need to treat all tanks with respect.

Read about the incident in this link.

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Changes proposed to OSHA PSM rule

"On Dec 3, 2013 The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced a request for information seeking public comment on potential revisions to its Process Safety Management standard and related standards, as well as other policy options to prevent major chemical incidents. The RFI is in response to executive order 13650, which seeks to improve chemical facility safety and security, issued in the wake of the April 2013 West, Texas, tragedy that killed 15 in an ammonium nitrate explosion. Once the RFI is published in the Federal Register, interested parties may submit comments online atwww.regulations.gov, by mail or facsimile. To view the RFI visithttp://www.osha.gov/chemicalexecutiveorder/OSHA_PSM_RFI.pdf. For more information, visitwww.osha.gov/chemicalexecutiveorder/index.html."

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Refinery faces OH&S charges for fire and explosion

Refinery faces OH&S charges for fire and explosion

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

Technology and emergency response

Thermal imaging technology has been around for decades and it's cost has come down, together with improvements in technology. Often they are used to detect hot spots in electrical systems and insulation or refractory hot spots. Now firefighters are using this technology in emergency response rescue. See a you tube video in this link. 

Today is the 29th anniversary of the Bhopal Disaster. Let us not forget the lessons from Bhopal....

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Explosion of acid tank in Fertilizer Plant

 An empty acid tank exploded during maintenance. This occurred in a phosphate fertiliser manufacturing facility in the USA. The lid of the tank apparently flew 100 feet in the air. Two people were injured.There is a lesson from this and other similar incidents - tanks are dangerous, be it empty or full. Follow all proper hot work precautions. Even waste water tanks have exploded during hot work due to the release of gases.

Read about the incident in this link.


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BBC News -China oil pipe blast

BBC News - China oil pipe blast

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