Lessons from the Maggi Noodles relevant to process safety!

I am keenly following the current crisis in Maggi Noodles being withdrawn temporarily in many states in India due to alleged high content of lead and mono sodium glutamate. What can we learn from this episode? CRISIS MANAGEMENT!

Are you ready for crisis management in your organization?

I cannot but draw attention to the tylenol crisis in the mid 80's in USA when some tylenol tablets were contaminated with cyanide by a miscreant. The way Johnson and Johnson handled that crisis is a text book case of Crisis Management.
Read about that in this link. Be prepared!


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Hydrogen safety

Good practical article on hydrogen safety. Worth reading in this link

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Calculations help determine carbon steel piping in cold temperature relief service - Oil and Gas Journal

Calculations help determine carbon steel piping in cold temperature relief service - Oil and Gas Journal 
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NTSB Safety Alert Urges Pilots to ‘See and Be Seen’ in the Air

NTSB Safety Alert Urges Pilots to ‘See and Be Seen’ in the Air

The safety alert has parallels in Process Safety. I feel that with overdependence on automation and technology, plant operators also are slowly forgetting how to run a plant!


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Piping failure incident

 Read about a case study of a piping failure incident due to external corrosion in this link


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Phosphoric acid tank explosion

The late Dr Trevor Kletz had written about this incident in a safety bulletin:

'Small quantities of hydrogen are usually produced when corrosion occurs. If the hydrogen cannot escape and accumulates in the plant, an explosive mixture may be formed. This has caused some fires or explosions in surprising places. Some years ago an explosion occurred in a storage tank of phosphoric acid due to hydrogen produced by corrosion. The tank vent discharged downwards near a walkway. A welding spark ignited the escaping hydrogen and blew the roof off the tank.

The tank was modified so that the vent was in the centre of the roof and the hydrogen could escape easily".

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OSHA cites DuPont for deadly 2014 leak at La Porte facility - FOX 26 News | MyFoxHouston

OSHA cites DuPont for deadly 2014 leak at La Porte facility - FOX 26 News | MyFoxHouston



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HPCL pipeline bursts in Panjikallu - diesel leakage creates scare

HPCL pipeline bursts in Panjikallu - diesel leakage creates scare



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Process Safety Challenge

PROCESS SAFETY CHALLENGE

A fertiliser plant burns natural gas in a hot air generator and uses the hot air to dry the product. The natural gas line inside the enclosed fertiliser plant building is getting corroded due to the corrosive atmosphere inside. Recently, a leak occured in the natural gas line due to corrosion. The NG line pressure is 2.5 barg. A suggestion to enclose the NG line inside the building with an enclosure and providing gas detectors within that enclosure has been raised. You are the MOC (management of change)  approving authority. Will you agree for this change? If not, please list down your comments.

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Firefighters, DuPont employees evaluated after leak at plant

Firefighters, DuPont employees evaluated after leak at plant


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Be careful while cleaning "empty" drums

During drum washing operations, a 45 gallon drum exploded due to a buildup of pressure inside the drum.The force of the explosion resulted in the drum flying out of the site onto the roof of a neighbouring building.The drum was one of a batch 70  "empty" drums delivered to the site to be cleaned.The drums all contained residues of acetyl-chloride (a water reactive substance).
Treat "empty" drums with great care! It may look innocent but can kill.


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Flames shoot out of smokestack at oil refinery | The Pueblo Chieftain

Flames shoot out of smokestack at oil refinery | The Pueblo Chieftain

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