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Theme for the month - Nitrogen related incident

A driver was fatally asphyxiated during commissioning of a nitrogen customer station. The customer station tank was located in a pit that was not recognized as a confined space by the design team, distribution operation team or the driver. The driver was sent to do the commissioning by himself.

During the commissioning the driver made a mistake in opening the liquid supply line valve, instead of the gas vent valve, for purging and cool down of the tank. It is believed he did not immediately notice the valving error partially due to a modified manifold that allowed gas to vent from an uncapped drain in the liquid supply line. When the driver opened the valve gas started venting as would normally occur except from the wrong location. Once he noticed that liquid rather than gas venting, he went into the pit to correct the valving error. At this point he walked into a nitrogen rich/oxygen deficient atmosphere.
Source:EIGA

Theme for the month - Nitrogen related incident

A driver of a small-scale liquid nitrogen delivery service vehicle was making a delivery. He connected his transfer hose to the customer-installed tank, which was situated in a semibasement. After he had started to fill, one of the customer’s employees told him that a cloud of vapour was forming around the tank. The driver stopped the filling operation and returned to the area of the tank to investigate. On reaching the bottom of the stairs, he collapsed, but fortunately he was seen by one of the customer’s staff that managed to put on breathing apparatus, go in and drag the man to safety. The driver fully recovered. Unknown to the driver, the bursting disc of the storage tank had failed prior to the start of his fill and as soon as he started filling, nitrogen escaped in the vicinity of the storage tank. The oxygen deficient atmosphere overcame him when he went down to investigate without wearing his portable oxygen monitor, which would have warned him of the oxygen deficiency. The installation had been condemned and was no longer being used. Not only was the tank situated in a semibasement, but the relief device was also not piped to a safe area.

Source:EIGA

API Pandemic planning giude

API Pandemic planning guide

Theme for the month - Nitrogen related incident

Welding work with an argon mixture was performed inside a road tanker. During lunchtime the welding torch was left inside the tank, and as the valve was not properly closed, argon escaped. When the welder re-entered the tank, he lost consciousness, but was rescued in time. Equipment that is connected to a gas source, except air, must never be left inside confined spaces during lunch breaks, etc. Merely closing the valves is not a guarantee against an escape of gas. If any work with inert gas is carried out in vessels, etc. take care with adequate ventilation or the use of proper breathing equipment.
Source:EIGA