The most memorable accident we’ve experienced
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In the industry we are in, it is an industry characterized by flammability and explosivity, potential for poisoning, high temperatures and pressures, as well as the need for continuous operation. I believe that over the years of working in this field, **Xiaoxiao must have encountered many process accidents, equipment failures, or safety incidents. Less than a week after I started working at the manufacturing plant, I witnessed an explosion right next to a compressor: due to the high temperature at the inlet of the fourth-stage exhaust pipe, prolonged contact with water from that pipe caused severe corrosion at the bends. Moreover, management in the state-owned enterprise was chaotic, with no regular checks on the thickness of the pipe walls. When the valve of the fifth stage of the compressor failed, it led to overpressure, which caused the fourth-stage exhaust pipe to explode with a loud noise; flames shot up more than ten meters high. All the glass in the factory was shattered, and the fragments flew everywhere inside the facility. One of those fragments hit my forehead. I was completely stunned at that moment, not knowing what to do An old worker nearby shouted at me, “Run outside quickly!” ”I ran out of the factory gate in one go... As I encountered more situations over time, I gradually learned how to respond in emergencies and how to handle them. But we must never forget the safety alarm! Everyone should also talk about the most unforgettable accidents they’ve experienced, so that we can all learn from them and take warning!
The responsibility for safety is of utmost importance. Stay vigilant at all times and keep safety as a top priority. Enhance safety awareness, improve operational skills, and conduct regular inspections of equipment and pipelines. Safety is no trivial matter and should not be taken lightly.
The last edit to this post was made by Chemical Gas Purification on 2010-10-26 at 01:51. Let me share a story from over a decade ago, around 1994. At that time I worked as a production scheduler at a fertilizer factory in Anhui. It was a Tuesday afternoon, and we were holding our weekly meeting in the production technology department; it seems the general manager was also present at that meeting. The meeting lasted less than half an hour when someone outside started shouting that there had been an accident – someone had been burned in the urea production area. We all ran after the plant manager. When we arrived at the scene, we saw four people on fire on a small suspended work platform outside the urea production tower, at a height of about forty meters. At that time, since the incident occurred in mid-air, those below were unable to provide assistance. Some people tried to find the power switch for the platform so as to lower it to the ground, but because there was a fire on the platform and the power cables were broken, they were helpless and could do nothing. The person up there had caught fire, and it was too late to call a fire truck. Within a couple of minutes, someone, unable to bear the pain of the flames, jumped down; all that could be seen below was a ball of fire falling down. Jumping down means there’s no saving it. None of the four people survived this accident. The accident occurred because four workers from the anti-corrosion company were carrying out exterior protection work on the granulation tower. They used a winch to move a work platform, on which there were four workers as well as paints and solvents used for anti-corrosion purposes. Normally, there would be no problem since there was no open flame. But on that day, maintenance workers from the urea production unit were performing repairs on top of the granulation tower; the welding cables for their welders were connected to the ground. When welding started, the cables came into contact with the metal work platform used by the anti-corrosion workers, causing sparks to appear. The workers on the platform tried frantically to move the cables away, but in doing so they knocked over paint buckets, which led to the paint catching fire. Since the work platform was small and located in mid-air, this resulted in a tragic outcome.
In production, without safety, there can be no efficiency.
I’ve only started working at the fertilizer factory not long ago; it’s really scary to hear you say that.»
Let me share something about my own experience: One morning in 1999, around 5:00 a.m., I was on duty at the company when I was suddenly awakened by the ringing of a phone. The dispatcher called to say that there was a huge fire in a manhole on the north side of the high-pressure machine plant. I quickly got up and rushed to the scene; the fire in that manhole was already over four meters high. By then, the fire department had also arrived and was preparing to use water to put out the fire. I could see that the fire was very intense, and no other sources of fire could be seen, which made me realize that there must have been a leak of flammable gases. I shouted at the firefighters that using water wouldn’t help, and I ordered them not to allow anyone to stand near the drainage ditch. It was still early in the morning, so there weren’t many people around, and they were quickly evacuated. I also asked the dispatcher to shut down each high-pressure machine one by one; if the fire didn’t go out, all the machines would have to be shut down, which meant that the entire plant would have to stop operating. The dispatcher followed my orders and stopped the machines temporarily. I became angry and yelled that they still hadn’t stopped them, warning that more serious consequences would follow if they didn’t act. The dispatcher, with a red face, went ahead and ordered the high-pressure machines to be shut down. I immediately discussed this matter with the production manager over the phone. When half of the high-pressure machines had been shut down and the fire was under control, I asked the dispatcher which machine had been shut down. It turned out to be machine number 5. I concluded right away that the leak must have come from the internal water cooler of that machine. Thanks to our quick actions, the fire didn’t spread any further, and aside from a few machines being shut down, no other damage occurred.
Since I just started working at the new factory under construction, the most dangerous thing I’ve encountered is welding sparks
He directed the reverse drive himself and ran over himself. At the fertilizer factory where I used to work, a coal yard supervisor was directing a coal truck to reverse; he stood at the back of the truck, giving signals while moving backward. Suddenly, a piece of coal caused him to trip, and since the driver couldn’t see this, the heavy truck ran over him, killing him on the spot. The administrator lacks a sense of self-preservation; being in the most dangerous area without realizing it shows a lack of safety awareness. Another operator, after notifying the electrician to supply power to the ice machine, went to turn it by hand; at that moment the start button malfunctioned and remained in the locked position, causing the ice machine to start operating suddenly. As the operator was using an F wrench to turn the machine, the immense force threw him against the wall of the factory, resulting in his death on the spot. Violating the operating procedures: the machine should be turned by hand first before power is supplied.
In 2005, our factory’s finished products workshop underwent maintenance on the high-inclination belts. The person was at work at the time; it’s not known who pressed the start button, and they were pulled into the belt and strangled – it was tragic!
In 2006, during operation at our plant, welding work was being carried out inside the decarburization facility. The welder accidentally broke a waste pipe, resulting in the leakage of flammable gases. Since the area above the facility was completely enclosed, the gases continued to accumulate, leading to a massive fire. It was the worst safety accident I have ever seen: the facility was destroyed, all operations at the plant came to a halt, and one welder suffered burns. Later, a skylight was added to the roof of the factory building.
Our factory uses the coal-to-ammonia process. When the crane was used to pick up coal, there were problems with the crane’s brakes, and these issues were not properly communicated during the shift change. When the workers on the next shift began operating the crane as usual, the brakes failed causing the crane to derail, and the person fell from a great height and died on the spot. Often, many security incidents are tragic accidents resulting from neglecting or failing to properly address everyday details.