Two lab analysts die

Further to my earlier post of an accident due to a naphtha fire in an ammonia plant , it is sad to note that two lab analysts who suffered 80% burns have died in a hospital in Chennai. This incident highlights the dangers which personnel face when dealing with hazardous chemicals. They do not give you a chance. The reason for the incident is being investigated. I had worked as a shift in charge at this plant 30 years back. The place where we used to collect naphtha samples regularly was at the hydrodesulfurisation sections ( primary and secondary) outlet.
Look at all you sample collection procedures and whether all hazards have been identified. Train lab personnel to recognize these hazards and report them to plant personnel.


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Simultaneous jobs and their dangers

Many times, during an annual shutdown of a chemical plant, many jobs will be taking place and there is pressure to complete the  jobs on time. Be careful during this period as there may be a tendency to overlook some of the hazards due to simultaneous jobs. Your regular HIRA (hazard identification and risk assessment) may not be adequate and some risks due to nearby jobs may be skipped. Before every turnaround ensure that a special training is given to the people who conduct HIRA on how to identify hazards from simultaneous jobs.


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Are you travelling in a confined space?

In a lighter vein........
I am sure many of you will be flying frequently on official visits. Though planes are designed to be evacuated very quickly during an emergency, I often compare them to flying in a confined space! I have tried to correlate the system in chemical industries used for confined space entry to that of flying in a plane:

Confined space entry permit = boarding pass
Man watch = flight stewards
24 V lighting = emergency escape path lighting
Air blower system for ventilation = cabin air pressurisation system
Oxygen monitoring = oxygen masks drop down when oxygen is less
Rescue plan = emergency exits and chutes
Chief emergency and rescue controller= pilot!


I am sure you will be more comfortable when u fly next!! All the best!


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Case study of a sulphuric acid tank repair

Read a presentation by Carl Matherne on Application of NACE Standards for Sulfuric Acid Storage and Delivery – Tanks and Piping

  
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Accident at chemical facility at Tarapur MIDC

Close on the heels of the accident at a chemical facility in Andhra Pradesh, news about a series of explosions in a chemical facility in MIDC, Tarapur has been reported. No causalities have been reported. Read about the incident in this link.
 
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Chemical factory blast kills two in Andhra Pradesh - The Hindu

Chemical factory blast kills two in Andhra Pradesh - The Hindu



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Fire in ammonia plant injures 7

I felt sad to read the news about a naphtha fire in the ammonia plant of Madras Fertilizers which injured two people seriously. A total of 7 people were reported injured. Read the news article in this link.

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Mists of flammable material can be dangerous

In my career as a process safety consultant, I have investigated some fires caused by fine spray of a flammable  liquid. The most common include pressurised lube oil leaking from a defective hose or hose joint and the fine mist catching fire.
Read a good reference of various fire incidents caused by mist fires in this link.


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Sulphuric acid spill/leak incidents

Sulphuric acid leak/spill incidents continue to occur. Read about two incidents in these links
Accident 1
Accident 2

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PSM internal audit survey results

My thanks to the 22 persons who participated in the survey. The survey results are as follows:

1.  Over 65% of repsondents say that their PSM internal audit is carried out once in 6 months
2. All respondents say that they audit all their elements at a time
3. 30% of respondents replied saying that they audit process safety culture also
4. 50% of respondents use a rating system for the PSM internal audits
5. 85% of respondents replied saying that they feel the PSM issues are coming out during the audits
6. 60% felt that management was not viewing the PSM internal audits seriously
7. 85% felt that technical competency for conducting PSM internal audits needs improvement
8. 50% of the respondents say they classify audit findings as per risk.

 
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LNG tank leak incident

An incident at a a large LNG storage facility in Washington state in USA when an explosion in a "processing vessel" sent sharpnels into an LNG storage tank, puncturing it,has lessons in Quantitative RIsk Assessment and assumptions made.
The graphic leak of LNG from the tank ( which is similar to liquified ammonia tanks) but stores LNG at a temperature of -160 Deg C is shown in the video in a news report. The tank also appears leaking at two different places on the outer shell. The wind direction has helped in not igniting the vapour leak.

Link 1 - video
Link 2- news report


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The GM recall - what are the lessons in process safety culture?

You must be reading the news about the recall of 2.6 million cars GM made due to a problem in the ignition switch which could shut off the car while driving, disable the airbag, power steering and anti lock brakes. However it is reported that GM took 10 years from the time the problem was discovered and recalling the cars to fix the problem. Meanwhile 13 deaths have been attributed to this.
 In the ongoing Senate hearing, the recently appointed CEO of GM Ms Barra told the subcommittee, "that the new GM is more "focused on the customer" compared to a "cost culture" years ago at the automaker."

What is the commonality between a giant automotive maker and PSM? The answer is "cost culture". Beware of the cost virus in your organisation's PSM system.It can cause deadly accidents.
  
Read about the problem and recall in this link
Read about the testimony of GM Chief in this link

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Uzbek fertiliser plant acid spill investigation

In late February 2014, a sulphuric acid spill from a storage facility in a fertiliser plant in Uzbek was reported. Now the investigation reveals that it was a seam failure of the tank. Read the article in this link

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Role of HR in Safety

Mr M.K.Rao, Executive Director of India Glycols Limited has written a good article on "Role of HR in Safety". You can read the article in this link.  My thanks to him.

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Seven dead as tanker overturns - The Hindu

Seven dead as tanker overturns - The Hindu



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Process safety management internal audit survey

I would appreciate if, for those who are running PSM systems, you answer this survey (8 questions). Results will be published in the blog later.
Take the survey in this link.


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Fire in chemical unit

A fire in a  chemical unit in Udaipur has gutted the unit. In the pictures in the news report in this link, you can see remnants of barrels that have caught fire. Often, plants store chemicals in barrels on roads due to lack of space. This practice is a waiting time bomb. Barrels exposed to heat from a fire can explode violently and  spread the fire rapidly. 

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Confined space accident kills 7

 The Hindu Business Line has reported a confined space accident in a textile mill in Erode where 7 workers lost their lives. Apparently, the accident took place when maintenance work was taking place in a sunken pit in a ETP, when a valve broke and released poisonous fumes. The would be rescuers ( 6 of them) entered the  pit one by one to rescue the others and died. Please emphasize in your training the importance of rescuers NOT to enter any space for rescue unless they are adequately protected. This incident  is a tragic loss of life
Read about the incident in this link.


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When the back up fails........

 When I was working in Saudi Arabia, the 3000MTD gas based methanol plant was operated with state of the art DCS systems. Just before a planned turnaround, instrument personnel were working with some control room underfloor cables when, by mistake, all power to the DCS displays were lost. It was restored after 30 minutes. The plant parameters were maintained throughout the upset without any safety issue as the controllers in auto were doing their job. However a case study presented in 2012 by Shri KC Tripathy and others of NTPC shows how safety hazards cropped up during "complete and simultaneous DCS failure in two 500MW units"
The case study mentions among other useful learnings, the following:
"All processors (active and redundant) abruptly rebooted at once. Thereby both redundant network & redundant processor concepts of DCS design were defeated".

 Read the case study in this link.



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Common causes of flange leaks

Often flanges are a source of leaks, causing release of hazardous chemicals that may result in a fire or toxic chemical exposure. Read a good article on the basic causes of such leaks in this link.
 

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