2 safety accidents in one day: How can chemical companies stay safe through the hot summer?

Thread Content

Summer is a period prone to various work safety accidents, and the frequent occurrence of natural disasters such as high temperatures, thunderstorms, heavy rains, and typhoons adds many adverse factors to work safety. On the 23rd alone, two chemical safety accidents occurred. How can chemical companies stay safe through the summer? Two safety accidents in one day: Fire breaks out at a chemical plant in Jingzhou Development Zone, Hubei. According to the Jingzhou Work Safety Supervision Bureau, around 8:50 a.m. on May 23, a fire broke out in the mixing workshop of Jingzhou Longhua Petrochemical Co., Ltd. Thanks to the intensive efforts of the enterprise and the fire department, all open flames at the scene were extinguished by 10:00 a.m., and the accident site was brought under effective control. The area affected by the fire in this incident was approximately 30㎡, resulting in one person suffering minor injuries. Based on preliminary investigations, the cause of the accident is preliminarily determined to be as follows: During the transfer of formaldehyde, company employees, due to improper operations and inadequate on-site management, caused the metal tanks containing formaldehyde to collide with each other, generating sparks that led to the ignition and combustion of the formaldehyde (in 6 tanks). An explosion occurred at a chemical plant in Qingpu, Shanghai, resulting in 3 deaths. According to reports, at around 3 p.m. on May 23, an explosion took place inside a factory building in Liantang Town, Qingpu, Shanghai, causing nearly 200 square meters of color-coated steel panels to collapse. Three people died, all of them males; other workers were also buried under the debris. At present, the cause of the accident is still under investigation. It is understood that the explosion occurred at a company named “Shanghai Joule Wax Industry Co., Ltd.”, located at No. 21, Lane 6186, Zhufeng Highway. According to witnesses, a loud noise was heard at the time of the accident, and thick smoke and flames could be seen. Chemical industry safety accidents that occur in summer: Case 1: At around 5:40 a.m. on July 3, 2007, Ding, a worker responsible for dehydration in the dyeing workshop of a printing and dyeing company, accidentally fell into the dehydrator while carrying out preparatory work before dehydrating the fabric; he later died from suffocation as he was wrapped up by the fabric inside the machine. Upon investigation, one of the direct causes of the accident was that Ding had worked all night, resulting in physical fatigue and reduced concentration. There is spring fatigue and summer weariness; due to the high temperatures in summer, people tend to feel tired easily. Enterprises should properly arrange rest time and rest areas for employees during hot weather, improve working conditions, reduce the intensity of work, and strictly control overtime. In high-temperature work environments, effective ventilation, heat insulation, and cooling measures must be implemented, while outdoor work sites such as construction sites should avoid periods of intense sunlight and high temperatures. At the same time, health supplies and refreshing drinks are provided regularly to prevent heatstroke. Those with poor physical condition or who are unable to cope with high-temperature work should be reassigned to other positions promptly. Case 2: Around 3 p.m. on August 6, 2003, a cargo ship carrying nearly 200 tons of yellow sand set off from Hupu in Changshu City, heading for its destination of Qidong. Around 5 p.m., the cargo ship was at a location over 1,000 meters east of the Haitai Ferry. The winds and waves on the Yangtze River intensified, and the ship began to turn around to head upstream; it sank while doing so due to cross-waves, resulting in two people missing. The weather is changeable in summer, with thunderstorms and strong winds occurring from time to time, making water traffic safety particularly important. The water transport sector should keep abreast of information such as weather conditions, flood situations, and water levels in order to strengthen supervision of water safety. Regular inspections for water safety compliance should be carried out, with a particular focus on on-site inspections of small vessels anchored along rivers and in areas where ships are gathered near locks; any illegal or non-compliant activities must be addressed promptly. Case 3: At around 4 p.m. on June 26, 1996, Wu, a female worker at a chemical plant, noticed black smoke coming from the window on the west side of the material preparation room, which was located in the middle of the factory building. Just a few minutes later, an explosion occurred, with a plume of black smoke rising into the sky. 19 people died on the spot and 14 were injured; the building was severely damaged, and a 1.5-ton reactor vessel was thrown 65 meters away, with its container severely deformed. The explosion created an oval-shaped crater with a major axis of 14.3 m, a minor axis of 13.1 m, and a maximum depth of 4.1 m. The range of the shock wave exceeds 500 meters. The direct economic loss amounted to over 1.2 million yuan. According to investigations, prior to the explosion: there was persistent high temperatures, with 33°C on the 26th; the roof of the factory was covered with asbestos shingles, which provided poor insulation, resulting in indoor temperatures exceeding 40°C and triggering the chemical explosion. In recent years, although there have been no **chemical leaks or explosions during the summer, the high temperatures of this season can lead to the volatilization, leakage, and spontaneous combustion of chemicals. Once such accidents occur, the consequences can be disastrous. It is necessary to improve transportation equipment, as well as implement measures such as ventilation, cooling, flood control, and moisture prevention in chemical storage areas. Appropriate shading and waterproofing measures should also be taken for raw materials and products stored outdoors. Case 4: Around 6 a.m. on July 19, continuous heavy rainfall over several days (with 198 millimeters of precipitation within 72 hours) triggered mudslide disasters that led to accident-related catastrophes. A mudslide disaster struck a construction site at a power plant; 74 people were inside the sheds at the time, of whom 40 managed to escape. 34 people were buried, resulting in 27 deaths and 5 injuries, while 2 others are still missing. When working outdoors, especially in mountainous areas, it is necessary to establish working relationships with local departments such as those responsible for meteorology, water resources, hydrology, geology, and land resources, in order to obtain timely information on disasters and to enable effective prediction and early warning. Second, it is necessary to have a full understanding of potential natural disasters such as floods in the region, as well as the accidents and disasters that may result from such natural disasters, and to take proper preventive measures ； Some organizations, although they have made arrangements and set requirements, fail to implement them and do not take preemptive measures such as evacuating personnel or relocating equipment ； Third, emergency management must be effective: plans should be established, monitoring strengthened, responses swift, and rescue efforts appropriate. Precautions for chemical production in summer: Drawing on the experiences and lessons learned from various accidents, chemical companies should pay attention to the following points when operating in high-temperature conditions during summer: 1. Electrical safety – In hot summer weather, people wear lighter clothing and their skin sweats more, which increases the risk of electric shock. Additionally, the humid and rainy weather during this period has reduced the insulation performance of electrical equipment. This makes summer a season prone to electrical safety accidents. It is particularly important to ensure electrical safety precautions. 2 Safety measures against heat and heatstroke: The weather in summer is hot and dry, and working under continuous heavy loads can easily lead to heatstroke incidents. Only by taking effective measures to prevent heat and reduce temperatures can seasonal safety hazards be eliminated. Front-line workers in the company should be equipped with necessary heat prevention medications, and a dedicated person should be responsible for providing saline drinks and tea. 3 Safety of pressure vessels: Gas welding and gas cutting are routine operations. In summer, when temperatures are high, if gas cylinders are placed outdoors, the high-pressure gas will heat up under the scorching sun, causing its volume to expand. In severe cases, this can lead to the explosion of the cylinders, resulting in casualties and property damage. Once an explosion occurs, it can lead to secondary accidents (such as fires), thereby increasing the losses. It is evident that the use and storage of pressure vessels during summer operations are very important. 4. Wearing personal protective equipment: To protect special operators’ safety during construction, they must wear personal protective equipment, such as safety helmets, and use safety belts when working at heights; these items are generally quite thick. It’s hot, and wearing these things makes one feel even hotter, so some workers stop wearing them while at work. Once danger strikes, even the most basic forms of protection are gone, turning what would otherwise be an accident with limited severity into one that is more serious. 5 Safety of Equipment and Materials: Special attention should be paid to the assembly and disassembly of large machinery such as tower cranes and lifting equipment, as well as the setup and dismantling of scaffolding. Personnel responsible for these tasks must strictly follow the relevant assembly and disassembly plans and technical instructions, while safety officers should carry out proper supervision and inspection. Mechanical equipment should be properly grounded for lightning protection in accordance with relevant standards. In cases of winds of force 6 or higher, work on installing or dismantling large-scale machinery and scaffolding should be halted. Attention should be paid to ensuring proper drainage at the site to maintain unobstructed flow of water. All safety facilities at the site need to be regularly inspected and maintained; in particular, safety devices and facilities should be checked periodically to keep them in good condition and prevent any accidents. Materials and supplies should be protected from sunlight; materials stored in warehouses should be arranged neatly to ensure good ventilation, and flammable and explosive items should be stored separately. 6 Fire Safety: Implement various fire prevention measures, ensure that fire-fighting equipment is fully available, strictly control operations that involve open flames, prohibit the unauthorized connection of electrical wires, and strengthen the management of storage and use of flammable and explosive materials. 7 Safety for Special Operations Permits: Strengthen the management of personnel engaged in special operations, ensure that they work only with the appropriate permits, and prevent any illegal operations from occurring. Operators of lifting machinery must strictly abide by the \"Ten Prohibitions\" and \"Ten Rules Against Lifting\". Implement safety production responsibilities in practice, ensuring they are fulfilled by everyone. 8 Typhoon Safety: The eastern coastal areas are frequently hit by typhoons, especially during the summer. If not handled properly, this can lead not only to safety incidents but also to significant economic losses. After strong winds pass, inspections should be carried out, and equipment should only be turned on once it is confirmed to be functioning properly. 9 Lightning Protection Safety: With an increase in thunderstorms during the summer, proper lightning protection measures must be implemented for large construction machinery such as construction elevators and tower cranes. Of course, there are many other things to keep in mind during summer production, and the points mentioned above are just a few of them. “The principle of \"prevention first, safety first\" requires enterprises to take proper safety precautions in order to avoid or minimize the occurrence of dangerous accidents. During the work process, as long as we keep safety top of mind and take proper safety precautions, especially targeted protective measures, we can prevent potential hazards in our safe production efforts.