A pressure vessel in an ammonia refrigerator system at an ice plant ruptured under pressure of 170 psi. The explosion caused extensive physical damage and released dense clouds of ammonia gas. Employees #1 through 4 died of acute ammonia inhalation.
Employee #1 was exposed to ammonia gas on November 20, 1984, during an ammonia leak from refrigeration piping in a compressor room. A threaded joint weakened due to excess vibration and cracked. When it failed, ammonia was released. An unapproved gas mask was used by the employee. Employee #1 died the following December 16th from
Car Seal programs have gained some attention in the refrigeration industry over the years, but there is still a significant debate over whether such a program is needed in the industry. A past incident at a client’s facility and the root cause of that incident shine a bright light on the need for a Car Seal
Although this serious injury incident occurred at a car wash, the decision of the OSHRC on guarding the chain conveyor and the workers having to work around it due to a change in work practices is an interesting take on “exposure to a hazard”. If you have ever gone to a car wash that requires
AED’s have become extremely popular in the past decade; they are in just about all public places like airports, government buildings, and many private businesses. These devices require little to no official training, as the device’s computer walks the user through the entire process of saving a life. But these devices do NOT last forever!
This video was one of my “Video of the Week” videos from years ago, but since I get so many request for it I posted it in the PRCS section.
At 3:00 p.m. on January 11, 2018, an employee was working with two coworkers with clearing a blockage in the product discharge system in the Polypropylene Unit. The employee and coworkers opened the process piping at a sample catching location and a flash fire occurred. The employee who made the line opening received first and
The company retained a contractor to provide industrial cleaning services at the plant. An employee of the cleaning service was working alone, cleaning the area around various injection molding machines. The worker approached the robot cage at an injection molding machine, intending to enter for cleaning purposes. Two robots located inside the cage pick, trim
On May 23, 2018, at 0010 local time, a fire was detected in a cargo hold on board the cargo ship Chipolbrok Moon while moored at the Industrial Terminal West in Greens Bayou in the Port of Houston, Texas. Some of the vessel’s 24 crewmembers had completed hot work in that space about 25 minutes
At approximately 10:00 a.m. on May 25, 2018, three employees were working for a firm that disposed of waste and operated solid waste landfills. They were working at an oil and gas site. Three tanks were being decommissioned. They had been assisting in containing a spill during the decommissioning. The tanks were moved from the
