Accidents during the maintenance of reciprocating machines
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On the morning of January 9, 2017, I received a notice regarding maintenance work on the flash steam reciprocator. After making all the necessary preparations as part of my team, I obtained the permits required for the maintenance and plugging/unclogging operations. We waited until the process conditions were suitable for maintenance to proceed. Around 3 p.m., we were informed that the conditions were now appropriate for maintenance. The reciprocator in question was used to compress hydrogen from purification and synthesis processes, along with impurities such as carbon monoxide and hydrogen sulfide A series of operations involving the installation and removal of blind flanges as well as the disassembly of valves and cylinder heads showed normal results. All the disassembly work was completed around 8 p.m., and the inspection and repair tasks lasted until after 3 a.m. An exposure incident occurred during the removal of a blind flange: when attempting to open the inlet blind flange, the detector indicated that the carbon monoxide level was severely high, so work was stopped immediately. The process team was contacted for confirmation, and further purging was carried out. It was determined that there was a leak in the inlet valve; work continued with nitrogen supplied along with a breathing apparatus, and everything proceeded smoothly. However, an exposure incident occurred when trying to open the outlet blind flange of the unit. Once again, the carbon monoxide level was too high, similar to the situation with the inlet blind flange. The reason for this was the management’s desire for quick results, which led to them not allowing me or the person who became exposed to wear breathing apparatuses. The manager said it was fine and that the task would be completed soon, so they were careless enough not to provide such equipment. The person who got exposed still had a detector with him, which kept alerting to high carbon monoxide levels, but no proper attention was paid to this. When the process monitoring station conducted measurements on the ground, the carbon monoxide concentration was around 60 ppm; it is likely that the carbon monoxide level at the location where the blind flange was being handled was even higher! The blind flange was removed, and it was found that the sealing surfaces were uneven. Standing at the top of the flange, a tool was used to remove the old gasket; within 2 or 3 seconds the person collapsed without showing any reaction, but thanks to prompt and effective treatment, the person regained consciousness within 10 minutes. After the person regained consciousness, the manager was afraid of facing severe punishment from the company; he neither reported the situation to the workshop supervisor nor called the fire department. Eventually, the supervisor arrived (probably alerted by someone in the production department), and though he showed concern, he didn’t say a word about carrying out an inspection. It was disheartening to hear that – after all, it’s all about people first; as long as people are safe, everything else can be dealt with. But once people are lost, everything is over! From the top down, the company talks about safety every day and places great emphasis on it, but at the lower levels, employees are forced to ignore these rules; complying means offending their supervisors, while not complying can lead to safety accidents. It’s just like in the bureaucratic world – refusing gifts means offending people! Safety is of the utmost importance; no matter when or who is present, I hope everyone will abide by the safety rules and regulations. With safety ensured, one can strive even harder to achieve the life one dreams of! Friend, did you break the rules today, whether willingly or not?
This is illegal operation, and on top of that, it’s the result of illegal instructions from management; it’s a miracle that no one died in the end
What are you waiting for? Report him right away – he gave illegal instructions that led to a safety accident (an attempted one). The person directly responsible is the \"certain leader\" who issued those illegal orders. Just how important is this leader anyway, to deserve such fear?
One’s life is one’s own; it must never be treated as a joke. . . Also, your safety measures aren’t strict enough; things are much better on my end – ensuring safety is crucial for protecting the lives of employees
Safety is no trivial matter – accidents often occur in an instant. Being reluctant to go through the hassle, seeking convenience, relying on luck, and being careless are all precursors to accidents. At the end of the year, it is the time to return home to visit family. As chemical industry workers, whether operators or maintenance staff, we must not be the least bit careless at this time; we must adhere to safety standards. I also sincerely hope that for us in the chemical industry, safety brings happiness and brings joy to entire families
The year is coming to an end; it’s time to go home. Safety first
While ensuring the device operates properly, it’s also important to raise safety awareness. Thank you for sharing! Life is one’s own; in fact, in such a situation, issuing work orders already constitutes a violation of regulations, without even waiting for any physical injuries to occur. When a work order is issued indicating that harmful gas levels are above the permissible limits, the work can be refused outright. If the production unit insists on carrying out the work without withdrawing the work order, it constitutes illegal instruction, and this situation can be reported directly to the higher-level safety oversight department. One’s life is important; workers should enhance their awareness of self-protection.
In such a unsafe working environment, an employee should simply refuse to carry out the task; if they face consequences afterward, it’s better not to work for such an organization. This approach will inevitably lead to big problems someday!