Sharing others’ accidents (fires) 8

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I. Overview and course of the incident: Staff from the plant’s safety and technology department, security department, and fire brigade were preparing to remove the oil spills on the ground surrounding submarine No. 274. At around 2 p.m. that day, Li went to Workshop 303 to start working. Without having received a permit for carrying out welding work in a location prone to fires and explosions, he opened both the oxygen valve and the acetylene valve, picked up the oxygen cutting torch to test it, and then moved the oxygen and acetylene supply hoses as well as the oxygen cutting torch to the bottom of fuel and ballast water tanks No. 7 and No. 8 on Submarine No. 274, intending to cut through the third partition panel between the stern and the bow of the submarine. At that moment, Han, the deputy head of the Safety and Technology Department, noticed this and stopped him. As Han took a step forward, Li said to him again, “I still have a little bit left that needs to be cut; let me finish it.” ”Han pointed at the firefighter standing not far to the starboard side of Submarine No. 274 and said, “Go find the firefighters.” ”Without notifying the firefighters and without following the provisions of the Safety Technical Operating Procedures by taking proper fire prevention measures, Li carried out welding work without authorization. The flame from the oxygen cutting torch ignited the residual oil that had seeped into the partition panels, causing the bottoms of compartments 7 and 8 on submarine No. 274 to catch fire immediately. Ten female temporary workers who were carrying out rust removal work in those two compartments were killed, while four others were injured. Some parts of the submarine as well as the vehicles used on the shipyard were damaged, resulting in economic losses of over 50,000 yuan. II. Analysis of the accident causes 1. Failure to comply with management rules. Without having received a permit for performing welding work in areas prone to fire and explosion, Li carried out welding operations without authorization. After being discovered and stopped by Han, the head of the safety department, he attempted welding again, which led to the ignition of oil spills and a fire. 2. Failing to act in accordance with regulations. Safety regulations explicitly state that reliable fire prevention measures must be taken when working in flammable and explosive hazardous areas. Li failed to take any fire prevention measures during the cutting process, nor did he inform the firefighters, which led to the fire getting out of control. III. Measures to prevent similar accidents 1. Strengthen safety education to raise the safety awareness of all employees, ensuring that the importance of safety is ingrained in everyone’s mind. It is essential to always keep in mind the principle of prevention first and safety above all, thinking about safety in everything and being cautious at all times. 2. Follow the operating procedures strictly. Operating procedures are the result of practice, a summary of lessons learned, and the basis for workers’ operations. Those who violate operating procedures must be firmly stopped; there must be no tolerance for such behavior. 3. Strengthen on-site management. Flammable and explosive areas should be inspected regularly; once problems are detected, measures must be taken promptly. Until such hazards are eliminated, unauthorized persons must be prohibited from entering those dangerous areas. It’s most cost-effective to learn from others’ accidents as if they were one’s own*.