Access and Accidents

The German wings plane that crashed in the Alps on Tuesday killing all onboard is being attributed to the co pilot intentionally crashing the plane, when the pilot went out of the cockpit. The pilot was not able to regain access to the cockpit as the copilot is alleged to have locked the door from inside. There is an interesting video from popular science about how the cockpit door locking arrangement works.

Coming back to our industry, more and more electronic access systems are being installed in chemical plant control rooms and hazardous chemical storages to prevent unauthorized access. But have you thought about everything including emergency response or evacuation requirements in case of malfunction of these access control systems?

See the video about how the cockpit door locking arrangement works in this link.

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Trinidad and Tobago incidents

Fire incidents in oil and gas sector


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Worker Safety | Silence Kills | Chemical Processing

Worker Safety | Silence Kills | Chemical Processing



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Could a Texas City blast happen again? Read the investigation at HoustonChronicle.com

Ten years after a Texas City refinery blast killed 15 and rattled a community, workers keep dying. The Houston Chronicle and The Texas Tribune investigate.
 http://www.houstonchronicle.com/texascity



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Major mishap averted - The Hindu

Major mishap averted - The Hindu



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Chemical Disasters | Bhopal Leaves a Lasting Legacy | Chemical Processing

Chemical Disasters | Bhopal Leaves a Lasting Legacy | Chemical Processing



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Don't Fall For Common Myths About Hot Oil Systems | Chemical Processing

Don't Fall For Common Myths About Hot Oil Systems | Chemical Processing





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Golden Rules of Total

 Total, the oil and gas multinational has Golden rules for safety in its website which can be accessed in this link

 
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Confined space fatality in chemical tanker - lessons to learn

A confined space fatality incident in a chemical tanker highlights the dangers when we take safety precautions and permits lightly. This can happen to even the most experienced persons. Discuss this incident with your personnel and the lessons learnt. The incident case study is in this link.

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Hazards of overfilling vessels

 Hazards of overfilling vessels - good lessons to learn


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Chemical Safety Board Under Fire

Chemical Safety Board Under Fire



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Thermal expansion accident

Thermal expansion inside a valve caused the bonnet of the valve to fail. The safety alert mentions the following:

Pressure build-up occurs in the gate valve cavity from thermal expansion of fluids. Extreme pressure build-up from fluid expansion can occur if the valve body is completely full of fluids (e.g., a grease/oil/water mixture) and heated to elevated temperatures. Such pressure can exceed the rated working pressure of the valve.

A valve with the ability to isolate the body cavity from the flow line may be at risk.
Presence of grease or compounds designed to enhance sealing ability may exacerbate the condition.
Grease or a grease/oil/water mixture when heated in a sealed enclosure can exceed 7000 psi (48.5 MPa) at 250 °F (121 °C).
Gate valve body cavities that are not 100% full of fluids do not experience excessive pressure as the vessel was heated. Trapped air or gas allows room for thermal expansion.

Read the safety alert in this link. 

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Managing chemical reactivity hazards -EPA Alert

Managing chemical reactivity hazards -EPA Alert

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Depending on ROV's for isolation is bad design

An accident in a refinery in 2007 that killed 4 contract workers highlights the dangers of depending only on ROV's (remotely operated valves) for isolation. A maintenance job was being carried out on a hot oil line. Operators closed a ROV in the line and issued the permit to remove a blind on the downstream flange of the ROV. Instrument air to the ROV was left open. (ROV is a fail to close valve) When the maintenance workers were fixing the chain block to remove the blind, it inadvertently hit the switch on the ROV control field panel and opened the valve, causing hot pressurised oil to spray, ignite and kill the 4 workers.  

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Blast in Hyderabad-two-die-13-hurt- Times of India

Blast in Hyderabad, two die, 13 hurt - Times of India

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Lessons from Fukushima

Read the lessosn learnt from Fukushima in this link  http://nas-sites.org/fukushima/files/2012/10/Kitazawa.pdf

It applies to us in the CPI, too!


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Management decision during crisis

Continuing with Fukushima, a very interesting read on Fukushima and management decisions!
http://www.nikkeibp.co.jp/rebuild/en/article_09/index_03.shtml

 
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Explosion at Exxon Mobil refinery in Torrance, California, injures four - Reuters

Explosion at Exxon Mobil refinery in Torrance, California, injures four - Reuters

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Inherently safer design

Inherently safer design - Safety+Health magazine

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Don't Normalise deviations!

 In 1994, a fatality caused by exposure to hydrogen sulfide occurred at a refinery. The accident  occurred while draining of a fuel gas knockout drum in a hydro treating unit. Normal work procedures included periodically opening a valve that carried a water-gas mixture to a separator which removed and vented hydrocarbon gases to a flare. During the preceding winter, the piping to the separator froze, and the drum was temporarily drained to the sewer. This deviation went unnoticed and the temporary practice of draining to the sewer continued. On the day of the incident, the operator opened the valve to the sewer believing it to be part of the draining procedure, resulting in the release of toxic amounts of hydrogen sulfide that killed the operator.

Source: osha.gov

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