A place for my personal thoughts/views on safety, with focus on industrial safety.
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May 26, 2011
Gas leak and explosion at a refinery in Iran
A gas leak and subsequent explosion and fire at a refinery in Iran killed 4 people and injured 25 persons. It is reported that the incident occurred when the facility was made ready overnight for inauguration. If the facility is to be inaugurated for some reason, may be it can done without starting the facility, if systems are not in place. It is appropriate for authorities to enquire about status of the facility, obtaining of statutory clearances, systems in place, etc., before accepting invitation for inauguration as any incident like this can damage their reputation. I saw a CEO enquiring with the safety department head before inauguration about the safety readiness of the facility and whether they issued clearance for starting operations or not. There are instances of not accepting the invitation when safety clearances were not obtained. Though it looks strange for others, but it demonstrates concern about safety of the employees and public from the facility operations.