At 4:00 p.m. on May 10, 2021, an employee working for a chemical supplier was transferring chlorine-containing product from a storage tank into a tanker truck. A valve intended to direct the displaced contaminated air to be scrubbed of chlorine was accidentally left CLOSED. The chlorine-containing air was then not scrubbed and was allowed to […]
This event is a perfect example of why all piping openings are hazardous. At approximately 7:00 p.m. on November 15, 2006, Employee #1 was a process operator at the Chlorine Liquefaction Unit, Block A-19. He was preparing to bleed off chlorine on a process line to clear the line for maintenance work. The valve handle
NOTE: these are from the fatal 2014 NH3 Truck Unloading accident, where the “bleed tank” (which was a plastic IBC) catastrophically failed because a liquid NH3 valve was left open. I have no idea why this 5(a)(1) was not issued as a RAGAGEP citation using ANSI K61/CGA 2.1, which is where the facility siting requirements
At 8:04 a.m. on May 11, 2023, an employee, 58, working for an oil and gas support services company, was found dead. On 5/10/23, the night before, the employee had instructed his coworkers from other contractors to go home, and he would finish the job up. This was the last time anyone had spoken to
At 11:43 a.m. on February 24, 2025, Employee #1, 61, was spray painting aircraft parts while wearing a supplied air respirator. Nitrogen backflowed into the breathing air system, displacing oxygen and asphyxiating the employee. Employee #1 was fatally injured.
THE WORK WE DO INSIDE A PRCS can create a Hazard! Three workers killed in a water tank explosion (PRCS Entry Fatalities) Initial investigations suggest the combination of cleaning agents and high temperatures triggered the fatal reaction.
Cal/OSHA’s Bureau of Investigations referred the case to Los Angeles County District Attorney after double fatality A food company pleaded guilty to two (2) misdemeanor counts after being criminally charged in connection with the 2020 deaths of two (2) workers fatally exposed to nitrogen gas. The victims died after a malfunction in the facility’s nitrogen
Launched in 2017, this Chemical Accident Risk Reduction National Enforcement and Compliance Initiative (NECI) seeks to reduce risks to human health and the environment by decreasing the likelihood of chemical accidents. This will be achieved by addressing significant noncompliance with the general duty to maintain a safe environment and risk management plan rules. Given the
The SEP will provide the emergency response equipment to the identified emergency response organizations to assist them in responding to emergencies in the communities where the Covered Refineries operate and where chemical processes are undertaken that the CAA regulates. XXXXX is obligated to expend Ten Million Dollars ($10,000,000), which includes all administrative costs associated with
I still do about a dozen 24 or 40-hr HAZMAT Tech courses and dozens of 8-hr Refreshers each year. And in each class, it never fails that someone will ask the question… Does OSHA/EPA actually require that? Backstory: I’ve been on the ERT for 20 years, and this is the first time I’ve heard this.
https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Reports/HZIR2501.pdf
On October 21, 2015, two mechanical technicians were involved in an incident while attempting to remove a blind flange from supply piping on a Magnet Cooling Water (MCW) System. The mechanical technicians were assisting a welder in obtaining final measurements to make the final connections from the MCW system to a new Cell 14 cryostat
