Lessons learnt from process safety accidents - an article from insurancenewsnet.com

A good article is found on the above title, narrating lessons from five less known accidents. The lessons are,

1. containment of water from fire fighting operations to avoid contamination of water sources in the rundown 
2. to consider all auxiliary equipment also as important as main plant equipment for understanding hazards
3. not to ignore hazards and need for monitoring even during shutdown 
4. positive isolation, purging and checking for hazardous atmospheres (using flame is not a correct check for presence of flammable atmosphere)
5. follow written approval system to override interlocks
6. follow safety permit procedures
7. identify the correct equipment before taking up work
8. communicate with clear identification while handing over the equipment for maintenance
9. ensure physical check by another agency before permitting equipment operation/maintenance
10. hazards from dust, propagation of dust explosions
11. preparation of emergency response management, with detailed instructions for every type of emergency
12. good house keeping
13. establish process safety management procedures
14. inculcate good safety culture, starting from the top management

Easy to blame others for fires in our premises - what about our preparedness?

Today I read in a news paper that fire services reached late to the site of fire by which some property damage already took place. Such reasons we hear or read regularly without thinking what is that we have done to protect our property or persons before expecting others' help.

Did we keep our premises free from hazards?
Whether the house keeping in our site is well maintained?
Whether the shop floors are free from obstructions?
Whether the approach roads are free from mindless parking vehicles?
Whether we adhered minimum requirements of maintaining water storage, fire detection and control system?
Whether the persons in the building / plant are trained in basic fire fighting?
Do we have regular surveillance checks to see that the premises are safe for residing or working?

Instead of keeping our house right i.e free from hazards, we blame late arrival of fire department. For them to reach the place of incident, they have to come through congested roads. We construct our buildings without proper place for vehicle parking and we think public roads are our parking areas. Some of those who have parking space for residents do not allow visitors to park inside the premises. Big notice board will be displayed reading "NO PARKING FOR OUTSIDERS/VISITORS". Then why do allow visitors at all? All such premises and those parking vehicles on public roads should be penalized heavily. This will also be a good source of income for the local authorities. To avoid corruption / bribes, local authorities can share a percentage of such income generated with the employees making efforts to identify such lapses and collecting the amounts.

For most of the fires, short circuit is a stated reason making them electrical fires. But, why such short circuit takes place. The reason is overload, absence of surge protectors, use of poor quality wiring or not replacing the old wiring. It is stated that even in residential buildings, electrical wiring needs replacement after 15 years. Atleast, we should get the electrical systems checked regularly not for anybody else, but for our own safety.

Municipal authorities / factories department should make it compulsory for periodical checking by specifying the period also say once in five years every time after first 15 years of life. Like building inspectors authorized for checking, they should authorize experienced and qualified persons/institutions for such checks without which permissions should be withdrawn and power/water supply / sanitation services.

These data should be digitized so that defaulters can be easily found on the next day of due date and action can be taken.
Data entry of checks should be done by authorized inspectors and for any incidents, such inspectors/agencies should be made responsible.

Who is responsible for safety for works in your plant?

In an operating plant, various works of maintenance, civil, erection/commissioning of new equipment/facilities, house keeping, etc will be in progress under the supervision of in-charges for respective agencies. However, in case of any lapse with regards to safety or any incident/accident, question arises to decide who is responsible for the incident. Though, safety permits may be issued in the name of the executing agency, plant in-charge also should be held equally responsible as it is the work in his plant and is being done by other agencies because of his request. If any incident occurs, brunt is to be borne by plant officials, plant operations may have to be suspended and in worst case plant may be exposed to damage.

Hence, plant officials can't escape from responsibility to ensure safety during works executed by other agencies. 

House Keeping in waste yards

Today I read about a fire incident in a thermal plant storage yard where wild grass caught fire. This fire spread to nearby combustibles with flames reaching very high and in the process damaged two HT cables.
Such incidents or conditions can be seen in every factory. With good intentions, areas will be cleaned. Then, someone else in the evening hours dumps scrap and other unwanted material. Over a period of time the area becomes a big dumping yard along with growth of wild vegetation and the area is prone to fire hazard. All types of wastes can be seen like domestic waste, plastic scrap, metallic scrap, civil debris, etc. Because no one attends, creepers will go up on the HT structures and become source for spreading fire in the event of any fire at ground level.
Good house keeping not only keeps hazards away but also gives ambience and affects positively the persons in the area.
Few months back, a wild grass fire in railway wagon yard lead to complete damage to the wagon. It may be noted that oil soaked cotton waste can catch fire because bacterial action. This bacterial action is exothermic and over a period of time the heat buildup causes sudden fire of the material.
Compared to earlier years, in this year 2010, many fires were reported in different cities of our country and because of courageous efforts by firemen who get peanuts for their efforts, huge properties are saved. All we do for their efforts is to observe two minutes silence on every 14th April, give speeches and forget Fire Services Day and the firemen.
There is a dialogue in Telugu movie, "tinnama, padukunnama, tellarinda". This is what we do with respect many issues including safety.
It has become a fashion to blame regulators for each and every incident. If we are not prompt in what is happending in our house or our own backyard, who can do what.