Chemical Plant Safety Resources

Chemical Safety Board US released a safety video about the dangers of hot work recently. In that video, some real cases of chemical plant accidents caused by hot work were presented.

This video shows the importance of hot work permits that have to be got before hot works can be conducted at site. We will see how fire and or explosion happened when hot works were being conducted.

Chemical Safety Board would like to emphasize how to do correct preparations with correct methods prior to hot work execution. Complete hot work permits could eliminate hot work hazards. Read the rest of this entry »

DuPont recently reported the causes of methyl chloride leak from the phosgene unit in last January at its West Virginia chemical plant, which caused one worker died. Phosgene is a hazardous chemical used for manufacturing of pesticide and plastic that can damage the respiratory system.

According to DuPont report that was published in businessweek.com, the causes of the gas leak were aging hoses, corrosion and pressure build up in the line. Combination of these factors had caused hoses failed to function properly. Read the rest of this entry »

There are two kinds of chemical plant shut down, i.e. planned shutdown and emergency or unplanned shutdown. An example of planned shutdown is as preparation for Turn Around or yearly preventive maintenance programs. Emergency plant shutdown can be triggered by many factors, such like electric power failure, machinery failure, instrumentation trouble and many more.

In both shutdown cases, there are safety precautions for shutdown activities of chemical plants that need to be taken into account. Such safety precautions are required to prevent potential hazards that commonly appear during plant shut down.

In fact, many people may underestimate chemical plant safety in shutdown condition. Of course there may no pumps running, no reactions occur or production process. But various potential hazards such as over pressure, fire and explosion still exist, which could present real danger to the plant and people inside it. Read the rest of this entry »

felixco, inc

In the previous article, I have described about industrial accident investigation procedures, which consist of five basic steps. Generally, the procedures and required forms are established at the same time.

Now, I am going to tell you about the related forms, i.e. workplace accident investigation forms that required to do accident investigation. Workplace accident investigation forms may also be called by employee accident report form.

The examples of downloadable workplace accident investigation forms are for references only. Of course you can customize the forms according to your organization requirements or modify them to add some features. Read the rest of this entry »

In the following article you can download zinc oxide MSDS or ZnO MSDS directly to your computer.

Zinc oxide is a non flammable material that is commonly used in the manufacturing of rubber, ceramics, cement, paints, glasses, pigments, fire retardant, sealants, etc. These applications utilize the oxide reactivity of zinc oxide.

However, according to zinc oxide MSDS, zinc oxide have several potential health effects such as upper respiratory tract irritation, coughing, chills, fever, nausea, vomiting and sub-sternal pain. In case of chronic over exposures, it could cause skin-eruptions in axilla, inner thigh, inner arm, pubic areas and scrotum. Read the rest of this entry »

by Lukman Nulhakiem

Dike is designed to contain chemical spills or leaks from tanks. Dike capacity is usually design for holding 110% of the largest tank. Then, how do we contain chemical leaks or spills from drums?

Drums are not designed as leak-proof and that’s why chemical inside the drums can leak or spill. Leaks and spills problem are potentially occur during chemical filling, storing, shipping and unloading.

Spill Containment Pallet

Because drums are put on pallets, the best way to contain chemical leaks or spills is by designing the pallets to be able to contain the leaks or spills. That special pallet is commonly called by spill containment pallets.  Read the rest of this entry »

Confined space is one of the most dangerous spaces in the plant site. There are many hazards associated with confined space. You could learn more about confined space hazards on my previous article 12 Confined Space Hazards.

In this confined space free training online video, we will learn about ventilation guide in confined space, which covers monitoring the atmosphere, effective force ventilation and proper use of ducting.

The three key factors determine your safety when you are working in a confined space. And the confined space free training online video will show you the important points related to atmospheric hazards. Read the rest of this entry »