Safety Stories Around Me 04------Even good intentions can lead to bad outcomes if not handled carefully

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This post was last edited by slll611 on 2016-12-7 21:24. Some say that good intentions can still lead to bad outcomes. Don’t doubt it; let me tell you a story. One day in March 1998, maintenance work was carried out on one of the gasoline tanks in our workshop’s gasoline tank area. Thanks to the joint efforts of the construction team and the workshop, the task was completed quickly. Once the scheduled hot work was completed, the construction workers removed all the blind flanges from the inlet and outlet pipelines of the tank, and sealed up all the manholes, covers, and lighting openings on it; thus, the gasoline tank was ready for receiving oil and being put into use. While cleaning up the tools at the site, one of the workers noticed a small section of iron pipe with closed ends sticking out from the bottom ring plate of the tank; it could easily cause someone to trip if not paid attention to. So he offered generously, \"Let me cut it off for you.\" ”After saying that, he lit the welding torch to proceed with cutting. Since the heating of this tank had just been completed, and the construction workers were eager to help, the supervisors did not stop them. When the flame from the welding torch penetrated the base of the iron pipe, there was a loud noise as a flash explosion occurred inside the gasoline tank; the tank deformed, and even its bottom plate warped. Fortunately, the fire did not continue to spread. Looking back now, working in that way was really reckless and careless; after sealing the tank, before starting work with fire again, blind flanges should have been reinstalled, and a \"three-gas\" analysis should have been conducted. Only after the analysis came back positive could work involving fire be carried out. After the blind flanges at the inlet and outlet of this tank were removed, some valves were not airtight, allowing a small amount of gasoline to leak into the tank. Once this gasoline vaporized, it mixed with air to form an explosive mixture; when exposed to an open flame from the severed pipelines, an explosion occurred. Although the construction workers had good intentions, working with fire in violation of regulations, and the supervisors failing to fulfill their duties were also among the causes of this accident. Therefore, when working in production areas, it is necessary to strengthen safety training for workers and supervisors, strictly enforce fire-use regulations, and prevent unauthorized use of fire ； A comprehensive construction plan must also be developed, and construction organization needs to be strengthened in order to avoid unplanned or excessive construction; otherwise, good intentions might still lead to negative outcomes.