Process Safety

"The explosion occurred at 3 p.m. at a waste water treatment tank in Evonik Lynchem Co., Ltd. in Dalian City. It killed two workers standing near the sealed tank and injured six others" - Mike Boudreaux via Bookmarklet

The UK Health and Safety Executive have released the Phase 1 Report on the Explosion Mechanism Work. This can be downloaded from their website . - Mike Boudreaux via Bookmarklet

"In April, CSB determined that an explosion that killed two workers at a Bayer CropScience plant in August 2008 resulted from safety management lapses, possibly related in part to a lack of worker training on control systems after a maintenance shutdown. "Prior to starting up, Bayer had recently upgraded the computer control system for the unit..." said CSB lead investigator John Vorderbrueggen in an agency statement. "The control screens were completely different -- and Methomyl production equipment control was changed from a keyboard to a computer mouse -- yet operators had not been fully trained and prepared to operate the complex process equipment on the new system." - Mike Boudreaux via Bookmarklet

"A proposed federal law would prevent companies such as Bayer CropScience from trying to use national security concerns to conceal safety information from the public, Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., announced in a news release issued Wednesday." - Mike Boudreaux via Bookmarklet

"Federal security regulators likely will have new authority to impose inherently safer technology (IST) requirements on US chemical plants at risk of terrorist attack, industry officials said on Monday." - Mike Boudreaux via Bookmarklet

"Combustion equipment safety is critical to the daily operation of all facilities and the safety of every employee. This paper will help you understand how to protect your employees from combustion-related incidents involving fuel-fired equipment (boilers, ovens, furnaces) before you end up a headline." - Mike Boudreaux via Bookmarklet

"Fire fighters say the injured Nuplex worker was cleaning a kettle used to produce polymer resins, usually used in paints when the explosion occurred. "There were vapors escaping from the kettle and they did go throughout the building into a couple of different rooms and found an ignition source and that caused the kettle to rupture and explode, followed by a small flash fire," says Major Carroll Haueter" - Mike Boudreaux via Bookmarklet

"During the first year of the NEP, OSHA inspectors issued nearly 350 PSM citations to 14 refineries. Some of the citations issued involved employers who failed to address their own process safety findings and recommendations, and failed to establish maintenance procedures for equipment such as pressure vessels and emergency shutdown systems." - Mike Boudreaux via Bookmarklet

"The U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) today sent an investigation team to the site of an explosion, fire and roof collapse at the ConAgra Foods plant in Garner, North Carolina." - Mike Boudreaux via Bookmarklet

"According to police, it happened in an area where fatty acids were stored and mixed with hydrogen. Police say a hydrogen tank exploded, igniting a fire in the plant." - Mike Boudreaux via Bookmarklet

“At about 6 p.m., a storage tank containing sodium hydroxide, known as white liquor, exploded, during an extended annual maintenance shutdown,” said Kent Walker, vice president of operations and site manager at the Columbus plant. - Mike Boudreaux via Bookmarklet

"A process safety management (PSM) oriented program that addresses combustible dust hazards in the manufacturing, non-manufacturing, and utility sectors needs to be implemented as it is in the chemical and refinery sectors." - Mike Boudreaux via Bookmarklet

"A company official says a fire has been contained after an explosion at a Sunoco Inc. oil refinery on the Delaware River. Residents in the Marcus Hook area began reporting hearing explosions from the refinery and claimed they could see smoke in the sky just before 10 p.m. Sunday. Officials report that an explosion did occur at the ethylene plant on the Sunoco compound in New Castle County, Delaware." - Mike Boudreaux via Bookmarklet

Gov. Jack Markell toured the damaged Claymont branch of Sunoco's Marcus Hook (Pa.) Refinery this afternoon, after meeting with local firefighters to praise their quick action during a plant explosion and fire on May. 17. http://www.delawareonline.com/article... - Mike Boudreaux

"Video detailing how U.S. Chemical Safety Board investigations, recommendations, and outreach help to prevent chemical accidents. Features interviews with CSB Chairman John Bresland, CSB managers and staff, and outside stakeholders together with footage of chemical accidents, investigative activities, and hearings." - Mike Boudreaux via Bookmarklet

"Boom! Factories have been going boom and managers have lied to the CSB. Walt Boyes and ARC’s Larry O’Brien discuss what appears to be a crisis in process functional safety in this month’s Control/ARC Podcast edition." - Mike Boudreaux via Bookmarklet

"15 years ago, the ground shook, and the morning skies in Belpre were filled with flames, from a dawn explosion at the Shell Chemical Plant that could be both seen and felt for miles. The name outside the facility has changed...as Shell sold the plant to Kraton a few years later. The plant now is known as Kraton Polymers. The man who, then and now, serves as the plant's spokesman, says one of the things he remembers most about that day was the response from emergency crews." - Mike Boudreaux via Bookmarklet

"Engineer Scott Davis, of GexCon U.S., says it could be a natural gas leak. "We know there were numerous leaks in the surrounding area that could have possibly migrated into the facility. We identified through ground penetrating radar, numerous potential pathways into the facility." While federal investigators ruled out a gas leak as a cause, several neighbors tell WBZ they still suspect gas was behind the blast." - Mike Boudreaux via Bookmarklet

"The Georgia Tech Research Institute is offering FREE one day and one week course regarding the creation of an effective Process Safety Management (PSM) program in accordance with OSHA standard 29 CFR 1910.119. The courses are being held in Houston, Atlanta, Tampa, Raleigh, Savannah and Gulfport (MS)." - Mike Boudreaux via Bookmarklet

"OSHA has cited Hess Corp., an oil refinery in Port Reading, N.J., for workplace safety and health violations, proposing fines totaling $141,500. The agency initiated the investigation as part of its National Emphasis Program focused on petroleum refinery process safety management. As a result of the investigation, the company has been issued 31 serious violations and one other-than-serious violation." - Mike Boudreaux via Bookmarklet

"At least three people were killed and about two dozen others injured in two powerful explosions at Armenia’s largest chemical plant on Thursday. The first explosion rocked the Yerevan-based Nairit plant late in the afternoon, sending plumes of black smoke billowing skywards. Company officials said it occurred at one of the plant’s facilities used for storing a chemical substance that produces synthetic rubber, the company’s main product. The explosions reportedly followed a huge fire at a chloroprene production shop at the plant." - Mike Boudreaux via Bookmarklet

"A EurasiaNet reporter in Yerevan said that five people were reportedly killed in the incident at the Russian-owned Nairit industrial rubber production plant, situated roughly five kilometers from the center of Yerevan. Earlier Russian news service reports stated three dead and 17 wounded. Police were said to be evacuating nearby areas, according to ArmeniaNow.com." http://is.gd/zWHC - Mike Boudreaux via fftogo

"Take Your Medicine. A How-To Prescription for Practical Process Safety, Using Hazard Identification, Risk Assessment, Corporate Risk Policy, Consistent Implementation, Thorough Training and Continuous Revaluation—with Help from Harmonizing Standards and New Technical Tools" - Mike Boudreaux via Bookmarklet

Fire broke out at Columbus Chemical Industries Monday night and caused the evacuation of nearby city residents while firefighters battled the blaze. A series of explosions were reported along with the fire, which broke out shortly after 8 p.m. Monday. No serious injuries were reported, although two firefighters were being checked at a local hospital. - Mike Boudreaux via Bookmarklet

"For the presentation of the aggregated data to management, Stokes’s team used MII tools to design a refinery operations dashboard covering five key components: health, safety, environment (HSE); process safety management (PSE); operations throughput; tank inventories; and an energy scorecard that measures refinery use of steam, electricity and fuel gas. The dashboards rely on a “traffic light approach,” enabling managers to see at a glance how the various operational measures are trending at each of the plants via green, yellow or red light indicators. “The goal is to provide them quick access to information that helps them make decisions on a daily basis,” Stokes says." - Mike Boudreaux via Bookmarklet

"Sen. Rockefeller (D, WV) has joined Chairman Waxman (D, CA) of the House Energy and Commerce Committee in sending a formal letter to the Chairman of the Chemical Safety Board (CSB) requesting that the board look at inherently safer technology (IST) alternatives to the bulk storage of MIC at the Bayer CropScience facility outside of Institute, WV." - Mike Boudreaux via Bookmarklet

Authorities said around midnight, six employees were supervising the transfer of some chemicals, and they believe something went wrong with the ventilation system and solvent vapors. Two workers were injured after a massive explosion at an industrial plant in West Carrollton. - Mike Boudreaux via Bookmarklet