A murder triggered by welding slag! Who is responsible for this factory accident?
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On the morning of March 25, 2009, welding work was carried out on the second floor of the 80,000-ton methanol compression plant in a certain workshop. After conducting a fire hazard analysis, the safety officer issued the necessary permit before allowing the welding work to proceed. On-site supervision is in place. A sudden loud noise broke the silence. Since the floor on the second floor of the compression facility is covered with iron mesh, welding slag falls from that floor onto the compressor oil tank below. Oil leaks from the compressor, and oil vapor together with air form explosive gases, which are then ignited by the welding slag! The fuel tank lid flew off; it might not have been closed properly beforehand. Who should be held responsible for this incident, according to everyone?
First, does the fire work permit issued by the safety officer include preventive measures for this potential accident? If not, he bears primary responsibility. Second, did the personnel on site conduct an investigation of the surrounding environment, and did they take preventive measures such as effectively removing flammable materials from the area? If not, it is direct responsibility. Third, there is oil accumulation in the field equipment – have the operators and maintenance staff dealt with it or taken any measures? It is indirect responsibility. Fourth, for welding work, was a safety risk assessment conducted at the site? It is indirect responsibility. The above are just my personal opinions!
Obviously, 1. As the person in charge of overseeing the welding work, failure to clear away the flammable materials in the surrounding area； 2. The safety officer conducted a hot work analysis but failed to verify the site and take targeted measures ； 3. Carrying out welding work blindly before starting the operation ； 4. The presence of leaks at the site indicates serious problems with on-site management. Appendix: Six prohibitions for hot work 1. Hot work is prohibited without an approved hot work permit. 2. It cannot be reliably isolated from the production system; hot work is prohibited. 3. Do not clean; if the replacement is unsatisfactory, welding is prohibited. 4. Do not clear flammable materials around; welding is prohibited. 5. Hot work is prohibited if a hot work analysis is not conducted on time. 6. Without fire protection measures, welding is prohibited.
This accident was caused by an insufficient analysis of the hazards at the work site, or by the relevant responsible persons failing to go to the site to conduct a thorough inspection and analysis. The \"Safety Regulations for Hot Work in the Plant Area\" specify the responsibility requirements for personnel at all levels: 1. The person in charge of the hot work project is fully responsible for such work. It is necessary to thoroughly understand the details of the work to be carried out, as well as the location where the work will take place and the surrounding conditions, before starting any hot work. One must also participate in the development and implementation of safety measures for such work, and inform the workers about their tasks and the fire safety precautions that need to be observed. 2. After receiving the ‘Hot Work Safety Permit’, the person carrying out the hot work must verify that all the details listed on the permit are in place and that the approval procedures are complete. If it is found that the conditions are not met, they have the right to refuse to carry out the hot work and must report this to the safety department. 3. The fire watcher shall be a person assigned by the department where the hot work is carried out, and must be responsible, experienced, familiar with the site, and knowledgeable in fire safety. The fire watcher’s position should allow easy observation of the welding area and any sparks that may fall, and additional fire watchers can be assigned if necessary. The fire watcher is responsible for monitoring and inspecting the area where welding is being carried out, extinguishing any sparks that may fly off during the welding process at all times. In case of any abnormalities, they must immediately inform the person performing the welding to stop working and promptly contact the relevant personnel to take action. 4. The team leader of the unit where hot work is carried out (shift supervisor, section chief) is the person in charge of the area where hot work takes place, and is responsible for the safety of the production system under their oversight during such work. Participate in the formulation of safety measures for hot work, be responsible for implementing these measures, coordinate between production activities and hot work operations, and inspect the \"Hot Work Safety Permit\". There is the authority to halt hot work for Work Permits for Hot Work that do not meet the required approval procedures. During hot work, if there is an emergency or abnormal situation in the production system, it is necessary to immediately order the cessation of such work. 5. The safety officers of the unit carrying out the hot work and the unit where the hot work is conducted are responsible for checking the compliance with this standard and the implementation of safety measures, and for correcting any illegal operations at any time. 6. The approvers responsible for reviewing and approving hot work at all levels must go to the site in person when approving such work, to understand the location of the hot work and the surrounding conditions, determine whether a hot work analysis is necessary, assess and specify the level of risk associated with the hot work, check and improve fire safety measures, and verify that the preparation of the ‘Hot Work Safety Permit’ meets all safety requirements. Sign off to approve hot work only after confirming its accuracy. ——Therefore, anyone who signed the hot work permit bears undeniable responsibility for this accident.
By signing the hot work permit, responsibility is certainly assumed; the risk assessment was not properly conducted
In short, inadequate safety measures in hot work analysis are the main cause of problems. The six prohibitions regarding hot work: 1. Hot work is prohibited without an approved permit. 2. It cannot be reliably isolated from the production system; hot work is prohibited. 3. Do not clean; if the replacement is unsatisfactory, welding is prohibited. 4. Do not clear flammable materials around; welding is prohibited. 5. Hot work is prohibited if a hot work analysis is not conducted on time. 6. Without fire protection measures, welding is prohibited. Principal Offender, Article 4.
Without effective isolation and without removing the flammable materials in the surrounding area, carrying out welding work recklessly – it’s no wonder that fires and explosions occur.
It’s lucky that nothing happened; accidents were inevitable. Those in charge of on-site supervision bear the greatest responsibility
I believe the person who issues the fire permit bears the greatest responsibility, as this is the last checkpoint to prevent accidents; once the fire permit is issued, whether an accident occurs depends solely on luck
Responsibilities of the person who issues the fire permit: Firework operations are prohibited if flammable materials in the surrounding area are not removed. The safety officer is a very important position, but how many companies pay attention to it?
Poor supervision and shared responsibilities: those who issue the fire permit bear 40% of the responsibility, welders bear 30%, and equipment maintenance personnel bear 30% of the responsibility.
Everyone is at fault: the person who initiates the fire, the person who oversees it, those who handle the approval processes, and the analysts – none of them conducted a proper assessment of the environment and ignored the potential fire hazards present there
The tickets have been issued, but the safety measures have not been properly implemented.
Underestimation of potential environmental hazards and inadequate preventive measures are the main causes of accidents.
Those who issue the fire permit are definitely responsible; in addition, it also depends on whether the operators violated any procedures.
All persons who sign (including those who approve) the hot work permit, as well as the on-site supervisors, shall be held responsible for this!
Looking at the causes of the accident, there were multiple safety hazards in the workshop. Therefore, does the workshop supervisor, or the factory manager, who is responsible for ensuring safety, bear any responsibility for inadequate management? With such management practices, even if nothing happens today, an accident could occur tomorrow. Is this situation a recent development or has it existed for a long time? As a safety manager who failed to provide proper supervision and issued a hot work permit, there is definitely responsibility on your part. I just want to ask what would happen if such a permit were refused
Fourth of the six prohibitions regarding hot work: Remove all flammable materials from the surrounding area; hot work is prohibited. Principal Offender, Article 4
The main cause of this accident was that the persons responsible for fire work at all levels, including those from the Safety and Environmental Protection Department, workshops, and production sections, failed to thoroughly identify potential safety hazards during the process of obtaining fire work permits and while carrying out the fire work itself, and failed to implement adequate safety measures. The factory has severe leaks and poor management. On-site management needs to be strengthened.
Responsibilities of the (final) authority issuing the fire permit. Problems caused by incomplete preventive measures.