My two “unusual” experiences

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I have been working as a mechanic for twenty years, and during all this time, there have been no accidents resulting in injuries to people or any other types of incidents. However, there were two unusual experiences that I still remember vividly to this day. That day, as usual, I was assigned to fix a malfunctioning piece of equipment. After putting on my work clothes, I went to the work site, where a few colleagues who had arrived earlier had already started working. According to the regulations, a power outage work permit must be obtained before starting the work, but since I arrived at the work site later, I assumed that the permit had already been prepared. Because my team members have developed the habit of going to the job site first to handle the power shutdown procedures, as the team leader I have to ask for confirmation every time. But this time everyone was careless. I also took it for granted that everything would go well every time, and the same was true this time; I didn’t ask again either. While everyone was busy, personnel from the Safety and Environment Department conducted an on-site inspection. After examining the work site, they asked whether the power outage work permit had been prepared My heart skipped a beat as I sensed that I wouldn’t be able to get a ticket. While I was hesitating, the personnel from the Safety and Environment department went to the control room to check the power outage records and confirmed that the necessary procedures had not been followed; afterwards, they provided us with safety training and imposed financial penalties on us. What I still cannot forget to this day is not the financial penalty imposed on me, but rather the consequences I imagined would arise after what happened. I have personally experienced a situation where a backup unit started operating automatically. Fortunately, the operator noticed this in time and pressed the stop button; however, once the button was released, the unit started up again. In a panic, the operator immediately started the unit manually and then notified the electrician to deal with the issue. If this were to happen while our equipment is in operation, if someone operating the equipment accidentally started it while it was already running, if... I don’t even have the courage to think further, although the consequences of such an incident are easy to imagine. Accidents often happen inadvertently; no matter how careful you are a hundred times, one single lapse in attention can lead to deadly danger. From then on, we have strictly followed the procedures related to work orders for every task; everyone was responsible for ensuring that the work order was properly completed before starting work. Over the years, no accidents have ever occurred. Another memorable incident occurred when there was a malfunction with the outlet gate valve (DN300) of the salt water pump that needed to be fixed. Following the procedure, we first removed the bolts on the valve cover; to prevent salt water from spraying out accidentally, we left two bolts in place before removing them. As the bolts loosened, saltwater began to flow out, and the flow gradually increased; at that point we stopped disassembling and waited for all the remaining saltwater in the pipes to drain out. Before long, the saltwater was used up – much less than usual – and we didn’t think much of it. Then, while removing the bolts, the valve cover was pried open; once it was confirmed that all the brine had been drained, the bolts were removed and the valve cover assembly was lifted down, revealing that the gate plate had fallen inside the valve body. At this point, it is only necessary to remove the gate plate, install it on the valve cover screw, and after assembling everything together into the valve body, the operation is complete. My colleague Xiao Feng was quite strong; he stood on the side of the valve that was against the wall and tried to move the gate with force, but it didn’t budge at all. Another colleague used a crowbar to try to loosen the gate, as had been done in the past. That’s when the accident happened: at the moment the gate was being moved, a large amount of saltwater sprayed out from the valve body. The gate, which weighed twenty to thirty kilograms, was thrown into the air by the force of the water. We immediately turned to get out of the way, but Xiao Feng had no place to hide behind as there was a wall right behind him. In a panic, he covered his head and shifted to the side to avoid being hit. The two gates were thrown several meters high and fell less than a meter away from Xiao Feng – fortunately for him. Seeing Xiao Feng covered in saltwater, they were shocked; everyone was also extremely terrified. Thinking of those events from many years ago feels as though they happened just yesterday. If only they had thought about why there was so little saltwater remaining this time, if only they had followed the \"Five Steps for Safe Work,\" if only they had been able to identify the hazards associated with each seemingly simple step of the work, if only... There is no remedy for regret; by the time an accident occurs, everything becomes clear, but it’s already too late. To truly understand the meaning of the phrase “I want to be safe,” one must not try to do so by experiencing one’s own pain – the cost of that would be too high. Only by strengthening learning on a regular basis, raising one’s awareness of safety, and improving the ability to identify potential hazards can one ensure one’s own safety and bring happiness to one’s family. Let’s grow old together in a safe environment!