An incident involving PLASTIC sulphuric acid piping at a gas plant. Two workers were operating valves on a 1″ polyvinyl chloride (PVC) drain line so they could transfer sulphuric acid from a storage tank. They were
- following a written procedure,
- had held a tailgate meeting to discuss the hazards and emergency procedures, and
- had all necessary personal protective equipment for the task.
The first worker was wearing the REQUIRED FULL CHEMICAL SUIT when operating the drain valves. Although access to the drain valves was limited, the suit did not impede his ability to conduct the task. During the process, inadvertent contact with a 60-mm-long PVC pipe nipple between the two (2) drain valves caused the nipple to fail, resulting in pressurized sulphuric acid spraying in the workers’ direction.