Investigators: Rail car, ammonia tank did not explode at West plant - WacoTrib.com: Fire

Investigators: Rail car, ammonia tank did not explode at West plant - WacoTrib.com: Fire

LINK

At the end of the article in the above link, it is stated that there is no water in the hydrant.

Domestic LPG cylinder leak - lights ON - explosion - deaths and injuries

In an incident of LPG leak from domestic gas cylinder five days ago, 8 persons died and 3 more are undergoing treatment.
In a housing complex, sensing gas leak in the opposite house, neighbors opened the house by getting the keys from the house owner and when switched ON the lights, the sparks caused gas explosion.

Gas detectors are the need of the hour and any gas leak detection should lead to display of warning sign of "DO NOT USE ELECTRIC SWITCHES-DO NOT USE MOBILES-SPARKS CAN CAUSE EXPLOSION" prominently so that even in panic condition one will not try to use electric switches.
Gas cylinder / piped gas distribution agencies can distribute do's and don'ts along with the cylinders by printing behind the bill or if somebody is paying online, these instructions should be displayed on the billing page and only after checking the boxes on each of the instructions, should lead to payment page. Further, distribution agencies and community centers may take up periodical training of residents and those who fail to attend the training programmes should be penalized by way of higher billing or in the worst case, cutting off of gas supply.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/Entire-family-wiped-out-in-Vikarabad-gas-leak-blast/articleshow/19233935.cms

Wrongly labelled bottle - causes fatality (from SafetySmart)

Wrong Bottle Proves Deadly for Worker » SafetySmart

Two workers drink from a bottle labelled as beer, but actually it is a wind shield washer fluid containing methanol. One worker who consumed good amount died whereas the other survived.
Wrong labelling in this case caused death. In some incidents, reagent bottles after use are reused for storing chemicals. If the bottle after use is not emptied and washed thoroughly before reuse, pouring some other chemical may lead to runaway reactions / explosions, etc and can injure the workers. Proper labelling is a requirement under various legislations and compliance will only help us.

Explosion and hydrofluoric acid gas leak near Gumi city in South Korea

In an incident of explosion in a chemical factory near Gumi in South Korea led to release of dangerous hydro fluoric acid gas and caused five deaths and affected more than 3000 persons apart from animals and crops in 524 acres. Some nearby factories in the affected area also shutdown their operations after the incident. The incident happened on 27.09.2012 and it is reported that the evacuation was done after villagers request.

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/277261/news/world/thousands-treated-after-toxic-gas-leak-in-s-korea
http://globalvoicesonline.org/2012/10/08/south-korea-belated-response-to-toxic-gas-leak-affecting-thousands/
http://news.ph.msn.com/regional/thousands-treated-after-toxic-gas-leak-in-s-korea-reports
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/10/09/south-korea-declares-area-hit-by-toxic-chemical-leak-special-disaster-zone/

Fire in a pharma company - same short circuit reason

In an incident of fire and explosion in a pharma company in the early hours on 09.10.2012, waste solvent drums, diesel drums, generator, cables, etc got burnt leading to a loss of about Rs. 2.0 crores. Window panes in and in neighboring plants were shattered due to the blasts. The reason cited is same as in many fire incidents, that is, of short circuit. A good electrical job would have not cost Rs 2.0 crores that was lost in the fire. Keeping all combustibles at one place is not a recommended practice.
Experts say that the cost of preventing an accident is nominal compared to the loss arising out of accidents and still we allow accidents to occur.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/Series-of-blasts-rock-Pharma-City/articleshow/16745498.cms

Explosion in the plant leads to HF gas release

In an explosion in a chemical plant, HF gas leaked causing 5 deaths, injuries to 18 persons and hospitalization of more than 3500 persons. It is stated that the half life of HF is two years and requires monitoring of all affected persons for many years and also ground water contamination.


http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/opinon/2012/10/202_121828.html

Demolition Job Explodes in Workers’ Face » SafetySmart

A person while cutting a line with angle grinder, the gas inside the line exploded on the face causing burn injuries on the face and forearms. Wearing goggles and hand gloves saved the person from more injuries. We heard earlier, hot work i.e welding on  the pipe lines / tanks caused explosion (due to heating of contents inside and building up the pressure). In this case, possibly, after the line is cut, the escaping gas would have ignited from the sparks of grinding job.
Demolition Job Explodes in Workers’ Face » SafetySmart

LINK

Blast and fire in Vizag Steel Plant

In an incident of explosion and resultant fire in Vizag Steel Plant, 16 persons died and  property worth crores of rupees is damaged. It is reported that the incident happened in oxygen plant of the recently commissioned steel melting shop-II during trials. The hot metal from blast furnace will be sent into a mixer where oxygen will be blown at 17 kg/cm2 pressure to remove impurities and then convert into blooms. It is reported that the back pressure caused the explosion.

As per the reports, following are my observations:

1. Impurities from hot metal will be burnt in the mixer with oxygen.
2. Operators could not get the oxygen pressure of 17 kg/cm2 and instead they got about 14 kg/cm2.
3. They tried to admit oxygen at this lower pressure 2-3 times.
4. While people went closer to the unit to see reasons for low pressure, explosion occurred.
5. The pipeline for oxygen is of 5 mm thick instead of 10 mm
6. The oxygen container and associated piping got burst
7. The fire after explosion led to fire causing injuries/fatalities and property damage
8. Vehicles flew of about 50 m from the incident site

The above indicate nonavailability or failure of check valve / non-return valve in the connecting line; non-availability or failure of safety relief valve in the oxygen container and or mixer. The back pressure could be due to sudden reaction of impurities like carbon, etc with more oxygen supplied (2-3 times as low pressure was there) and the reaction product gases could have builtup pressure and non-venting of these gases as they are formed could have led to pressure buildup and back pressure.

As the plant is being commissioned/started for trial runs, many people including top level management was present and so many people thus got exposed.

Why so many vehicles including autorikshaws and scooters were available near the site is not known.

http://www.rediff.com/news/report/eight-killed-in-explosion-at-vizag-steel-plant/20120614.htm

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-06-13/hyderabad/32214943_1_oxygen-plant-sms-wing-blast-furnace

LPG cylinder burst - 5 injured - police book case

In an incident, 5 kids were injured as the mini gas cylinder on which the house wife was preparing food at the time of the incident. Leaking gas caught fire and the house wife tried to extinguish the fire by turning upside down of the cylinder and rubbing over the mud floor. She also put a blanket and poured soap water to extinguish fire unsuccessfully.
The cylinder burst and metal fragments pierced into the bodies of the neighbouring children gathered around the spot. Police booked case against the house wife for causing injuries due to negligent act.
This incident is posted here as many times, cylinder blast is not detailed clearly in the reports. Whether it is gas explosion or bursting of the cylinder will not be stated clearly. Sometimes, people even say gas stove explosion leading misunderstanding of the terms and facts.
http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Hyderabad/article3439539.ece
http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-05-21/hyderabad/31799865_1_cylinder-sridevi-lakshmi

Only married men employed in a factory

In a Chinese factory that is engaged in manufacturing pesticides like guanidine nitrate, it is reported that only married men are employed. An explosion in the factory at about 0930 hr on 28th Feb 2012 led to 13 deaths and scores of injuries. The blast led to collapse of a workshop and breakage of window panes in 2 km radius. Tremors were felt by three villages nearby.
I am unable to guess the reason for only married male employees in the factory.

No emergency doors - 2 die in a pharma fire

In a fire in a pharma factory two persons were charred to death. One of the died persons is a partner in the company. The incident occurred on a sunday evening. The fire resulting from a reactor explosion spread to neighboring areas. The fire was brought under control after five hours of struggle by fire services. It is said that the absence of emergency escape doors led to the deaths of the two persons. The deaths were identified only when the two did not return home and the police went to the factory and saw the skeletons. As usual, the reason stated for explosion is electrical short circuit.

As per Factory Rules, there should be atleast an emergency exit for every 22.5 m (75 feet) distance and the exit doors should open outward. There should not be any stairs immediately outside the emergency doors. These doors should not be locked and the escape routes should be free from any obstruction. The exit routes should be clearly identified and marked. The routes should be illuminated sufficiently.

Generally, we see the fire hydrants, fire extinguishers, emergency escape routes locked or blocked or covered thus making it a life and death question in times of emergency.


http://www.andhrawishesh.com/movies/Hyderabad/22542:two-killed-in-fire-at-rantus-pharma-factory.html

Blast during cleaning of dryer unit in a bulk drugs company

In an incident at about 0615 hr, a chemist and two helpers received 85% burns during the cleaning of a dryer unit in a pharma firm that makes bulk drugs. A worker of the factory said that such incident never took place in the dryers of the pharma units in the industrial area.
A fire resulting after the explosion spread quickly due to chemicals and solvents in the area. The reason could for the incident could not be ascertained.
As it happened during dryer cleaning, the reason could be the static electricity and dust explosion. As solvents in the area caught fire, it is presumed that the workers might have used some solvent to clean the dryer. It is likely that the static electricity produced during cleaning might have discharged in the form of a spark. The dryer unit might have lot of loose particles in the form of dust and any disturbance during cleaning might have caused the dust airborne and to catch fire from the discharge of static electricity leading to dust explosion. Or, if they used large quanity of solvent inside the dryer, the vapors also might have caught fire leading to explosion in the confined space.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIqbwSmd_LY
http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2011-11-28/news/30450554_1_blast-three-persons-facility

A report on explosion in West Pharmaceutical Services can be read here.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Pharmaceutical_Services_explosion

Cylinder explosion during unloading - 2 deaths, 1 injured

The incident of LPG cylinder explosion while transported with oxygen cylinders, root cause analysis, measures to be taken and a PDF file containing some photos are available at the link below.
http://www.citehr.com/360198-cylinder-explosion.html
(The content is reproduced as the author permitted sharing this information without restrictions when some other interested reader enquired in the forum in which this article appeared. Thanks to the author.)

INCIDENT :

Two fatalities & one serious injury occurred in one of the major steel plant, while unloading of gas cylinders from the truck as seen in the photographs.

Brief Description :
During unloading the Oxygen cylinders from a truck which is loaded with 95 Oxygen & 5 LPG cylinders, the oxygen cylinder hit the neck ring of LPG cylinder which gave way its welding causing LPG leak followed by explosion & fire.Further the valve of the oxygen cylinder too got damaged & leaked causing explosion & the cylinder flown like a rocket. Two persons who were engaged for unloading were died & one person met with serious injuries.

Probable Causes :

1) The oxygen cylinders were stored in horizontal position & without protective caps.
2) LPG cylinders were kept along with oxygen cylinders.
3) Smoking in the area.

Lessons to be Learnt :
1) Gas cylinders need to be transported in vertical position
2) No gas cylinder is to be transported / handled without its protective cap. No cylinders should be received in our premises without having its cap.
3) Oxygen cylinder should not be transported along with cylinders containing flammable gas like LPG, Acetylene etc.
4) No smoking need to be strictly followed during transportation / handling the gas cylinders.
5) Gas cylinders need to be unloaded using standard method & not by throwing them.

Pl review the existing practices and takes appropriate actions. Please communicate to all, own / contractor employees about this incident.

Gas leak - six injured

An incident of gas leak and explosion was reported in the newspaper. Not knowing about the gas leak, in the early hours, the person lit a match stick to light a beedi that resulted an explosion with a loud sound and injured six in the house. An adjacent wall of the room collapsed in the incident.

As per another version in another newspaper, the house wife called her husband after smelling the leaking gas, who lit a match stick to see the gas leak.

Normally, there will be reports of cylinder explosion or stove explosion. But, in this report, it is clearly stated that the gas leaked, found ignition source, gas caught fire and exploded.

The incident is a lesson to learn about safe handling procedure for gas leak. After getting the gas smell, one should not switch ON or OFF the electrical appliances, open the windows and doors to allow escape of gas, take the cylinder to open area away from the residential buildings or cover the gas cylinder with a wet cloth, caution others about gas leak and avoid ignition sources and then call the gas cylinder supplier for necessary help.

Domestic LPG cylinder fire and explosion, building collapse

Gas leak from LPG cylinder kept under stairs led to explosion in a building that houses a sari dyeing unit in ground floor and apartments in three floors above. 30 minutes after the LPG explosion, another explosion occurred, said to be involving chemicals of the dyeing unit and caused collapse of the building. Two persons died in the incident. Four fire fighters involved in rescue operations were buried and rescued subsequently. The LPG cylinders belong to the adjacent marriage and convention hall, that also got damaged partially during the incident. Police and Fire Services asked for shifting of the mobile phone tower at the top of the marriage hall which developed cracks after the incident.
Case has been registered against owners of marriage hall and the residential building under provisions of section 337 (Causing hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others), section 338 (Causing grievous hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others), 304-A (Causing death by negligence) of the Indian Penal Code and also under the provision of The Explosive Substances Act.


http://www.dnaindia.com/bangalore/report_bangalore-cylinder-blast-crowds-please-learn-how-to-respond-to-tragedies_1590143
http://ibnlive.in.com/news/day-after-disaster-cops-scout-for-clues/186675-60-119.html
http://zeenews.india.com/news/karnataka/bangalore-building-collapses-after-cylinder-blast_732741.html

Explosion and fireball incidents at Canberra and Oklahoma

There were reports of chemical factory fire and explosions in Australia in leading  about 200 m fireball, temperature of 1000 deg.C. As the fire could not be controlled, the firefighters were asked to move back by 300 m distance. It took 22 hours to control the fires involving combustible chemicals.

http://www.canberratimes.com.au/news/local/news/general/biggest-fireball-ive-ever-seen-superintendent/2295464.aspx
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/massive-chemical-fire-after-series-of-explosions-rock-canberra/story-e6freuy9-1226138503397
http://www.skynews.com.au/national/article.aspx?id=662748&vId=
http://news.google.com/news/story?ncl=http://www.canberratimes.com.au/news/local/news/general/biggest-fireball-ive-ever-seen-superintendent/2295464.aspx&hl=en&geo=us


In another incident of gas rig fire and explosion at Oklahoma, more than 100 ft high flames were seen, lighting an area of about 60 mile distance. People in 2 mile radius were evacuated. No injuries were reported.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/sheriff-warnings-helped-workers-reach-safety-before-okla-gas-rig-blast-homes-evacuated/2011/09/20/gIQAFo2DiK_story.html
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/44589618/ns/us_news-life/
http://news.google.com/news/story?ncl=http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/sheriff-warnings-helped-workers-reach-safety-before-okla-gas-rig-blast-homes-evacuated/2011/09/20/gIQAFo2DiK_story.html&hl=en&geo=us

Explosion at a nuclear waste treatment facility in France

A blast occurred at 1037 GMT today (Monday 12.09.2011) at Centraco nuclear waste treatment facility in Marcoule, France reportedly during melting of metal scrap. One person was killed, one was seriously burned and 3 others were slightly injured. As reports say, there is no leakage of radioactivity from the site.As per BBC reports, blast happened in a furnace used to burn waste, including fuels, tools and clothing which had been used in nuclear energy production but had only very low levels of radiation. The ingots formed after melting will be stored safely at a designated place. This is an accepted procedure.
Authorities informed that there are no nuclear power reactors at the site. The explosion also is not from waste storage tanks where radiolytic hydrogen formed can lead to explosion if not diluted. It is also not of any explosion that may arise during concentration of waste by evaporation.
Any non-nuclear incident in a nuclear facility can be misunderstood as nuclear explosion. This accident is to be treated as industrial explosion and not as nuclear explosion. If the explosion occurred during melting, one reason can be water reaction with molten metal. But, as per BBC report and other reports, explosion occurred after fire. It is not known the reason for fire which can be due to flammable solvents or due to friction of fine turnings of iron,zircaloy, aluminium, etc in the metal scrap. It is a known fact that dust explosions are possible with fine dust of these metals.
As there is no radioactivity, we have to assume the explosion is non-nuclear of one of the above types.
http://hanlonblog.dailymail.co.uk/2011/09/marcoule-explosion-is-the-tide-of-anti-nuclear-irrationality-on-the-turn-.html
1)  http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44483925/ns/world_news-europe/?GT1=43001
2)  http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/french-nuclear-safety-body-says-an-explosion-has-rocked-a-nuclear-plant-in-countrys-south/2011/09/12/gIQAJUkcMK_story.html
3) http://www.thedailybeast.com/cheats/2011/09/12/explosion-kills-one-at-french-nuke-plant.html?obref=obnetwork
4) http://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?30252-Breaking-Nuke-explosion-in-France

Some statements on safety

Following are some of the statements in "Process Safety Analysis - An Introduction"  by Bob Skelton published by Institution of Chemical Engineers, UK.

1. A good safety culture ensures that both the spirit and the letter of the law are fulfilled.
2. Attitude to safety should be highly visible and shared at all levels within the company.
3. A well managed company is almost invariably not only a profitable company but a safe company.
4. Changes in existing plant are costlier than that introduced in design stage.
5. Design should be such that operator intervention is not needed for at least 30 minutes after an incident. Experience has shown that operators can not always be relied upon to make the correct decisions under immediate post-accident conditions.
6. Safety in design must be both proactive and reactive. Changes, once a plant is built, are very expensive compared with changes at the design stage.  It is not sufficient and cost efficient to make safety review after completing the design and then BOLT ON safety devices. It will not be cost effective. Engineered safety is BOLT ON safety. Engineered protective devices can fail and never place too much reliance on BOLT ON safety.
7. Commissioning is one of the most hazardous parts of any process plant operation. Not only do design errors which escaped previous checks manifest themselves but problems due to construction errors also become obvious. In addition commissioning generates hazards of its own as the plant moves from construction to operating status. It is essential that a formal set of checks be carried out before process fluids are introduced for the the first time.
8. Fire and explosions can be prevented  by not exceeding 25% of LEL. Flammable atmospheres can be avoided by ensuring that fuel lines and tanks are pressurized so the flammable material leaks out rather than air leaking in. good ventilation of vessels and plant areas can maintain safe working conditions.
9. Dust explosions are best prevented by good housekeeping - that is, by keeping the concentrations of dust down and perhaps keeping the dust damp. Inerting by dilution with non-combustible dust is another effective technique, frequently used in coal mines.
10. The risk is serious in case of static electricity, if the relative humidity is below about 60%.
11. Explosives manufacturing facilities are usually designed so that the buildings are separated by safe distance, surrounded by earth mounds so that any explosion will go upwards rather than affect other plants in the area. In addition there is usually a limit on the number of people allowed in a building.
12. Fire fighting water causes more damage than the fire itself, when polluted water is let into rivers. There may be a conflict between accepting the atmospheric pollution caused by letting the fire burn out and the water-borne pollution caused by fighting it.
13. Non-process hazards account more than 70% of all accidents in process plant.
14. Many of the worst accidents in the process industries are the result of bad maintenance practice. Ex: Piper Alpha and Flixborough
15. As many people die by asphyxiation as from toxic gases.
16. A good health and safety policy is always cost effective; most organisations grossly under estimate the cost of accidents, often by an order of magnitude. The organisation should be such that the attitude to safety is highly visible and shared at all levels within the company. Active participation is encouraged to promote the objectives of not just preventing accidents and industrial illness but motivating and empowering everyone to work safely.
17. A safety culture, once established, must be maintained, any any tendency to careless practices stamped out at once. Experience shows that 80% of accidents tend to happen to 20% of the workforce - the young and the old being particularly vulnerable.  Many accidents are caused by operators not fully appreciating the significance of small, but nevertheless important changes.
18. A good system of accident reporting is proactive and reactive, whereas most tend to be purely reactive.
19. Effective safety at all stages of a project - from inception to demolition - can only be achieved if there is a commitment at all levels. The senior management must see health and safety as being just as important as profitability and they must make certain that all their workers are aware of this fact.
20. A well managed company is almost invariably not only a profitable company but a safe company.
21. In hazard analysis, a distinction must be made between routine operator action and operator intervention in an emergency.  For routine operator action, the operator can usually take time and is under no great stress. Safety assessments involve the prediction of the likelihood of errors when the operator is taking corrective action against alarms. The time for corrective action may short, the operator is liable to be under some stress and so the probability of errors is greater.
22. Total elimination of human error will never be possible. Use must be made of the science of ergonomics to ensure that everything possible is done to enhance the strengths of human operators whilst at the same time allowing for the weaknesses.
23. The most important rule is, 'inherent safety is better than engineered safety', ' what you have not got can not leak'. Even elaborate safety devices can't reduce risk to zero due to the escape of a noxious substance, but replacing a noxious substance by a more benign one could well eliminate that risk altogether.

 

Apple probes blast at Chinese plant linked to iPad | Deccan Chronicle

There is a blast in a plant that makes ipad2 for Apple company, during which 2 persons died and another 16 were injured. What I appreciate is the statement by the company about halting the production till the investigation is completed. How many companies stop production like this. Stopping the production because of regulator is different to stopping production voluntarily by the management. Demonstration of commitment to safety will be reflected by such acts and employees will get moral boost that company management cares for them and this lead to increased productivity. The details are available in the following link.

Apple probes blast at Chinese plant linked to iPad Deccan Chronicle
An analysis of the attitude of MNCs towards of safety of employees in their outsourced site jobs appeared in Mint magazine on 04.06.2011.

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.