20 incidents & 3 updates (1/06/13)

2013 Fatality Tracker

INDUSTRIAL

Worker dies at Wolverhampton cardboard factory (a worker, 37, has died after being involved in an accident at a cardboard factory – he died at the scene despite the efforts of paramedics to save him – accident happened at around 4 pm – no details)

FATAL EXPLOSION of OXYGEN CYLINDER DURING FILLING 3 killed in gas factory explosion at Sangjani (as many as three workers were killed and two others sustained critical injuries in a blast in an oxygen factory – the structure of the factory collapsed after the explosion at about 10:45 a.m. – three workers were buried in the debris, while two others, who were at a distance, sustained serious injuries – the incident occurred after an oxygen gas cylinder exploded in the factory during the filling process)

CHEMICAL GAS FATALITIES Two die in Hindustan Zinc plant gas leak (the condition of nine people who fainted is said to be stable – two workers, both 35, died and nine others fainted after they inhaled poisonous gas at a lead plant – the cause of the leakage was not known – the incident happened at a furnace at the Lead plant which was under maintenance shut-down and there was a suspected gas leakage at about 1 PM from the system)

NATURAL GAS EXPLOSION House Explosion Investigation Continues (a home exploded after a contractor hit a natural gas line – a woman was still inside the home when it exploded – a worker from the gas company ended up saving her life, but now that same company is under investigation – workers were in the area trying to repair a gas leak – workers arrived around an hour and a half before the explosion)

FATAL EXPLOSION Tank explosion kills worker near Craig (a tank explosion killed one man at about 10:34 a.m. at an oil rig site – a tank exploded which contained water left over from the fracking process – investigators believe the valves were frozen, and the worker was trying to thaw them with a propane heater when the explosion happened – the official cause of the accident has not been released)

CONFINED SPACE FATALITY 3 killed in fire at Hazira IOC plant in Surat (bodies of three workers were recovered from the storage tanker which went up in flames at the plant – for almost 24 hours, about 100 fire tenders from government and private agencies battled to control the fire which gutted 5,000 kilolitres of petrol – along with the loss of human life, the fire cost close to Rs 45 crore – the tank where the blaze started had about 5,000 kilolitres of gasoline, almost half of the tanks capacity, when it caught fire)

FLASH FIRE Worker hurt in blaze at Amcor factory in Preston (a worker was injured in a flash fire tat a factory – the fire was extinguished fairly quickly but some of the chemical products mixed together and created a hazardous environment – a worker received minor burns in the incident but was treated on site by Ambulance personnel and judged fit to resume work)

FIRE Workers Are Asked Not to Return to Fire-Damaged Plant (managers are asking employees not to return to work until further notice – the fire started about 2:30 p.m. – flames and smoke billowed from the building for more than an hour – all employees got out safely – sprinklers went off, so there is water damage throughout the plant)

FATAL EXPLOSION (WARNING!  GRAPHIC PHOTO with story may be upsetting to some) 2 killed, 4 hurt in blast at Hetero Drugs Vizag unit (a blast in a bulk drug manufacturing unit killed two employees and injured four- the accident occurred between 5 and 5.30 p.m. in one of the units – about half a dozen employees were operating the reactor when there was a build up of pressure which led to the blast)

STEAM Norfolk Southern workers hurt (two workers suffered steam burns at a Locomotive Shop – no other details)

DRILL RIG Dodge City oil field worker injured (an oil field worker, 29, was seriously injured when a large piece of equipment fell on him at a rig just before 10 p.m.- he was injured when a piece of pipe fell out of the pipe elevator and hit him – he was pinned under the pipe for some time – the pipe fell from about 100 feet up – he was transported by ambulance to a County Hospital then airlifted to another hospital – his condition is unknown at this time)

HOTWORK FIRE by CONTRACTORS 4 sent to hospital after fire at Ohio GM plant (four people were taken to local hospitals after a small fire at a plant – the fire began just before 9 p.m. – an early investigation traced the fire to welding work being performed by contractors – three of those taken to the hospital were treated and released, with one remaining hospitalized for observation – firefighters were on the scene for about two hours)

HOTWORK FIRE by CONTRACTORS Firefighters: Roofer’s torch causes fire at Mead Johnson Nutrition (a roofer’s torch caused a fire in the roof of a building around 11:30 a.m. – a group of workers was making repairs to the top of the building when one person’s torch caught roofing materials on fire – workers in the affected building at the facility were evacuated for a short time, but were back at their jobs by afternoon – no estimate yet on the extent of the fire damage)

UPDATE on REFINERY EXPLOSION Feds: Chevron employees may have caused leak, refinery fire (officials investigating last year’s refinery fire were suggesting Friday that the company’s own first responders might have made the problem worse – the fire that incinerated and crippled the refinery last August began with a tiny, but visible leak that looked like steam – initial reports from the CSB indicate that the pipe was punctured from the outside – it thinks that the refinery Fire Department, in trying to get the insulation off the pipe using a tool called a Halligan bar, may have actually punctured the pipe making the leak even worse – that’s because the pipe, seriously corroded by sulfur in the crude oil, was seriously weakened and brittle – the government said even without the damage from the Haligan bar there still would have been some kind of fire, but perhaps not as serious)

UPDATE on FATAL REFINERY GAS RELEASE Toxic gas emission cause for Sapugasakanda oil refinery accident (last year’s fatal accident at the refinery was due to the release of a toxic gas – the accident at the refinery on November 16, 2012 at Unit 15 (Kero Merox) in area 1, killed two refinery workers who were reportedly engaged in repair work – the report states that the fatal accident occurred due to the release of toxic gas emission from the vent side line, when the bolts connecting the relief valve 15SV3 were removed by a three member working crew – a rigger was attendance to help with the hosting work of valve by the crane once all the bolts are removed and valve is isolated – the vent side is connected to the flare line via a non return valve – the pressure on the flare side has been around 5psi – with the final removal of the bolts on the vent side of the valve the gas has come out from the vent side and has affected the personnel on the deck – subsequent effects on the rest of the personnel happened when they had rushed into support the fellow workers but without any protection)

FIRE @ PAINT PLANT Major fire at paints plant, no casualty (a major fire broke out at the plant – no casualties were reported – the fire was under control in about four hours – the fire broke out at around 2.25 pm at the storage section of the company where empty drums had been kept – the wind carried the fire to the nearby chemical storage, finally spreading into the paint manufacturing section – the cause of the fire and exact loss are yet to be assessed)

AMMONIA Ammonia leak reported at Baldwin Park business (officials advised occupants of businesses and homes in the area to stay indoors in response to an ammonia leak at a manufacturing business – the incident was first reported about 12:45 p.m. at a business – one person reported feeling ill as a result of the fumes but declined to be taken to a hospital – it initially appeared work was being done in the area when a power line was severed, causing a power outage that caused a 3,000-gallon tank of ammonia to begin leaking – it was not clear how much of the chemical escaped)

Four dismissed for N China chemical leak (four people directly responsible for a chemical leakage incident that contaminated rivers have been dismissed – aniline had leaked from a broken pipe at the plant – an initial investigation revealed that a loose drainage valve in the plant was blamed for the leak of nearly 9 tonnes of aniline – plant employees spotted the leak on the morning of Dec. 31, while conducting a routine check)

CONSTRUCTION

FATAL FALL Construction worker killed after fall in Columbia-Tusculum (a construction worker was on the site of a future townhome, standing on a floorboard on the second floor when he reportedly fell to the basement level and was killed from his injuries – multiple workers were on the site at the time, but no one witnessed the fall – the victim was in his mid-40’s)

FALL Worker injured at new hospital site (a construction worker injured in a fall at the site of a new Hospital – he was reported to be in fair condition at a local hospital – he fell about 30 feet and landed on the fifth floor of the structure under construction – the worker was wearing a harness as a safety precaution at the time)

UPDATE on FATAL CRANE COLLAPSE 2 Wis. companies cited in fatal crane collapse (a crane collapsed on a bridge project killing one person, 35, and injuring another just after 9 a.m. July 5, 2012 – OSHA has cited two construction companies in the deadly crane collapse – a construction worker was killed and the crane operator was injured – one company faces six violations and a proposed $105,000 fine, the other faces four citations and a potential $13,220 fine)

MISCELLANEOUS

BOOM LIFT w/ FALL Hawaiian Telcom Worker Injured by Fallen Tree (a worker, 34, was injured when a large eucalyptus tree fell across a road and landed on the mid-section of a company boom – the worker was in a hydraulic lift bucket and was repairing phone lines when the incident occurred at 1:39 p.m. – when crews from Engine-5 arrived they found the worker with a lower right leg injury and some abrasions to his right arm – the man was thrown out of the bucket during the incident and fell approximately 20-feet down to the ground – he was packaged and transported to a Medical Center where he was treated for non-life threatening injuries)

FATAL FALL from CELL TOWER Worker killed while working on cellular tower in Mount Vernon (a technician, 32,  for a consulting and construction company fell to his death from a cellular tower – medics tried to save him after he fell just before noon – he was taken to a Hospital where he was pronounced dead)

What’s New @ SAFTENG.net

2013 Photo of the Week #1 (Ladder)

2013 Video of the Week #1 (Odd job hazard of the “great north”)

Inside look at EPA’s Ammonia Alarm Expectations

Vent and Burn Training Video from Transport Canada

Clarification of OSHA’s HAZWOPER Standard (1910.120) as it applies to clearing and re-railing train cars after derailments

OSHA cites chemical manufacturer following nitrogen fatality (5(a)(1), PSM, WWS)

Inspection Techniques: Egress Door Hardware Considerations

Inspection Techniques: Pressure-Vacuum Vent Maintenance

Aboveground Flammable and Combustible Liquid Tank Emergency Venting – Part 1: Tank Types

Pressure Vessel Update (NB-132, Revision 8)

NEW DOT Shipping Papers REQUIREMENT EFFECTIVE 1/1/13

Safety Alert Notice – grinder accident w/ modified grinder

CAUTION – DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE CLEANING WITH (MSHA Hotwork Alert)

Reporting of Exceedances of Maximum Allowable Operating Pressure

Wind Chill Training

GHS Training Materials

1910 vs. 1926 – which applies to my “work”

Photo of the Week #52 (Emergency Response)

2012 Video of the Week #52 (Workzone PSA – Adults ONLY)

Safety Alert Notice – grinder accident w/ modified grinder

EPA issues RMP citations (NH3 Refrigeration)

EPA issues RMP citations to two (2) Program Level 2 WWTPs (Chlorine)

EPA issues RMP citations to a Program Level 2 Ammonia Plant

EPA cites for failing to submit a RMP (NH3 Refrigeration)

EPA RMP General Duty Clause citations (NH3 Refrigeration)

Refinery to pay $115K penalty and improve Risk Management Plan (PHA, SOP, MI)

OSHA’s “Process Opening” Hazard Information Bulletin