WHAT’S HAPPENING? February 2018

We welcome new

Associate Member

Colin Gabriel

Advitech

N.S.W.

VIDEOS and

Source

VIDEO

Image: Hugh Fraser

Image: Perth Now

High-Rise blaze in Sydney’s CBD

Thirteen people were treated for respiratory problems as dozens of

fire fighters battled a major demolition site fire that sent plumes of

smoke into the sky over Circular Quay.

There were multiple explosions as the old Gold Fields House building

went up in flames. Black, toxic smoke billowed across the city and

witnesses saw “fireballs” falling from the sky.

16 fire crews and more than 60 fire fighters battled the fire. Fire and

Rescue NSW Superintendent Andrew Ticehurst said numerous gas

cylinders exploded during the blaze, and fire crews removed other

cylinders affected by the heat to prevent further explosions. "There

were some significant dangers to the firefighters with the gas

cylinders exploding as well as it being a building that was under

demolition," he said. Gas cylinders from forklifts inside the building

caused small explosions.

He said the screening used was a plastic-type product that could be

"quite flammable". It is believed the fire was caused by embers from

a blow torch that ignited flammable material nearby. Source: news.com.au

Image: Times of Oman

Image: Kyodo

Explosion at Oilseed Factory in France Two people died, one person was slightly injured and seven others

were in a state of shock after an explosion at an oilseed factory in

northern France belonging to Saipol, the oilseed branch of French

farmer-owned group Avril.

Avril is the largest biodiesel producer in Europe and largest table oil

producer in France with brands including Lesieur and Pouget.

A spokesman for the company said there was an explosion in one of

the oil tanks, followed by fire at the Saipol factory in the town of

Dieppe. The factory, which produces raw oil that is later transformed

into other products such as biodiesel in other plants, employs 40

people.

The company said the causes of the accident remained unclear and

that it was too early to say when then output would resume.

In June last year, Saipol halted output at one of its biggest crushing

units in northern France after a fire hit the electricity supply system. Source: REUTERS

Explosion at Japanese Chemical Factory A man was seriously injured in Yokohama Monday when an

explosion set off a fire at an agricultural chemicals factory, police

said.

The fire broke out at around 9 a.m. at a five-story factory run by SDS

Biotech K.K. about 800 meters south of JR Shin-Koyasu Station. The

factory was in operation at the time of the fire.

“I saw heaps of black smoke climbing into the sky,” said a 76-year-

old woman employed at a nearby building.

The fire had been extinguished by around noon and investigators

were looking into the cause. Source: Japan Times

Founded in 1968, SDS Biotech K.K. is a developer and manufacturer

of agrochemicals, including the fruit tree and fungicide Daconil, the

firm’s website said.

VIDEO (it takes a minute to get going!)

WA Authorised Explosives Register A list of explosives authorised in Western Australia under the

Dangerous Goods Safety Act 2004

Truck hauling Hydrogen Tanks catches Fire A fire in a truck carrying compressed hydrogen tanks caused the

evacuation of people in a one mile radius area of suburban Diamond

Bar, California.

A county HazMat team was sent because of the danger of an

explosion.

At least seven of the 25 cylinders being hauled on the truck’s trailer

were compromised, according to the fire department.

Firefighters have stabilized the hydrogen and the evacuation area

has been reduced to about 10 blocks of the site. Source and Image: Fox 11/CNS

Chemical spill at Melbourne Airport Dozens of firefighters responded to reports of a hazardous materials

incident shortly before 4.30am at Concorde Close.

A Melbourne Airport spokesman Grant Smith said the five-litre spill

was localised to an inbound cargo aircraft that had just arrived from

Brisbane.

“We take any spill seriously … we’re expecting it to take a while to

clean up as the chemical is inside some railings of the aircraft,” he

said.

Mr. Smith said the aircraft is not near any runways and flights in and

out of the airport should be not affected.

Paramedics were also on scene where four people were treated for

inhalation but did not require further medical attention. Source: Herald Sun

WA Mines Emergency Management - Code of Practice Emergency situations can introduce hazardous situations not

normally encountered on a mine site and being prepared is critical to

the safety and health of workers. This code of practice provides

guidance to mining operations on emergency management systems,

as well as developing and evaluating safe work procedures for such

systems.

A copy of the Emergency management for Western Australian mines

– code of practice is available online, or in hardcopy format (on

request) from SafetyComms@dmirs.wa.gov.au.

This code has been developed with input from industry and other

stakeholders and was open for public comment in 2016-2017. The

department’s response to feedback can be viewed in Emergency

preparedness for Western Australian mines - draft code of practice:

Response to public comment.

Image: Careflight

Fire destroys Thai Hotels, Restaurants Hundreds of people were forced to evacuate their hotels after

massive fires broke out across a number of venues at one of

Thailand’s top tourist islands.

Local media reports a gas cylinder explosion is believed to have

started the fire in a hotel.

The roaring blaze reportedly started from a gas cylinder in a hotel at

Phi Phi island, an extremely popular area among Australian

travellers, before spreading damage across at least 25 venues.

Three people, including two locals and one foreign tourist, sustained

minor injuries from smoke inhalation.

Welding causes Beer Tank Explosion A man was flown to hospital with serious burns after a beer tank he

was welding exploded at a Central Coast brewery.

The 38-year-old suffered burns to his face and upper body in the

welding-accident and he was treated by paramedics at the brewery.

The CareFlight helicopter arrived at the scene and the specialist

doctor and critical care paramedic placed him in an induced coma to

stabilise him.

He was then flown to Royal North Shore Hospital’s specialist burns

unit where he is receiving treatment. Source: Daily Telegraph

Nigeria: 8 Dead from Tanker/Truck Crash Eight people were burnt to death in a fire from an accident involving

a fuel-laden tanker and a truck on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.

The tanker carrying 33,000 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS)

otherwise called fuel was said to be heading to Ibadan while the

truck was coming from Ibadan when the incident occurred.

Witnesses said the truck hit the tanker while attempting to overtake

at a narrowed section of the road. The impact of the collision was

said to have ignited the fire. Source: www.channelstv.com

Africa: Tanker with 22 Missing A Hong-Kong managed tanker with a crew of 22 and a cargo of

13,500 tonnes of petrol is missing in the Gulf of Guinea after contact

was lost off Benin on February 2, owners Anglo-Eastern said in a

statement. The cause of the loss of communication with the vessel,

the Marine Express, was unknown and a search was under way with

help from Nigerian and Beninese authorities, the company said.

Image: panorama>>am

Chinese Chemical Plant explosion Four people died and six were injured after an explosion ripped

through a chemical plant in east China's Shandong Province.

The blast occurred at the Jinshan Chemical Plant Co., Ltd in an

economic development zone in Linshu County while maintenance

work was under way, according to the county government.

Owner of the chemical plant is in police custody.

The cause of the blast is being investigated. Source: Xinhua

VIDEO and PICTURES

Charges: 2012 Montana Oil Plant explosion A federal grand jury has indicted two Canadian managers of an oil

recycling company on criminal charges including conspiracy and

endangerment in an explosion that injured three workers at an

eastern Montana oil plant.

Custom Carbon Processing Inc., its president Peter Margiotta and

project manager Mark Hurst face charges of conspiracy,

endangerment and Clean Air Act violations.

They could face up to 15 years in prison and a $1 million fine on the

most serious charges.

Prosecutors said the two men ignored warnings from a company

foreman about hazards at the plant in Wibaux County.

The plant, built on the site of a former disposal well, recycled so-

called "slop oil" that comes from oil fields into higher-quality crude

oil that could be sold.

The documents say the foreman told the defendants the use of

highly flammable natural gas condensate to thin slop oil at the plant

was creating a dangerous situation.

The foreman attempted to refuse shipments of the condensate, but

Hurst ordered him to continue taking them, according to the

indictment.

In the lead-up to the explosion, vapours from a condensate shipment

spread through the building, reached an ignition source and blew up

both the plant and the tractor trailer that had delivered the fuel.

Three workers who had been installing insulation were injured.

Margiotta and Hurst also are accused of operating the plant even

though they knew it did not have appropriate wiring, ventilation and

other safety measures. Source: abcnews.go.com

Ghana: 2 dead, 2 injured in Welding Explosion A tanker explosion that was caused by repair works has killed two

persons and injured two others at Baku near Atuabo in the Western

Region.

Driver of the truck, told Police he took the tanker with the number

registration GN 6228-14, to a mechanic shop for a faulty part to be

welded.

According the driver who reported himself to the Police, in the

course of the welding, the tanker exploded and instantly killed a 16-

year-old apprentice, Samuel Kenyah. The driver’s mate, 36-year-old

Amos Tetteh who was injured together with Michael Boavo, 26 years

and Jackson Bosompem, 23, both welders, died at a hospital.

Police told Takoradi-based Connect FM that the tanker driver is

currently in custody assisting in investigations while the exploded

tanker has been impounded. Source: Ghana Web

India: Student dies after Gas Balloon

Cylinder Explosion The school had organised a sports day at a private ground for

students of Class 6 to 12. The school had engaged a gas balloon

seller to provide balloons for the drill. While an initial investigation

has been initiated in the case, the police said that the cause of the

explosion was yet to be ascertained. Meanwhile, police are on the

lookout for Ganapathy, a gas balloon seller who fled from the spot

after the explosion.

February 2018

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OSHA fines for fatal Colorado Tank Blast Anadarko Petroleum Corp., Energes Services LLC, Dominguez

Welding LLC and Unlimited Services LLC face $70,711 in proposed

penalties after the US Occupational Safety and Health

Administration (OSHA) judged that they had exposed employees to

health and safety hazards in the fatal explosion of a storage tank in

May 2017 in Mead, Colorado.

One employee was killed and three others suffered third-degree

burns in the incident. OSHA said the workers were merging two

storage tank batteries into a single tank that was operated by

Anadarko when the explosion and fire occurred.

OSHA inspectors said the companies were cited for introducing

potential ignition sources into work areas containing flammable

gases or vapours; not isolating flammable gases or vapours from

welding activity; and not adequately inspecting the worksite and

addressing safety hazards.

“Oil and gas industry employers must take proper precautions for

hot work in the presence of flammable hydrocarbon vapours,” said

Denver-based OSHA Area Director Herb Gibson, in the statement.

“OSHA and the industry have issued guidance for employers on the

hazards of flammable materials and appropriate protective

measures,” Gibson.

Anadarko spokeswoman Jennifer Brice said in a statement that the

company, one of Colorado’s largest oil and gas companies,

appreciates “OSHA’s comprehensive review of this tragic accident,

and we take the findings very seriously.”

“Since the accident, we have been reviewing our processes and

procedures as part our commitment for continual improvement

around safety and will continue to work with OSHA on any additional

steps it may recommend,” Brice said.

2018 National Major Hazard

Facilities Forum

Safework NSW

March 6:

ANZ Stadium (Members Room)

Edwin Flack Avenue

Sydney Olympic Park, NSW 2127

Tickets: $385

Marair

are Dangerous Goods

Specialists in:

Worldwide Logistics

Compliance and

Consulting

Products and Support.

Victoria +61 3 8318 4500

Perth

+61 8 6350 0200

Sydney +61 2 9727 3284

Adelaide

+61 8 6350 0200

Chemical Oxygen self-contained

self-rescue respirators

Transporters of placard loads of toxic gases are required by the

Australian Dangerous Goods Code (ADG7.5) to provide drivers with

air supplied short-term breathing apparatus (ASSTBA) for escape

purposes.

Recently, NSW authorities independently tested a model of ASSTBA

that fits into the category of Chemical Oxygen Self-Contained Self-

Rescue Respirator. It was found to be non-compliant with AS/NZ1716

Respiratory Equipment Devices.

Transport companies are encouraged to check their ASSTBA for

compliance with AS1716. Alert from SafeWork NSW

China overhauls Severely Restricted Toxic

Chemicals Import/Export Listings

Rules now refer to International Conventions China's Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP) has incorporated

several international conventions into how it manages its listings of

severely restricted toxic chemicals for import/export.

The previous Catalogue of severely restricted chemicals for

import/export, which contained around 150 substances, has been

abolished.

In effect, it has been replaced by referring to three major

international conventions on chemical control instead:

the Stockholm Convention on persistent organic pollutant

(POPs) and its amendments;

the Minamata Convention on Mercury; and

the Rotterdam Convention.

The change came in an announcement on 1 January and was applied

with immediate effect. More available on CW+ AsiaHub

Nevada: 2 Dead in Head-on Tanker Crash

For extensive

coverage

Fire and

Explosion Risks

WorkCover

Queensland

and Brochure

from hsa/ie.

Fire &

Explosion Risks

in Service

Station

Managing Ignition Sources in Hazardous Zones Following a series of recent safety incidents retail fuel site

operators are reminded to engage with staff on the importance of

managing ignition sources in hazardous zones to ensure they are

discharging their responsibility to protect staff, customers and the

environment from the risk of fire.

A retail fuel site is a threshold mass hazard facility, storing and

dispensing hazardous chemicals and dangerous goods. With this

comes a responsibility to ensure that the site has safety practices

and operations that manage known risks. There are many known

risks, key among these is the presence of customers. Retail fuel

site customers are often uninformed, or not fully cognizant, of the

risks they encounter, and the risks their behaviour poses, when on a

retail fuel site. Customer behaviour can drastically increase the risk

of an incident. Customers, knowingly or otherwise, can often

circumvent existing safety protocols and thus greatly increase the

chance that something will go wrong. This risk of customers is a

known risk and must be actively managed.

Customers smoking at the pumps, not grounding portable containers

during filling and jamming nozzles open, are behaviours that are

seen on retail fuel sites every day. Most of these behaviours do not

result in an incident every time, though many do result in fires, spills

injuries and damage.

Less common customer behaviours, such as operating the pumps

near running machinery or active pilot lights are also risky

situations. Recently an incident was seen onsite, where a customer

was filling a vehicle that had a running refrigerator, which resulted

in a fire. While rarer these incidents do happen. Caravans and trade

vehicles often have pilot lights or running machinery that greatly

increases the risk of an incident when they are brought onto the

forecourt. Managing these behaviours onsite falls to the staff.

Retail fuel site staff must be vigilant in observing and responding to

customer behaviour in the hazardous zones. Staff must be aware of

what customers are doing and be ready to respond by shutting down

the pumps if customers are exhibiting behaviours that increase the

risk of incident.

This vigilance is often a difficult balance to strike, particularly when

the forecourt and store is busy. However, there are major

consequences for failure to actively attend to the customer

behaviour on the forecourt and to rapidly respond when customers

are exhibiting risky behaviours.

Operators are reminded to engage with staff to ensure that they

understand where the hazardous zones that exist on the forecourt

including; around the pumps, dip and fill points, vents and tanks.

Staff should understand where the hazardous zones are and what

behaviours should not be allowed in those zones. Importantly staff

should be explicitly empowered to respond when customers present

risky behaviours in these zones. While it may be a small imposition

for other customers on the forecourt, staff should not hesitate to

shut down the pumps when there is risky behaviour going on. It is

incumbent on operators to ensure that staff know where to look,

what to look for and what to do when they observe a risky

behaviour.

Balancing the efficient and congenial service of customers on the

forecourt and shop with the need to ensure the safe operation of the

site is a delicate dance, but one that the business must manage.

Failure to balance these elements can result in incident, injury and

damage, not just to people, but to the business. This article courtesy of ACAPMAg

▼for example Man burnt at Canberra Petrol Station A man is being treated for facial burns after the back of his ute

caught fire while he was filling a jerry can at a south Canberra

service station.

Firefighters were called to the Caltex petrol station in Conder about

9:00am on Monday, but staff at the petrol station were able to

extinguish the fire before emergency services arrived.

The man, in his mid-30s, suffered facial burns in the flare-up and was

tended to by paramedics on the scene before being taken to

Canberra Hospital.

The fire was sparked by a refrigerator running on the back of the

man's ute, next to where he was refilling the jerry can.

"Petrol is extremely volatile liquid, and it will flash quite easily, and

it is really important when you're filling a jerry can to take it out of

your vehicle … and place it on the ground where it's earthed

properly," Leigh Curtis from the ACT Emergency Services Agency

said.

"Static electricity can be a problem which can also cause an

ignition.

"It's a requirement that is shown on all of the signage at petrol

stations, and it should be common practice."

Mr Curtis said the refrigerator should also have been turned off

before the man began filling the can. Source: Nepalese Voice

Image: https://myosh.com/wa-

food-outlets-fail-health-safety-

test/

Image:

https://www.nra.net.au/tag/west

ern-australia/

Safety concerns in Takeaway Food Outlets A proactive inspection program undertaken by WorkSafe W.A. to look

at safety in takeaway food outlets has uncovered serious concerns

with hazardous substances.

The inspection program involved inspectors visiting takeaway food

outlets in Perth and regional areas of the State throughout the

2016/17 financial year.

A total of 152 takeaway food premises were visited during the

program, 81 of which were the larger chain fast food takeaways. The

remaining 71 were smaller takeaways such as fish and chip shops

and lunch bars.

Inspectors issued 719 improvements notices, three prohibition

notices and 41 verbal directions in the course of the program.

The greatest number of notices - 237 of those issued – related to

hazardous substances. These were predominantly for a lack of risk

assessment records and registers of hazardous substances and a

lack of Material Safety Data Sheets and training records.

The second highest number of notices – a total of 181 – related to

emergency precautions. These mainly concerned problems with

evacuation procedures and first aid facilities and training.

WorkSafe Acting Director Grady Chaney said “This inspection

program uncovered some widespread problems with hazardous

substances and emergency preparedness, so the industry now needs

to pay more attention to these areas and ensure that risk

assessments are carried out, emergency procedures are in place

and that all workers are properly trained.

“This program is part of a continuing series of proactive inspection

programs looking at safety issues in a wide range of industries,

activities and geographical locations.

Source

Large Fire at Taiwan Refinery A gas explosion in a reheating furnace tube in a diesel hydrotreating

unit at 6:40am sparked the fire, the state-owned refiner said in a

statement, adding that the refinery had just resumed production

after undergoing planned maintenance from Dec. 25 last year to

Saturday. Source: Taipei Times

VIDEO

ISO 45001 to be published in March ISO 45001 is an International Standard that specifies requirements

for an occupational health and safety (OH&S) management system,

with guidance for its use, to enable an organisation to proactively

improve its OH&S performance in preventing injury and ill-health.

The standard is designed to help organisations of all sizes and

industries improve the health and safety of their employees through

reducing risks and creating better working conditions.

ISO 45001

… Despite efforts to prevent the industrial fluoroether

from getting into North Carolina drinking water, it’s

still present. Scientists are racing to find out why….

GenX still downstream from US Chemical Plant Discovery of a class of industrial compounds called fluoroethers in

public tap water last year shocked hundreds of thousands of North

Carolina residents who had been drinking the tainted liquid. The

source of that contamination was a Chemours fluoropolymer plant

that discharged wastewater into the Cape Fear River. The Cape Fear

River runs through south-eastern North Carolina before emptying in

to the Atlantic downstream of the city of Wilmington.

The Wilmington water utility and North Carolina officials scrambled

to stop the contamination.

Standard drinking water treatment cannot remove the

polyfluorinated ethers, so the state asked Chemours to halt a vinyl

ether production process that generated the compounds.

Later, after a spill at the plant, the state revoked the company’s

wastewater discharge permit for its fluorochemical production unit.

Chemours now hauls all fluorochemical production wastewater from

the Fayetteville facility via tanker truck and rail to Deer Park, Texas,

for disposal in a deep injection well, the company told the North

Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and the U.S.

Environmental Protection Agency in November.

Those measures have resulted in “a precipitous decline in the

concentrations” of fluorochemical substances downstream, DEQ

says. But scientists are still finding fluoroethers in the river. Where

the chemicals are coming from is a mystery. And no one knows

whether exposure to these chemicals might harm people’s health or

the environment.

Credit: C&EN/Shutterstock

The Chemours plant sits on 2,870 hectares in a rural area south of

Fayetteville, near the west bank of the Cape Fear River. The

waterway flows more than 110 km beyond the facility before

reaching Wilmington. South of the city, the river broadens into an

estuary about 50 km long that empties into the Atlantic Ocean.

The facility, built and operated by DuPont and handed over to spin-

off Chemours in 2015, has manufactured fluoropolymers since 1971.

The plant’s current products include Nafion sulfonated

tetrafluoroethylene-based ionic polymers, which are used as

membranes in fuel cells and to produce chlorine and sodium

hydroxide, among other applications.

For decades, the plant used the ammonium salt of perfluorooctanoic

acid (PFOA) as a surfactant that aids in the polymerization of

fluoropolymers. 3M supplied DuPont with PFOA for many years. But

3M phased out its U.S. manufacture of the surfactant between 2000

and 2002 amid rising concerns about the health effects of

perfluorinatedchemicals with eight-carbon or longer chains,

including PFOA, that are highly persistent in the environment.

As 3M bowed out, DuPont began producing PFOA at the Fayetteville

plant at the end of 2001. DuPont water discharge estimates

submitted to DEQ show that the plant sent less than a kilogram per

year of PFOA to the river.

A few years later, DuPont and other chemical manufacturers agreed

to phase out PFOA by 2015 as part of a voluntary effort spearheaded

by EPA. Now, countries are reviewing PFOA and its salts for tight

restriction or even global phaseout under an international treaty, the

Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants. Source: Cheryl Hogue, c&en

Australia's new Industrial Chemicals Law ….. may have to be delayed as other legislative priorities mean

the bill is awaiting a Senate hearing.

A spokeswoman for the Federal Department of Health told Chemical

Watch that the government is "currently considering options" which

include delaying commencement.

The six bills associated with the Australia’s Industrial Chemicals

Law are currently awaiting scheduling in the Senate with a number

of amendments tabled. A Senate hearing was expected before the

end of 2017.

The proposed law was introduced into the country's House of

Representatives last June. It would establish a new, more

"streamlined" legal framework for the regulation of industrial

chemicals and replace the existing chemical agency Nicnas with a

new body, the Australian Industrial Chemicals Introduction Scheme

(AICIS).

Image: The Free Press Journal

Gas leak in Mumbai Rayon Plant A worker died and 11others were hospitalised after suspected

leakage of hazardous gas in a rayon manufacturing unit at Shahad in

Kalyan in the district.

"The process of mixing of three different gases was in progress at

the unit, when some workers complained of nausea, eye irritation

and suffocation, possibly due to leakage of hazardous gas. They

were rushed to a hospital," a police officer said.

One worker, identified as Sanjay Sharma, died of suffocation and a

case of accidental death was registered at Ulhasnagar city police

station in this connection, police said.

According to police, 11 others were admitted to a private hospital in

Kalyan and are said to be out of danger. Investigation into the case

is on. Source: mid-day.com

Liquid Cyanide spills in UK A chemical spill of around 400 litres of liquid cyanide, caused a

small amount to leak into a nearby pond.

Environment Agency officers are now in their third day at the scene

and are continuing to take water samples to assess any potential

environmental impacts the chemical spill has had on the local

watercourses and ponds.

Penny Thorpe, Area Duty Manager at the Environment Agency said:

“Our officers have been on site since the incident occurred and have

worked alongside Derbyshire Fire and Rescue and Derbyshire County

Council to contain the spillage to minimise any effects on the

environment and wildlife in the surrounding area.

A temporary dam has been created in order to stop the spillage

leaving the pond and to prevent any further contamination. Source: https://www.openaccessgovernment.org/environment-agency-working-reduce-impact-

derbyshire-cyanide-spill/42366/

Firefighter explains

Mixed Chemical spill at N.Z. School Fire services confirmed to 1 NEWS four appliances and a hazardous

chemical team were at the scene where a woman was treated for

minor injuries.

The spill was contained in the school grounds, with the school being

cordoned off.

Image: David Curran

Massachusetts Chemical Leak Firefighters from several surrounding towns responded to a chemical

leak or spill at a Norton manufacturer.

"It could have blown up," Chief Paul Schleicher of the Norton Fire

Department said of the facility.

The company makes stretch woven fabrics, according to its website.

There were about a half dozen workers in the building who had been

hired by Tweave as part of the company's move out of town.

Workers told authorities it sounded like fireworks.

"They were in a separate part of the building and heard the snap,

crackling, pop sound and went in to investigate and saw the fumes

coming out of this barrel and it was like firecrackers going off -- is

how they described it," Schleicher said.

A drum or drums containing a chlorinelike substance broke open. An

unknown liquid spilled and became a gas. "It was a violently

reacting. It was giving off a gas initially, an actual visual gas coming

out the door and everything," Schleicher said.

Crews said they used a solution to neutralize the reaction.

"There was a chlorine like smell to it, but again, we were unable to

identify the product itself," David DiGregorio, who is the director of

the Massachusetts Fire Services Hazmat Response Division.

No injuries were reported, but about a dozen surrounding homes

were temporarily evacuated as a precaution and roads were blocked

off.

The company issued a statement, noting that the container in

question had previously been deemed non-hazardous by a contractor.

Source: NBC 10 News

Two injured in Vic. Gas Pipe explosion A teenager and a man have been injured in a gas pipe explosion

west of Melbourne, thought to have been caused by a plumber using

a jackhammer on a stormwater drain.

Two explosions were reported at Maddingley, near Bacchus Marsh,

in what police described as a workplace incident. It's believed the

initial gas explosion triggered a second explosion on nearby Griffith

Street.

The teenager suffered serious burns and was taken to hospital in

Melbourne while the man was also injured, Ambulance Victoria and

police say.

The explosions led to the evacuation of nearby properties and road

closures. It also prompted a warning from authorities about a toxic

plume. Fire crews and WorkSafe Victoria are investigating the cause

of the blasts. Source: 7News

Flooding risks: diagram, N.Y.

Times

US: 2,500 Chemical Sites in Water’s Path Anchored in flood-prone areas in every American state are more than

2,500 sites that handle toxic chemicals, a New York Times analysis

of federal floodplain and industrial data shows. About 1,400 are

located in areas at highest risk of flooding.

As flood danger grows — the consequence of a warming climate —

the risk is that there will be more toxic spills like the one that struck

Baytown, Tex., where Hurricane Harvey swamped a chemicals plant,

releasing lye. Or like the ones at a Florida fertilizer plant that leaked

phosphoric acid and an Ohio refinery that released benzene.

The Times analysis looked at sites listed in the federal Toxic

Release Inventory, which covers more than 21,600 facilities across

the country that handle large amounts of toxic chemicals harmful to

health or the environment.

Of those sites, more than 1,400 were in locations the Federal

Emergency Management Agency considers to have a high risk of

flooding. An additional 1,100 sites were in areas of moderate risk.

Other industrial complexes lie just outside these defined flood-risk

zones, obscuring their vulnerability as flood patterns shift and

expand.

The presence of chemical sites in areas vulnerable to flooding is a

holdover from an age where the advantages to industry of proximity

to rivers and oceans — for transportation and trade, or for a ready

supply of cooling water — seemingly outweighed the risks.

The Times analysis focused on facilities on the federal toxic release

database, which tracks sites handling chemicals that could be

harmful to health and the environment if released. The list does not

include properties like Superfund sites or wastewater facilities, or

chemical sites where the predominant risks are fire or explosion, as

opposed to toxic pollution.

The Times also examined reports of oil and chemical spills tallied by

the National Response Center, which is run by the Coast Guard.

Companies are required by law to report spills to the N.R.C.,

although that database has been criticized as incomplete.

But even as flooding risks increase, chemical companies continue to

build in vulnerable areas. A boom in plastics manufacturing has

brought billions of dollars of investment to the Gulf shoreline. The

Chevron Phillips site had been in the midst of adding a new $6 billion

ethane processor, one of the biggest investments in the Gulf’s fast-

growing petrochemicals industry.

READ MORE including: Florida Fertilizer Plant, Alabama

Plastics Plant. Texas Chemical Plant and Diagrams

Image: The News Center

Virginia Chemical spill Settlement A class-action settlement in a water crisis that left nearly 300,000

people in the Kanawha Valley without water has been finalized.

A federal judge approved the settlement in Charleston.

The drinking water was contaminated in January 2014 when a

chemical used to clean coal spilled from a storage tank at the now-

defunct Freedom Industries, polluting the Elk River upstream from

the system's water intake.

The $151 million settlement is between West Virginia American

Water and Eastman Chemical.

http://www.thenewscenter.tv/content/news/UPDATE-Judge-approves-settlement-in-

WV-chemical-spill-that-polluted-tap-water-for-300000-people-472190283.html

Chemical leak at Rolls Royce UK Factory Specialist teams raced to the incident at the Rolls Royce factory in

Inchinnan, with a chemical spill at the massive engineering plant.

It is understood highly corrosive hydrochloric acid escaped from a

tanker at the River Drive complex.

Scottish Fire and Rescue Service Environmental Protection Unit

raced to the scene, but no casualties were reported. Source: Daily Record

Petrol Explosion on Gold Coast Two young men are in hospital being treated for “significant burns”

following a petrol explosion at a house on the Gold Coast.

Emergency services were called to reports of a fire involving a truck

and a jumping castle at the house on Daffodil Street in Tallebudgera.

It’s understood the two men aged in their early 20s were setting up a

jumping castle for a child’s birthday party when somehow, petrol

from a generator ignited and engulfed the pair.

The truck used to transport the jumping castle was also destroyed in

the blast.

Multiples ambulance crews including the city’s High Acuity

Response Unit responded to the scene where they spent some time

stabilising the victims.

They sustained significant burns to their hands and legs and were

rushed to the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital where they

remain tonight, in stable conditions.

Police and Workplace Health and Safety Queensland are

investigating the incident. Source and Image: mygc.com.au

See Page 50 for eSafe Alert

Image: Cincinatti Enquirer

How does a Chemical Barge crack in half? The Louisville Water Co. spent some big bucks mobilizing a response

to an Ohio River liquid fertilizer spill in December, and it now wants

its money back.

The city-owned company sent a $41,145 bill to Southern Towing, the

owner of the barge that cracked open at a dock in Cincinnati in

December.

Memphis-based Southern Towing also faces fines from Kentucky

environmental regulators — three violations regarding chemical

releases that could cost the barge company as much as $25,000 a

day per violation. It wasn't clear how many days state officials

believe there were violations, but at a total of $75,000 a day, fines

could quickly add up.

Water company officials played vital roles in helping to locate the

spill — which had no obvious sheen — and monitoring its movement

downriver from Cincinnati to Louisville.

"It’s certainly one of the most unique and challenging spills we’ve

encountered," Smith said. "Our scientists had to find the spill and

then track it as it passed through Louisville. We set up a mobile

water quality lab that was staffed through the Christmas holiday."

The plume of urea ammonium nitrogen reached Louisville's drinking

water intakes on Christmas day, and by that time, it was diluted

enough that no additional treatment was needed, Smith said.

About half an hour before sunrise on Dec. 19, the nearly 50-year-old

barge buckled as the liquid cargo was being offloaded, eventually

draining 467,000 gallons of liquid fertilizer into the frigid current. By

the time the incident was reported, the centre of the barge was

completely sunken in the river and the chemicals were leaking out.

Cabinet records show that Southern Towing has had no prior

incidents on the Ohio River, within Kentucky’s jurisdiction, that

would fall under the Division of Water’s regulatory authority,

according to John Mura, spokesman for the cabinet.

A Coast Guard investigation also remains open.

Water monitoring after the spill indicated high levels of ammonia and

nitrogen up to a mile downstream of the barge. While there were no

reports of dead fish or other river-dwelling creatures, a local

scientist said he expected some loss of aquatic life. Source: Courier Journal

Runaway Reactions caused by

Contamination Process Safety Beacon

Oil spill at Victorian Refinery CFA, HAZMAT and local employees worked together to clean up a

big leak at the Viva Refinery today. CFA were called to the scene on

Refinery Road in Corio, with 1,300 litres of crude oil leaking. At least

three CFA units remain at the site to deal with the clean-up, with

Viva workers assisting. The scene has been declared under control,

with no danger to the public. It in unclear what caused the leak at

this stage. Source: Local News© bay 93.9 Geelong

Kashmir: Chemical Spill in River Concern spread across the Langate area of north Kashmir’s

Kupwara district after over 14,000 trout fish were found dead at a

fish farm.

District authorities issued warnings for residents in about 24 villages

not to consume water from the Mawar nullah until further notice.

Officials said that the fish might have died because of a chemical

spill into the Mawar nullah that feeds the fish farm at Kutlari.

According to the MLA from Langate, Engineer Rasheed, the spill had

occurred due to the negligence of the army camp located at

Naugam.

According to Engineer Rasheed, who had remonstrated with the

army and called for punishment for those responsible, the army had

identified the chemical as Phenyl Formate (C7H6O2), a kind of

disinfectant.

"The chemical was so effective that it caused deaths of more than

14000 fishes in trout farm in a few minutes," said Showkat Ahmad,

Additional Director Fisheries Kupwara who along with senior police

and civil officers visited the spot.

The authorities have also issued an advisory asking people of at

least 24 villages not to consume water from the stream till it is

cleaned.

A large number of fish in Mawar nallah also died due to the

chemical, the official said. Source and Image: Kashmir Observer

A truck loaded with liquefied natural gas

(LNG) burst into fire on an expressway in north

China.

Chemical Fire injured 20 US Firefighters A dangerous combination of chemicals is to blame for a fire that

sent more than a dozen Cranston firefighters to the hospital.

An employee at Prosys Finishing Technologies in Cranston was

pouring chemicals together to dispose of them. One of the chemicals

didn't mix well with the others, which caused a fire and toxic spill on

Elmwood Avenue.

“It could've been a worse situation," said Paul Casey, director of

EMS for Cranston. "We had a daycare right next door and that's

going to lead to panicked parents coming down to get their kids

when they see all the emergency lights there so the mass casualty

part of it could have been worse."

The day-care centre, First Year's Learning Center, was evacuated

and no one there was injured. Both the day-care and the building

that houses Prosys, which is located at 1420 Elmwood Ave., are in

an industrial zone in Cranston.

According to city records, Prosys, which makes materials for

jewellery, moved in more than a decade before the day-care.

NBC 10 News wanted to know why a childcare centre is allowed to

operate right next to a building that contains hazardous substances.

The Department of Children, Youth and Families said child care

centres have to pass inspections for fire, lead, and radon but state

regulations do not require that areas surrounding day-care centres

be inspected.

More than a week after the fire, 20 firefighters are still showing

symptoms of chemical exposure, including weakness, nausea,

vomiting and difficulty breathing. Six of them are out on injury leave.

It’s unknown how long they'll be off the job.

“As much as we'd like to be bulletproof, sometimes we're not and we

can fall victim to some of the same stuff that other people do,”

Casey said. “And this is a concern because we don't know in the

future what's going to happen to these guys and that's an unknown

right now.”

NEWS REPORT and Source

Click above: 2018 February

Image: W.A. Police

Gas explosions at W.A. House A house fire which destroyed a property in Roebourne after gas

cylinders on the property exploded has been deemed suspicious and

is under investigation.

West Pilbara detectives are asking the public for information that

could assist their investigation into the fire, which started in the

backyard of a Sholl Street property.

Six Roebourne police officers in the area at the time noticed several

gas bottles alight in the home’s backyard and moved quickly to

evacuate the home’s three occupants and neighbours and set up an

exclusion zone on the other side of the road.

Shortly after, several large standing gas bottles at the front of the

house exploded, sending debris and sheet metal over the road and

into nearby yards.

The house was engulfed in the resulting fire before it was

extinguished by 13 Department of Fire and Emergency Services

volunteers several hours later. Source: The West Australian

Lithium Battery Fire at Samsung Factory The fire broke out at a facility northern Chinese city of Tianjin and it

has now been extinguished, a Samsung spokesman said.

The fire broke out not on the production line itself but in a part of the

facility used for waste, including faulty batteries, said Samsung SDI

spokesman Shin Yong-doo. He added that most of the factory was

running as normal.

The local fire department, however, said on its microblog that the

fire was caused by batteries inside the facility.

The "material that caught fire was lithium batteries inside the

production workshops and some half-finished products", the Wuqing

branch of the Tianjin Fire Department said in a post on its verified

Sina Weibo account.

It added it had sent out 110 firefighters and 19 trucks to put out the

fire.

SOURCE

Pressurized Gas Line fire on Baltimore Street

Image: Mudassar/Raja Express

India: 10 Gas explosions in a Month At least 35 people suffered burn injuries and two lost their lives in

10 gas and LPG cylinder explosions that occurred during January,

said District Emergency Officer, Rawalpindi Dr Abdul Rehman.

Talking to APP he said, there was need for launching an awareness

campaign among the people about safety measures needed to be

taken on such occasions and about the first aid to be provided to

the victims.

Every year in winter, there had been reports of casualties due to

incidents of gas explosions caused by gas leakage from appliances,

mostly from substandard portable gas heaters.

SA Bans Fluorinated Firefighting Foams The South Australian Government has introduced a ban on the use

of fluorinated firefighting foams due to concerns about the

chemicals' environmental impacts.

The ban covers all types of fluorinated firefighting foams, both C8

types and more modern ≤C6 types.

No other Australian state or territory or major international

jurisdiction has banned ≤C6 types of firefighting foam, although in

2016 Queensland introduced a ban on C8 types and restrictions on

≤C6 foam.

C8 foam may contain perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) or

perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), while ≤C6 types contain reduced

amounts of PFOA. PFOS is considered a persistent organic

pollutant, and PFOA is expected to be listed as such in Australia in

2019.

The wide-reaching ban may have significant consequences for

major hazard facilities, which frequently rely on fluorinated foam

suppression systems because of their increased effectiveness over

non-fluorinated alternatives.

The ban, which covers all foams containing per- and poly-

fluorinated alkylated substances (PFAS), is part of an amendment

to the Environment Protection (Water Quality) Policy 2015 under

the Environment Protection Act 1993, made following public

consultation during 2017.

FPA Australia

Image: report.az.en

Spate of Gas Explosions in West Africa According to Pulse, four people have reportedly been killed and

many others injured in a gas station explosion in Edo state, in south

central Nigeria.

In a similar incident two weeks ago, a gas plant in Magodo, Lagos

State, also exploded leaving two dead and many others injured.

The Nigerian Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) has urged

the media to sensitise the public to the dangers of any form of

explosion and provide guidance on how to respond in such

situations.

Over the same weekend two were killed and two others injured in a

tanker explosion in Ghana.

The incident took place after a tanker driver took his vehicle to a

welding shop for repairs, according to Empire News.

In Benin, three are feared dead after a gas explosion at an IDDS gas

plant in Benin City. Two were injured and have been hospitalised.

Four people have reportedly been killed and many others injured in a

gas station explosion in Edo state. According to Instablog9ja, the

explosion occurred at a gas station along Ugbor Rd, GRA, Benin, Edo

State.

Explosion in Montenegro Arms Factory An explosion at the Tara small arms and ammunition plant in

Mojkovac, Montenegro, severely injured two employees.

The Vijesti news site said the explosion occurred in the factory

assembly hall. The injured workers, who sustained life-threatening

burns, were taken to the Medical Military Academy in Belgrade,

Serbia.

The explosion at the former state-owned factory, which makes

pistols, rifles, parts for missile systems and explosive propellants,

was the fourth since the company was privatised in 2014.

In June 2015, a deadly blast killed one worker and left seven others

injured. In February 2014, the head of the pyrotechnics section was

injured, and on October 24 of the same year, six workers were also

injured in an explosion.

Montenegrin public broadcaster RTCG quoted a press release

issued by the company saying that the factory was closed down

after the authorities launched an investigation into how the

accident in the factory’s production section happened.

Balkan Insight said the plant was part-owned by Swiss arms dealer

Heinrich Thomet, who has been involved in a number of

controversial international arms export deals.

Bolivia: Deep Fried Llama Dish explodes Six people were killed and twenty eight injured after a street

vendor's gas canister exploded near the route of the world renowned

folkloric Carnival in the Bolivian city of Oruro.

Deputy Commander Freddy Betancurt says the blast took place on a

street parallel to where participants were making the folkloric

entrance to Oruro's Carnival, one of the most important in Bolivia. It

created an expansive wave of at least 50 metres. Source and Images: AP

OSHA Fines Georgian Chemical Company First Source Worldwide of Dalton, Georgia is disputing Fed-OSHA

citations that led to more than $256,000 in fines issued to the

company.

They reportedly include willful citations for failing to install a fall

protection system, and develop and implement a written permit-

required confined-space program. Source: Suwannee Democrat

When the Wind is Your Friend and You

can watch NH3 BOIL

Video footage from an anhydrous ammonia (NH3) leak (liquid

leak) does an excellent job of showing how NH3 will behave when

released as a liquid, with a boiling point of -28ºF. The videographer

may not have known how they were to "death" while shooting

footage, but the wind was their best friend, as can be seen in the

footage.

Watch the videos that follow this embedded video above as they

contain additional footage from this transportation incident.

Ammonia Tanker Mishap at Chicalm

Includes these News Reports:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0ubvbrAZB8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSuPnpC6bZI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfmmKqH8LWk

Non-bonded Fuel Hoses create Fire

and Explosion Hazards Since 2014, two workers in B.C. have been seriously injured in flash

fires linked to non-bonded fuel hoses (i.e., hoses that cannot

dissipate static electricity). In the second incident, the worker’s

injuries were fatal. This bulletin explains the hazards. It is our aim to

ensure that everyone involved in the storage, transportation,

delivery, and transfer of fuel understands that fuel hoses must be

adequately bonded and should be designed to meet the

requirements of ULC Standard CAN/ULC-S612 for dissipating static

electricity.

Hydrocarbon fuels like diesel and gasoline are capable of both

generating and storing static electricity. A means of dissipating

static electricity must be built into any system used for storing,

handling, transferring, or dispensing flammable or combustible

liquids used as fuel.

Static electricity is created when materials move against each other

or when an uncharged object comes near a charged surface. Once

generated, static electricity can remain stored on materials or on

workers without any obvious indication it’s there. In flammable or

explosive atmospheres, a discharge of static electricity can become

an ignition source, resulting in fires and/or explosions.

Bonding involves connecting all components in a system using a

conductive material, usually a wire. Bonding ensures that the static

charge remains the same between the materials, preventing

potentially dangerous static sparks.

British Columbia Safety Alert

Peoples Daily, China

104 people from Guangxi in S China have died from carbon

monoxide poisoning since the beginning of this year, local

authorities say. Emergency response has been launched to

deal with the situation.

What a Bad Day Looks Like

Industrial Fire Familiarization: The Highs

and Lows of the pH World While many different ingredients and chemicals are used in the

processing industry, there are a certain few standout materials that

seem to be a recurring danger. Whether it be 0, or a 14, the

extremes of the pH world are shall not be underestimated when it

comes to an emergency. Today, we will profile some of the more

predominant acids and bases in the refining world today.

Sodium Hydroxide

NaOH, also known as “Lye” in its solid form resembles that of white

pellets or beads. While having a pH of 14, its solid form does present

less handling hazards and issues than its solution form or “Soda”.

NaOH when in its solution form with water, creates a liquid caustic

also with elevated pH readings. Caustic soda is used for many

different process related instances including pulp and paper

manufacturing, soaps, detergents, and drain cleaners.

More info here!

Mix Sodium Hydroxide with Tin Foil and get this!

Sulphuric Acid

Sulphuric acid in its physical state is a liquid unlike NaOH. With a

specific gravity of ~1.84, the acid can be thick, almost oily looking at

times. The acid, in some cases, can play a vital role in gasoline

manufacture by making the process of Alkylation possible. Sulfuric

acid can be manufactured in a few different ways, however in most

cases the process begins with burning sulphur, and the liberated

Sulphur Dioxide gas.

More here!

Sulphuric Acid VS Coca Cola

Hydrofluoric Acid

HF is widely known in the HAZMAT and industrial communities for

not only its corrosive attributes, but also its toxic effects. As an

aqueous solution, its dangers are mostly limited to contact based

injuries. As like other corrosive materials, severe burns and tissue

damage are a common injury associated with contact.

Some studies suggest that along with a moderate skin exposure to

HF, hypocalcemia can develop, leading to cardiac arrest in some

cases. HF can also be used in the Alkylation refining process,

depending upon what the specific unit is designed for, and this

seems to be the more modern trend for refining.

More!

Light Bulb in Hydrofluoric Acid

Source: Ryan Henry currently serves as the training officer for two

volunteer fire departments in Calcasieu Parish Louisiana. Ryan also works

in operations at a major gulf coast oil refinery, and serves as an ERT

firefighter, as well as their Hazardous Material Response Team Training

Coordinator. Ryan holds an AAS degree in Process Plant Technology and

currently serves as a LSU/FETI Lead Evaluator for Louisiana.

Chemical Fire in California A fire that broke out inside a metal building housing chemicals sent

up a black column of smoke visible throughout the Santa Maria

Valley.

The first crew on scene noted heavy smoke and fire coming from the

building. “We could see the smoke coming from every station,”

Battalion Chief Mike Barneich said. “So we went on a defensive

posture, which means we don’t go into the building.”

Representatives of the building handed firefighters the chemical

data sheets spelling out the types of substances inside the structure

housing a plastics business.

With the fire out, firefighters began investigating the blaze.

“We don’t know the cause of what sparked it,” he said.

Later, city officials said the fire broke out when a worker

for Composite Plastics mixed some resins and a spill occurred.

Investigators are examining the cause of ignition.

“As it is right now, all the water that ran off was our major concern

because the smoke went straight up,” Barneich said, adding the

concern was whether runoff entered the storm drain or river.

The runoff remained in an onsite basin, he added.

More than an hour after the fire broke out, a black cloud hovered

over the hills east of Santa Maria.

Source:

https://www.noozhawk.com/article/chemical_fire_produces_large_black_column_of_s

moke_in_santa_maria_valley

WorkSafe N.Z. - Major Hazard Facilities

Incident investigations and finding Root Causes Many Major Hazard Facilities (MHF) operators are failing to properly

identify root causes of notifiable incidents as they are required to do

under the MHF regulations. Investigations carried out by operators

often identify immediate causes but generally are not delving deep

enough to unearth the true cause of the incident.

Failure to identify root causes means any attempt to fix the issues

may result in a less effective “band aid” solution which may also be

more costly in the long run. It also represents a missed opportunity

to learn fully from the incident and to test, examine, and improve

systems and controls in place to prevent or mitigate potential future

major incidents.

We expect operators investigating MHF incidents to have people

competent in both incident investigation and incident analysis. While

there are a number of incident analysis methods available, not all

are appropriate for the facility where they may be used. It is

important that methodology selection and associated training is

appropriate for the facility and the incident types that could be

investigated. AS/NZS IEC 62740:2016 Root cause analysis (RCA) is a

good starting point to understand strengths and weaknesses of

technique selection.

MHF industry forum update

The next MHF Industry forum is likely to be in June or July. Make a

diary note for and keep an eye out on the MHF LinkedIn page for

forum updates.

The forum grew out of a desire for MHF operators from a diverse

range of industries to meet and learn about the new MHF

Regulations. We organised the first forum in May last year, and this

was followed by subsequent forums in September and November led

by industry.

So far the forums have addressed significant issues, particularly

around interpretation of the legislation and providing the opportunity

for us to answer industry questions and engage in a collaborative

way. The MHF team has learnt and shared from the process, and is

keen to contribute to on-going forum development.

Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Iain Lees-

Galloway recently attended the opening of OnGas’s

Bottle Swap Plant in Papakura, which is the first MHF

facility to have had a safety case accepted under the

MHF new regulations.

Risk of Electrostatic Ignition during Powder Processing Operations

The problem of static electricity in hazardous atmospheres is ever

present in many sectors of processing industries. This case study

investigates the factors behind the ignition source of a static

discharge during a powder processing operation.

Register here for Newson Gale Case Study

DATA SHEETS

Offer this update notification service as a convenience to alert you

to changes to our technical data sheets. New and/or updated data

sheets are easily identified by a green 'new/updated' box.

View changes on www.fmglobaldatasheets.com

REVISED

DS 7-14 Fire Protection for Chemical Plants

DS 7-29 Ignitable Liquid Storage in Portable Containers

DS 7-32 Ignitable Liquid Operations

DS 7-79 Fire Protection for Gas Turbines and Electric Generators

DS 7-88 Ignitable Liquid Storage Tanks

DS 8-9 Storage of Class 1, 2, 3, 4 and Plastic Commodities

Image: Fox5 Vegas

You’re Not Alone! - Emergency Response

Planning For Rail Incidents Involving

Flammable Liquids This document is intended for local emergency planners as well as

police, firefighters and paramedics. It helps communities prepare for

potential rail incidents involving the transportation of dangerous

goods such as crude oil, diesel fuel or gasoline (flammable liquids).

Transport Canada

Explosion at Las Vegas Titanium Plant An explosion rocked the TIMET plant near downtown Henderson,

officials said. The explosion was contained to the plant and did not

cause a fire or release hazardous material, she said.

The explosion occurred during a magnesium recycling operation,

which is part of the manufacturing process of titanium, TIMET

spokesman David Dugan said. The plant produces titanium that is

used in airplanes and other industries.

“Something occurred during their magnesium mold process — it’s

part of their manufacturing process — that caused an explosion,”

said Kathleen Richards, a spokeswoman for the city of Henderson.

The company has had previous safety issues.

The company reached a settlement with the U.S. Environmental

Protection Agency in 2016 for an accidental chlorine release at the

plant four years earlier, which lasted for hours and drew odour

complaints from people living miles from the plant.

Video and News Report

Fire at Powdercoating &

Sandblasting Company Fire crews say fighting the fire was challenging because of the type

of business that was on fire -- there was a thousand gallon propane

tank on the north side that was aiding in the fire.

They were able to contain it, just in time before it reached that tank.

They also say the company has a large power feed and they had to

shut it off to aid in their fire- fighting efforts.

Image: Campbell Gellie

Fine for Death in Q’land Kiln Explosion An environmental services company has been fined $200,000 after

pleading guilty in the Gladstone Magistrates Court to breaching the

Work Health and Safety Act 2011 following the death of a worker.

Chapelhow died on 27 October 2015, after an explosion in a gas kiln

in Gladstone.

In sentencing, Magistrate Melanie Ho noted this was a serious

breach of the Act with catastrophic consequences. However, she

also took into consideration the company’s early guilty plea, its co-

operation during the Workplace Health and Safety Queensland

investigation, a good safety record prior to the incident, its

significant contributions to the Gladstone community, and the safety

improvements made, which included stopping the ‘drying out’

process which on this occasion cost a young father his life.

In her summary, Magistrate Ho said Mr. Chapelhow was at no fault

at all during the failed process, but the 31 year old suffered the most

catastrophic of consequences leaving behind a young family.

Following multiple issues with the electric kiln, the company was

running behind in contract requirements and had to seek an

extension to provide the first batch of blocks. Subsequently, the

company instructed Mark Chapelhow, the Gladstone site project

manager, to switch over from electric to gas firing. Mr. Chapelhow

was provided with instructions on temperature and timing for the

new process. However, no information was provided confirming how

the gas came to be used in the kiln. There were no procedures,

policies or safety information regarding the use of the kiln. No

professionals were engaged to convert the electric kiln to gas.

Management made no further queries regarding the kiln conversion.

Two weeks after Mr. Chapelhow was instructed to convert the kiln

to gas, he was killed. Investigations confirm the kiln was running on

gas when the flame extinguished, gas continued to build up for an

unknown amount of time before Mr Chapelhow attempted to relight

it, resulting in an explosion.

Expert evidence found significant issues with the kiln configuration

and operation, it was in very poor condition and had been converted

using methods inconsistent with Australian Standards.

The defendant was prosecuted for failing to engage competent

persons to design and install a gas system in the kiln, failing to

engage competent persons to ensure operation and maintenance of

the kiln were safe and failing to provide adequate training to

workers operating the kiln by gas.

The defendant pleaded guilty to these failures which breached

section 32 of the Work Health and Safety Act 2011. No conviction

was recorded. Source: WorkCover Queensland

Image: KUTV

HAZMAT Spill at US International Airport A hazmat spill at the Salt Lake City International Airport was

reported on its construction site.

Airport Spokesperson Nancy Volmer said 130 gallons of a roofing

adhesive, Sonical 2170 VC membrane, spilled and is contained in the

area.

There were no injuries reported from the construction site and no

adverse impact on airport terminals, flights or travellers.

Salt Lake City fire crews were on scene cleaning up the adhesive. Source: kutv.com/news

2017 Ammonia Safety Conference

ASM Presentation

China: Great Safety Leap Forward China’s Ministry of Industry and Information has clarified its plans to

require enterprises handling hazardous chemicals (HC) across the

country to migrate to designated industrial zones in accordance with

the Guiding Proposal set out in December 2017.

As is usual, implementation of the migration plan has been devolved

to provincial and municipal authorities, which makes it difficult to

track the exact status of the migration around the country. Source: HCB

OSHA Chemical Co. Unsafe Practices First Source Worldwide LLC, a Georgia-based chemicals and

colourants manufacturer, has been cited for numerous willful and

serious workplace safety hazards.

Following a recent inspection, OSHA issued several citations

totaling $256,088 in proposed fines after discovering the company

willfully failed to install a fall protection system, as well as develop

and implement a written permit-required confined-space program.

sunnews

New York Abandoned Leather Mill Fire

READ ALSO

ATN STORY

Fine for Unsafe transport of Flammable

Beads across Sydney The Land and Environment Court has convicted and fined

international freight forwarding and customs clearance company,

Toll Global Forwarding Pty Ltd, $75,000 following a plea of guilty by

the company to a charge that it failed to ensure that the transport of

dangerous goods from Port Botany to Smithfield was conducted in a

safe manner.

Toll Global Forwarding Pty Ltd were ordered to pay the NSW

Environment Protection Authority’s legal costs for prosecuting the

case against it as agreed or assessed. The judgment was handed

down today 16 February 2018.

In October 2014, Toll Global Forwarding was involved in arranging

the transport of approximately 16 tonnes of flammable dangerous

goods comprising expandable polymeric beads, which are used in

the manufacture of polystyrene. The flammable beads were

transported by truck through three tunnels including one on General

Holmes Drive and two on the M5 motorway.

EPA Executive Director of Hazardous Incidents and Environmental

Health Stephen Beaman said the dangerous goods laws are in place

to reduce the risks that the transport of dangerous goods could pose

to the community and environment.

“Toll was involved in the transport of the goods and as the consignor

was responsible for ensuring dangerous goods were transported

safely. Their failures increased the risks posed to members of the

community, emergency services and the environment in the event of

an accident or spill.”

Toll Global Forwarding Pty Ltd was responsible for ensuring that

dangerous goods transport documentation was current and complied

with legislative requirements, however it failed to do so. Toll was

required to undertake checks to ensure all parties involved could

transport dangerous goods in a safe manner, however it failed to do

so. Toll also failed to provide adequate instruction and training to

its staff who were involved in the consignment of the goods for

transport by road.

In giving reasons for the $75,000 fine, Justice Robson observed:

“There is no doubt that grave consequences could have arisen from

Toll Global’s failure to comply”.

The EPA was successful in prosecuting Stockwell International Pty

Ltd (who was convicted and fined $84,000) and Mr. Darren Hill (who

was convicted and fined $2,800) in separate proceedings in 2017 for

charges arising from the same incident.

Energy Storage Systems

supplied by PBES aboard the

Elektra, an all-electric car ferry

operating in Finland Image: J.R.

Snyder

Image: artnet News

Hybrid & Electric Ship Battery concerns Each year there are more and more hybrid or fully electric ships

navigating waters worldwide. Some estimate that all modern

commercial vessels will soon have some form of energy storage on

board. These ships range in type from ferries transporting thousands

of people daily, to Offshore Supply Vessels that maintain safety in

critical oil rig operations. These ships increasingly rely on lithium

energy storage as their power source, with modern designs

containing over 1,000 individual modules (batteries). The

technology has proven itself reliable and powerful, however safety

concerns still linger and should be kept at the utmost of

considerations for this new technology.

Not all battery systems are equipped with the same safety systems.

Testing and certification for battery systems aboard ships has

increased, but room remains to raise the bar higher. As a member of

the first team that brought energy storage to large marine projects,

here is what is lacking in the industry and how we will improve

safety.

Marine Log

Police Investigate 2016 Hydrogen leak at Statoil Refinery

Norwegian police have launched an investigation into a hydrogen

gas leak at Statoil's Mongstad refinery in October 2016, the

company said.

Statoil temporarily shut and evacuated its main refinery on Norway's

west coast when a rusted pipe socket ruptured. The firm's own

investigation found the resulting leak was caused by insufficient

maintenance and a poor understanding of risk. Source: REUTERS

See October 2016 Newsletter for full story and Videos

W.A. Chemical Plants threaten 40,000-

year-old Rock Art? Senate inquiry has heard conflicting evidence on the impact of gas,

ammonium and fertiliser plants on the Burrup Peninsula.

FUEL-ISH IDEA? Is it Illegal or Dangerous to use a Mobile

Phone at a Petrol Station – even to pay for Fuel?

We have all been warned about the potential dangers of using our

phones at a petrol station. But a new app has raised the question

about just how dangerous it really is.

New mobile apps that let you pay for fuel without having to leave

your car are being rolled out.

But just how safe is it to use your phone at a petrol station -

especially given all the warning posters plastered on pumBP's BPme

App launched this week to join Shell's Fill Up & Go - allowing drivers

to pay for fuel at the push of a button without having to queue up

inside. Motorists simply need to pull up to a pump and log in to the

app, then confirm the pump number and their payment method - and

their device's location services will pinpoint which petrol station

they are at.

Then they just refuel as normal, and will receive a conformation of

the complete transaction once they return to their car.

But the launch has raised questions about whether we should really

be using our phones so close to flammable fuel.

We've all seen the warning signs plastered across the pumps and

heard the myths about phones causing ignition or explosion of fuel -

but is it actually a realistic threat?

According to the United Kingdom Petroleum Industry Association

(UKPIA), we don't have much to worry about when it comes to using

our phones within the grounds of a service station.

In fact, their use should only be restricted when in the act of

refuelling itself - or when you're actually driving of course.

Directly addressing the issue, the UKPIA website states: "Mobile

phones are not designed and certified for use in explosive

atmospheres which exist temporarily around the pump and nozzle

during refuelling as well as around the fill and vent pipes during

petrol deliveries.” Whilst the risk of sparking from mobile phones is

low, they are not intrinsically safe devices and should not be used in

those hazardous areas that exist on a forecourt.

"Generally, there is no need to restrict the use of mobile telephones

in other areas of the forecourt, such as in the shop, in motor

vehicles parked on the forecourt or in other non-hazardous areas."

And while it may not be illegal to use your phone at a petrol pump,

most stations will follow strict protocols that mean your pump will

be cut off if you try to refuel while using a handheld device.

As UKIP states, the main reason we are told not to use our phones is

because they are a major distraction while refuelling - not because

they pose a high explosive risk. Source: thesunco.uk

Q’ld Worker burnt whilst Lighting Furnace In January 2018, a worker received second degree burns while

trying to pour fuel into the vent pipe of a furnace used for drying

woodchips. The worker was attempting to light the furnace and

spilled the fuel which then ignited resulting in burns to his hands,

arms and legs. Investigations are continuing.

Preventing a similar incident

Fire and explosions can have catastrophic consequences, causing

serious injuries or death, as well as significant damage to property.

PCBUs must prevent the possibility of fire or explosion from an

ignition of flammable substances in areas which can have a

hazardous atmosphere. They must ensure:

• all flammable or combustible liquids, and their flammability

characteristics, are identified

• ignition sources are eliminated or controlled

• any fuel, flammable or combustible liquid is stored and carried

in an approved container

• flammable or combustible liquids are appropriately labelled

• suitable firefighting equipment is installed, tested and

maintained.

If manually starting a furnace, or using an accelerant for other items

of equipment, it is critical that workers follow the manufacturer’s

procedures or procedures developed by a competent person. The

PCBU must also ensure that workers are adequately trained and

supervised:

• in the nature of the risks associated with the flammable or

combustible liquid

• in the storage, use and handling of flammable or combustible

liquids

• in emergency procedures including suitable fire and rescue

procedures.

Statistics

Since 2012, there have been a 169 workers’ compensation claims

made for burns caused by flammable liquids or gas. Of these claims,

45 can be directly attributed to the ignition or explosion of fuel.

In the same period, Workplace Health and Safety Queensland has

issued 22 improvement and three prohibition notices in relation to

storage, transport and use of fuel in the workplace. There have been

13 incidents involving furnaces.

Prosecutions and compliance

In February 2018, a company was fined $200,000 following the death

of a worker from a furnace explosion in 2015. The worker was given

instructions to modify the furnace from electric heating to gas fired.

Two weeks later the furnace exploded killing the worker while he

was trying to reignite the furnace. The furnace was in poor condition

and had not been converted using methods consistent with

Australian Standards. The company pleaded guilty to failing to

engage a competent person to design and convert the furnace,

failing to engage competent people to operate and maintain the

furnace, and failing to provide adequate training to workers

operating the furnace.

In 2015 a company was fined $20,000 after a young worker received

burns to 10 per cent of his body while siphoning unwanted petrol

from the fuel tank of a boat at a repair shop. The worker used a

pump with exposed terminals connected to a 12v battery to pump

the fuel into pots, pans and plastic containers. When he

disconnected the pump from the battery, the fuel vapour ignited,

burning him.

In 2013 a company was fined $125,000 following the death of a

worker who was welding on a sealed oil tank. The worker, who was

not a qualified boilermaker, was welding a funnel onto the tank

which had not been purged of oil or waste fuel products, causing a

catastrophic rupture. Source: Workplace Health and Safety Queensland

When Barbecues go Bad

A woman has revealed her shocking injuries suffered after a

barbecue suddenly caught fire.

Renee Mendelson, 35, was at a first birthday party at Clontarf

Reserve on Sydney's northern beaches when she felt something hit

her back.

She had been hit by a ball of fire after an accelerant was poured on a

coal barbecue, sending flames shooting out seven metres.

The waste water tank at a

jewellery making unit at R.S.

Puram where three workers

were asphyxiated.

Image Fox11 News

India 2 Dead after inhaling Poisonous Gas Two workers died after they inhaled a poisonous gas in a chemical

factory at Panoli Industrial Estate near Ankleshwar in Bharuch

district.

Police inspector S T Desle said, "The workers had entered the

chemical process reactor of Ohm Dye Chem and died of asphyxiation

due to concentration of chemical gas there. There was some

problem with the belt in the reactor and the two workers entered it

to set it right and dropped dead one after the other”. Source: Times of India

India: Cleaning Waste Jewellery Tanks Jewellery manufacturing units in Coimbatore city have been asked

to stop the practice of manually clearing waste collection tank filled

with chemicals and gold particles after three men engaged in the

work died due to asphyxiation in December last year.

The instruction was issued in a recent meeting held for the owners

of goldsmith workshops, small scale jewellery manufacturing and

finishing units by the city police.

Three men, who were engaged in cleaning a tank attached to a

goldsmith workshop on Father Randy Street near R.S. Puram, died

following asphyxiation caused by inhaling poisonous gas.

Apart from various chemicals used for jewellery manufacturing

released into, waste water tanks attached to goldsmith workshops

also have deposit of fine gold particles that are lost during machine

and manual works. The water used by goldsmiths for washing hands

are also released into the tanks.

The tanks are emptied to collect fine gold particles deposited in the

bottom apart from clearing the waste water. Source: The Hindu

Hydrogen Tanks on Truck & Trailer catch Fire A fire in a truck carrying compressed hydrogen tanks caused the

evacuation of people in a one mile radius area of suburban Diamond

Bar, California, and a county HazMat team was sent because of the

danger of an explosion.

The truck was carrying about 20 tanks of hydrogen.

Aerial TV footage showed the tanks were being cooled by water jets

from two fire trucks, with firefighters walking up to the flame-

scorched truck.

The truck's trailer was carrying about 25 cylinders and seven or

eight were compromised, according to the fire department. The fire

department plans to fill the cylinders with inert gas. Source: Fox11 News

High Ammonia levels at Indian Water

Treatment Plants National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed the Delhi and Haryana

chief secretaries to hold a meeting on February 20 and resolve the

issue of high ammonia content in the Yamuna. A Central Pollution

Control Board (CPCB) report had found the level well past the

permissible limit at four major points.

CPCB had submitted an analysis report of ammonia level at

Hathnikund barrage, ITO barrage, Wazirabad and Okhla water

treatment plants. The level was the highest (24.9 ppm) at ITO. The

permissible limit for ammonia is 0.2 ppm. The ammonia level at

Hathnikund barrage was 0.6 ppm, 1.9 ppm at Wazirabad and 0.8 ppm

at Okhla WTP on February 15.

Times of India

8.5M Pollution Fines in Romania in One Year Romania Romania’s National Environmental Guard, the expert

authority verifying compliance with environmental laws and

regulations, applied nearly 2,000 fines last year, worth a total of over

RON 39 million (some EUR 8.5 million), according to its annual

activity report.

The authority carried out more than 40,600 inspections last year, in

the fields of pollution control, biodiversity, biosecurity and protected

areas, and gave 1,969 fines and 1,286 warnings. It also issued 237

provisions for temporary suspension of activity and made 54 criminal

complaints.

Environment commissioners across the country investigated 209

events that led to accidental pollution in 2017. 40 of the accidents

have led to water pollution and were mainly caused by leaking

wastewater (technological) or household water waste, as well as

uncleaned or leaked water from landfills, chemical spills, and

inappropriate storage of materials.

Another 42 events led to soil pollution, 44 incidents led to air

pollution, and in 53 cases the effect was soil, air and water

pollution. Source: romania-insider.com\

You’re Not Alone! - Emergency Response Planning

For Rail Incidents Involving Flammable Liquids

Federal safety officials have

ordered two of the five liquefied

natural gas storage tanks seen

here to be shut down because of

leaks. Image: Cheniere Energy

Leaking Gas Storage Tanks in Louisiana Federal safety officials have ordered two of five liquefied natural gas

storage tanks to be shut down because of leaks.

Supercold liquefied natural gas leaked into a space between inner

and outer walls of a major storage tank at the Sabine Pass LNG

export facility in Cameron Parish and its minus 260-degree

temperature created numerous 1-foot to 6-foot cracks in the carbon

steel outer tank wall, allowing some of the gas to escape, according

to an order issued Thursday (Feb. 8) by the federal Pipeline and

Hazardous Materials Safety Administration.

While investigating the leak in the tank, federal investigators were

told 11 similar incidents may have occurred at that tank and a

second one on the site between 2008 and 2016. Each tank can hold

the equivalent of 3.4 billion cubic feet of natural gas in gaseous

form, the order said. That's about 2 percent of the total natural gas

produced in Louisiana in 2017, according to the state Department of

Natural Resources.

Because of the potential for such leaks to cause a catastrophic

accident that would threaten the 500 workers and contractors at the

facility, as well as nearby communities, including the town of

Johnson Bayou, the federal safety agency ordered the two tanks

shut down within seven days. Other storage tanks at the facility

must also be inspected to determine if they have experienced

similar problems in the past.

According to the corrective action order, after PHMSA began its

investigation, Sabine sent its inspectors a March 2017 report that

had been completed by a contractor that documented "11 past

upsets (dating from 2008-2016) on Tank S-103," which was the tank

that leaked on Jan. 22. That report "surmised" that under certain

conditions, liquefied natural gas might splash over the top of the

inner tank in a "geyser type effect," and that the same thing might

also have occurred in Tank S-101. Two other tanks at the facility

"appear to be unaffected by the incident ..." Source: nola.com

Singaporean Video – Why Lithium Ion

Batteries are an Explosive Danger With an increase in fires involving lithium-ion batteries, the

programme Talking Point investigates the dangers of such batteries

and why they go ‘boom’. A recent episode of Talking Point showed

just how lithium-ion batteries – used in personal mobility.

Image: timeslive.co.za

S.African Farms evacuated after Chemical Spill The precautionary measures were taken after a sulphuric acid leak

at a company linked to the defence industry

Authorities evacuated farms within a 3km radius of a dangerous

chemical spill at a company in the Cape Winelands.

The evacuation was carried out as a safety precaution in case the

sulphuric acid formed a gas cloud carried by the wind.

Cape Winelands fire chief Danie Wilds said the leak occurred 20km

from the town of Wellington and the evacuation measures only

applied to surrounding farms and not large residential areas.

"The situation is stable at the moment but as a precaution we have

evacuated a 3km radius from the premises. This is standard

procedure," he said.

The company‚ linked to the defence industry‚ was not immediately

available for comment. Source: Business Day

US: Broken Pipe causes NH3 Leak The National Occupational Safety and Health Administration

released its report on the ammonia leak that happened at the

Brookshire Grocery Company warehouse in Tyler on September

2017.

The incident happened on Sept. 1, prompting an evacuation and

sending some employees to the hospital for treatment. The leak, a

break in the piping on the roof of a cold storage building, was

quickly found and contained.

Sixteen people were injured, but none were life-threatening. Ten

were treated and released at the scene and six more were taken to

local hospitals for evaluation and released.

OSHA started its investigation on the same day and released its

findings on Dec. 5. The report listed eight serious violations from the

leak, including maintenance, safeguards, and operational features

for exit routes; process of safety management of highly hazardous

chemicals; and hazardous waste operations and emergency

response.

The Tyler based company was fined a total of $63,736.

BGC closed its popular World of Wildlife Museum on Sept. 11 in

reaction to the leak and it remains shuttered. Although OSHA has

given the all-clear to reopen, the company stated it plans extensive

proactive measures to make sure the building is safe.

Click here for the full OSHA report.

Nepal Gas Plants shut down for Violations The Bureau of Standards and Metrology has shut down two liquefied

petroleum gas (LPG) bottling plants in Kavrepalanchok, Surya Gas

and Chandeshwori Gas, for violating safety regulations.

The bureau’s Director General Bishwo Babu Pudasaini said they took

action after the two factories defied its instruction to obtain Nepal

Standard (NS) certification.

The LPG Bottling Plant Operation Standards was issued in November

2016, and bottling plants were told to obtain NS certification within

three months. “However, Surya Gas and Chandeshwori Gas have not

started the necessary process even till date,” Pudasaini said.

Meanwhile, the bureau has ordered Sagarmatha Gas, the producer of

Sagar Gas brand cooking gas, to fulfil the necessary safety norms

and report to the bureau within three days.

According to Pudasaini, Sagarmatha Gas has started the process of

fulfilling the requirements but has a long way to go.

Gas bottlers have been found to be filling defective cylinders with

cooking gas after merely repairing the safety valves, Pudasaini said.

“In addition, the plants are not equipped with proper fire

extinguishing devices and do not have an adequate number of

trained manpower to deal with emergencies,” he said.

As per the new regulation, bottling plants need to hire the necessary

technical manpower and observe safety measures besides being

prepared for any kind of emergency on their premises.

They have been told to examine their LPG cylinders on a regular

basis and check the thickness of the cylinder wall, sludge deposit,

valve safety and safety caps.

The new rule says that bottling plants should be established at least

5 km apart. “However, the three bottlers are located hardly 300

metres from each other. They are also too close to densely

populated residential areas,” said Director Manoj Kumar Upadhyaya

of the bureau who led the monitoring team.

There are 55 gas bottling plants operating across the country.

Among them, only four, Manoj Gas, Shreekrishna Gas, Nepal Gas and

Saibaba Gas, have obtained NS certification. The bureau said it

would inspect the remaining gas bottling plants too.

It launched a crackdown against careless bottling plants following a

fire at Super Gas Factory in Sukhasaina, Parsa two weeks ago that

claimed three lives.

On Thursday, the bureau asked Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) to take

action against LPG bottlers flouting safety regulations. The state-

owned oil monopoly issues operating licences and purchase delivery

orders to bottling plants to import LPG from India. Source: Kathmandu Post

Image: geography.org.uk

How to treat carbon

monoxide poisoning

The NBSM rushed to implement its directive only after the

devastating fire at Super Gas Factory in Sukhasaina, Parsa, on

December 20. The incident claimed lives of three people. Right after

the accident, the NBSM raided five gas plants, which exerted

pressure on LPG bottling companies to obtain NS certificates.

Click here to read story

Builder collapses during Concrete Pour A builder who collapsed after being overcome by poisonous gases

while working on a Lidl warehouse has won a five-figure settlement.

Luke Daniels, 29, and fellow construction workers said they had

raised concerns about ventilation at the building in Belvedere, south-

east London, before they fell ill.

Hours later they were taken to hospital having inhaled dangerous

levels of carbon monoxide.

Mr. Daniels, who still suffers from anxiety and severe headaches,

launched a civil action against his former employer, CC Contracting

Ltd, and was awarded thousands of pounds when the case was

settled. The company was also fined £50,000 by the Health and

Safety Executive for breaches.

Mr. Daniels was part of a team subcontracted to carry out a

“concrete pour” at the Lidl distribution depot in August 2014, using

petrol and diesel-powered machines.

He said: “The engines all started up around 8am and we’d been

breathing in the fumes all morning. I first knew something was

wrong around noon when I started to get a headache and feel sick.”

“I was on the on the phone to the ambulance when I collapsed -

“My carbon monoxide blood levels were tested about two hours after

I collapsed and I was found to have 18 per cent carboxyhaemoglobin

in my blood. It would have been much higher earlier.” Source: Evening Standard

Chemical Spill at U.K. School Three fire crews and a special hazardous substance team were

called to a bromine water spill at the Emmbrook School, in

Emmbrook Road, Wokingham, Berkshire

"Two firefighters wearing breathing apparatus contained a small

spill into drums.

Bromine water is potentially dangerous as it can cause burns in

liquid form while the vapours become toxic through inhalation. Source: inyourarea.co.uk

Image: radiofreeasia

Image: New York Times

14-years for documenting Chemical spill A Vietnamese court has sentenced Hoang Duc Binh to 14 years in

prison for activism related to a chemical spill that resulted in a

massive fish kill in 2016. The sentence appears to be the harshest

so far in a series of punitive measures the Vietnamese government

has taken against citizens protesting or blogging about the spill.

“Hoang Duc Binh was convicted of abusing democratic freedoms to

infringe on the interests of the state, organization and people and

opposing officers on duty, lawyer Ha Huy Son said,” the Associated

Press reported.

News reports gave conflicting accounts of the exact activities that

landed Binh in trouble with authorities. The Associated Press

reported that Bihn had livestreamed video of fishermen marching to

file a lawsuit over the spill. “During last February’s livestream on

Facebook, Binh commented that the fishermen were stopped and

beaten by authorities. Son said Binh told the court that he made the

comments, but he denied committing a crime because what he said

was true. The court said his comments were untrue and slandered

authorities,” the Associated Press reported.

However, Reuters reported that Binh had led a number of protests

against the government over its handling of the spill.

At the same trial another activist, Nguyen Nam Phong, was

sentenced to two years in prison for “opposing officers on duty,”

according to the Associated Press. The trial was held in Nghe An

province in north-central Vietnam. Source: MONGABAY

In April, 2016, a spill at the Taiwanese-owned Formosa Ha Tinh Steel

Company sent toxic chemicals into the ocean, littering 125 miles (200

kilometres) of Vietnam’s north-central coastline with an estimated 70 tons

of dead fish. Seabird colonies were reportedly decimated, and fishermen in

four provinces were left without work.

The company’s initial unwillingness to admit culpability and the

government’s reluctant and slow response to the environmental disaster

sparked public outcry. Protests erupted in several parts of the country,

which the government quickly broke up. The company has since admitted

fault and agreed to pay $500 million to clean up the environment and

compensate people affected by the spill, according to a July

2016 Associated Press report.

The List of Dangerous Goods That Will be

Banned for Transport to the Waters of the Regions

Hosting the 2018 World Cup is Published

Image: Suniltg/CC BY-SA 3.0

3M was founded

in Minnesota

more than 115

years ago and

employs 16,000

people in the

state.

Explosion on Ship at Cochin Shipyard In a tragic incident, five people were killed in an explosion on a drill

ship at the Cochin.

According to preliminary reports, there were 20 people on board the

ship when the explosion occurred. Thirteen people were injured, one

of whom is critical. The others have suffered minor burns.

The drill ship, Sagar Bhushan, is owned by ONGC and has been

docked at the dry dock of the shipyard since December 7.

Speaking to reporters, Madhu S Nair, Chairman of Cochin Shipyard

said that the explosion took place inside the tank of the ship.

He said, "We have been carrying out maintenance work for days

together inside the tank. So at this point it is unclear what caused

the fire. There should be a detailed inquiry."

The Chairman went on to say that Jayan, one of the victims had

informed his supervisor Unnikrishnan that there was gas inside the

tank. "We believe Unnikrishnan went inside to sort it out. The tank

had only water. There was no explosive substance at all," said

Madhu.

He said welding work had been going on at the time of the

explosion. Source: The News Minute

3M Settles Chemical Disposal Lawsuit The US conglomerate 3M has reached an agreement in a lawsuit

brought by the state of Minnesota over allegations of decades of

environmental pollution.

Known for Scotch tape and Post-it notes, the company said Tuesday

it would pledge $US850 million ($A1.2 billion) to invest in a state

fund for "water quality and sustainability."

The case began in December 2010 when 3M was accused of having

contaminated the state's environment for at least 50 years with

chemicals that seeped into the ground before running into the

Mississippi River.

In November, Minnesota said it had found people suffering numerous

health problems including cancer and premature births.

On Tuesday as jury selection was beginning, 3M settled the dispute

but rejected the allegations of pollution. Source: news.com.au

911 Calls from Fatal Oklahoma Rig Explosion

Jerusalem Gas

Explosion

The Jerusalem

Magistrate’s Court has

extended the remand of

two suspects — a

contractor and a gas

technician — in

connection with a gas

explosion in the capital

the day before that killed

another gas worker and

lightly injured three

people.

The explosion was

apparently caused by a

gas leak that sprung as

the two technicians

worked on the pipes

beneath an apartment

undergoing renovation.

Source: The Times of Israel

Norwegian Tests find Harmful Chemicals Tests carried out in Norway on 79 articles and mixtures have found

chemicals such as phthalates, perfluorinated substances and

brominated flame retardants in nearly a third.

The Norwegian Environment Agency said the substances were found

above reporting limits in 29% of the samples – 13 articles and ten

mixtures. The remaining 56 samples did not contain any of the

substances above reporting limits.

The articles and mixtures were purchased in August 2017. The

articles were all plastic materials, some of them hard while others

"appeared to be made of silicone". The mixtures were used for

antifouling, insulation foam and in preservatives.

The samples were analysed for:

phthalates;

chlorinated paraffins;

UV-substances;

perfluorinated substances (PFCs);

brominated and phosphororganic flame retardants;

siloxanes (D6); and

tin compounds.

Some of these chemicals are restricted under the REACH or the

Stockholm Convention on persistent organic pollutants (POPs), but

most of them are still not regulated while several are in process for

possible future regulations, the study report says.

"There is a need for more knowledge about occurrence of the

substances in articles and in which amounts they are used," it says.

In December, the agency analysed 44 sports and leisure products on

the market and found that 40% contained environmental pollutants,

and in a fifth these were above the permitted limit value.

In January, the European Commission published a series of planned

actions and proposed options to combat the problem of substances

of concern in products and waste. Source: Chemical Watch

Chemical explosion at US Science Lab A University of West Florida science lab was evacuated after a small

chemical explosion.

Everyone got out safely and there were no reported injuries. No

students were in the lab at the time of the incident.

The chemicals involved are ethylene chloride, ethyl alcohol, and

methanol.

All firefighters who went inside are undergoing decontamination as a

precaution. Source: weartv.com

EU to ban Flame Retardant Exports The EU is to ban exports of four brominated flame retardants and

three other substances, under amendments made to legislation

controlling the trade of very hazardous chemicals.

All seven substances have been included in Part 1 of Annex V of the

prior informed consent Regulation (Pic) – a list of persistent organic

pollutants (POPs) that are subject to export ban. The changes, published on 6 February in the EU's Official

Journal, will become effective on 1 April.

From that date, brominated flame retardants (tetra-, penta-, hexa-

and heptabromodiphenyl ethers) at concentrations of 0.1% or more

when produced partially or fully from recycled materials may not be

exported, the Commission says.

The substances are used in a wide array of products such as

building materials, electronics and textiles.

Other substances to be banned, in accordance with the convention,

are:

the solvent hexachlorobutadiene – a possible carcinogen;

polychlorinated naphthalenes (PCN) – a largely phased out

electrical insulator; and

the flame retardant hexabromocyclododecane (HBCDD).

HBCDD, which is on the REACH authorisation list for persistent

bioaccumulative and toxic (PBT) properties, was added to the

Stockholm Convention in 2013. Hexachlorobutadiene and PCN were

added in 2015.

MORE

Explosion in Bengal Medicine Plant The explosion took place at Globe Drugs Ltd in Begumganj Upazila

of the south-eastern district, said Sub-Inspector Md Abdullah of

Begumganj police.

“Eight workers lost consciousness as the liquid exploded as it was

being heated,” said factory manager AKM Nurul Amin Chowdhury.

Fire service personnel rushed the victims to Noakhali Sadar

Hospital.

Globe Pharmaceuticals owns the factory located at BISIC industrial

city area the Upazila.

SI Abdullah said police personnel were present at the factory and

were taking necessary legal action. Source: bdnews.24.com

Image: The Riot ACT

Chemical Explosion at Canadian Uni. Edmonton fire crews were on the scene of a chemical explosion on

the main University of Alberta campus.

The nitric acid explosion was in the Electrical and Computer

Engineering Research building.

There were no injuries.

Firefighters got a call about alarms ringing in the building at 1:40

p.m. and arrived on scene within six minutes, Edmonton Fire Rescue

Services spokesperson Maya Filipovic told CBC News. By that time,

200 people had been evacuated from the building, Filipovic said.

Three people were in the room where the explosion happened, she

said. All three were wearing proper protective equipment and were

able to get out of the room safely.

The ventilation system was functioning properly and helped get rid

of any fumes, Filipovic said. A hazardous materials crew remains on

scene. Source: CBC News

According to the PubChem open chemistry database, nitric acid is a

colourless liquid used in the manufacture of inorganic and organic

nitrates and nitro compounds for fertilizers, dye intermediates,

explosives and many organic chemicals.

WorkSafe ACT blasts Gas Leak WorkSafe ACT has served Canberra Metro with a Prohibition Notice

and an Improvement Notice following a gas leak at a site of light rail

works.

Northbourne Avenue was closed in both directions during peak hour

after a gas leak at the intersection of Northbourne and Ipima Street,

where light rail works have been underway. A large gas line was

damaged by machinery during excavation works WorkSafe said.

"This was a major gas line strike and we have significant concerns

around how Canberra Metro and subcontractors are identifying,

recording and protecting utilities along the project route," ACT Work

Safety Commissioner Greg Jones said.

"We have now had a number of utility strikes including gas,

electricity and water as well as other infrastructure such as light

poles being damaged. It is fortunate that significant injuries have

not occurred as a result of these incidents" he said.

A ban on mechanical excavation at the site will be in place until the

commissioner is satisfied that improvements to practices have been

made.

The Lac-Mégantic rail disaster occurred when an unattended

74-car freight train carrying Bakken Formation crude oil rolled

down a 1.2% grade from Nantes and derailed, resulting in the

fire and explosion of multiple tank cars.

Forty-two people were confirmed dead, with five more missing

and presumed dead.

More than 30 buildings were destroyed. The death toll of 47

makes it the fourth-deadliest rail accident in Canadian history.

Download Investigation Summary

Generator Fuel explosion in Back of Truck In February 2018, two workers received severe burns to their legs,

upper body and face when fuel ignited in the back of a truck. A

generator in the back of the truck had tipped over while being

transported, spilling fuel. On arrival the workers opened the back of the

truck and noticed a strong smell of fuel. They were in the truck and had

uprighted the generator ready to unload it when the fuel vapours

ignited.

Initial inquiries indicate that the generator was not secured in the back

of the truck and may have overturned while the truck was traversing

rough terrain at the worksite. Investigations are continuing.

Preventing a similar incident

Fire and explosion can result in catastrophic consequences, causing

serious injuries or death of workers and others, as well as significant

damage to property. PCBUs must prevent the possibility of fire or

explosion from an ignition of flammable substances in areas which can

have a hazardous atmosphere.

Transporting fuel, or equipment that carries fuel, poses additional risks

that the PCBU must manage and control by ensuring that:

• in the nature of the risks associated with the flammable or

combustible liquid, or any other hazardous chemicals

• in the storage, transportation, use and handling of flammable or

combustible liquids

• in emergency procedures including suitable fire and rescue

procedures.

Statistics

Since 2012, there have been a total 169 workers’ compensation claims

made for burns caused by flammable liquids or gas across all

industries. Of these claims, 45 can be directly attributed injuries

associated with the ignition/explosion of fuel.

In the same period, Workplace Health and Safety Queensland has

issued 22 improvement and 3 prohibition notices in relation to storage,

transport, and use of fuel in the workplace. There have been 18

incidents where workers received burns from the ignition or explosion

of fuel, including one fatal incident in 2015.

Prosecutions and compliance

In 2015 a company was fined $20,000 after a young worker received

burns to 10 per cent of his body while siphoning unwanted petrol from

the fuel tank of a boat at a repair shop. The worker used a pump with

exposed terminals connected to a 12v battery to pump the fuel into

pots, pans and plastic containers. When he disconnected the pump

from the battery, the fuel vapour ignited, burning him.

In 2013 a company was fined $125,000 following the death of a worker

who was welding on a sealed oil tank.

The Westpac Life Saver Rescue

Helicopter has transferred a

man suffering burns after a

Ballina gas explosion to a

Brisbane hospital. Photo WRHS

Image: www.expressco.uk

Image: Dongwha New Zealand

The worker, who was not a qualified boilermaker, was welding a funnel

onto the tank which had not been purged of oil or waste fuel products,

causing a catastrophic rupture.

More information Queensland's Safety and Workers' Compensation

Services 1300 362 128

• Managing Risks of Plant in the Workplace Code of Practice 2013

• WHSQ – Fire and Explosion Risks

• WHSQ – Emergency Planning

Man injured in Ballina Gas Explosion The Westpac Life Saver Rescue Helicopter was called out just after

midnight to transfer a man who had suffered burns after a gas leak

caused an explosion in a Ballina cafe.

After the 49-year-old man received initial treatment at Ballina

Hospital, a chopper transferred him to Royal Brisbane Hospital Burns

unit. Source: echo.net.au

Ferry explosion in Mexico Twenty Mexicans, three Canadians and two Americans were hurt,

according to local civil defense director Juan Medina Sosa. None of

the injuries were life-threatening and they were in good condition.

Local media reported the explosion took place on a ferry at the pier

of Playa del Carmen, a popular resort town on Mexico's Caribbean

coast.

Some of the injuries included minor cuts and those affected were

taken to a hospital for treatment.

The cause of the incident was unknown, the statement said. It also

said activities of tourists and residents in the beach area nearby

were continuing as usual.

VIDEO and Source: CBS News

N.Z. Wood Manufacturing Plant on fire A large manufacturing plant is on fire south of Mataura, near Gore, in

Southland. Dongwha New Zealand produces MDF wood products,

and Newshub understands the blaze began at one of the plant's

dryer cyclones.

The fire began after an explosion in the press room at the factory

specialising in wood and melamine building supplies.

This is not the first time the factory has caught fire - there was an

explosion at the site in 2016 and a number of fires in previous years.

Tell us what you think about the Model WHS Laws

Public consultation to explore how the model WHS laws are working

in practice is now open.

Marie Boland is leading the review and would like to hear:

what is working and

why will it continue to work in the future

what doesn’t work and why, and

what we could do to make it work.

There are a variety of ways that you can share your views or

experiences, such as making a written submission or participating in

discussion forums. A discussion paper is available to help inform

your feedback.

Written submissions are due by Friday 13 April 2018.

Read more about the review and how to share your feedback on our

review web page. Source: safework austalia

In 2011, Safe Work Australia developed a single set of WHS laws to

be implemented across Australia. These are known as ‘model’ laws.

For the model WHS laws to become legally binding, the

Commonwealth, states and territories must separately implement

them as their own laws.

They are responsible for maintaining the model WHS laws, but don’t

regulate or enforce them.

The model WHS laws include:

the model WHS Act

the model WHS Regulations

model Codes of Practice.

These elements are supported by the National compliance and

enforcement policy, which sets out principles of how WHS regulators

monitor and enforce compliance with their jurisdictions’ WHSlaws.

WHS regulators in the Commonwealth and in each state and territory

are responsible for regulating and enforcing the laws in their

jurisdictions. The model WHS laws have been implemented in the

Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, the Northern

Territory, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania and the

Commonwealth. Some jurisdictions have made minor variations to

make sure the legislation is consistent with their relevant drafting

protocols and other laws and processes.

For information on the operation of WHS laws in your jurisdiction,

please see the laws in your state or contact your WHS regulator.

Latest STI-SPFA Tank Talk Newsletter Includes: Revised SP001 Standard; Changing Fuels affects more than

cars; Tanknology's fascinating field videos; and…..

Leaking tank causes explosions

On October 20, 2017, residents of a condominium complex in a

Chicago suburb were rocked by ten explosions and forced to

evacuate their 150 units. The explosions were caused by a leaking

underground gasoline storage tank system at a retail fuel station.

The location had four 10,000 gallon single wall FRP tanks that were

installed in 1989.

According to Chicago news coverage, the station owners reported

that they had become aware of loss of product on Monday, October

16, and began pumping out their tanks on Thursday, October 19.

Although speculative, the worst-case scenario was that the entire

content of one of the storage tanks was released into the ground.

The local fire district first received a report of an "odour" on October

19. The day of the explosion, the "odor" extended over half a mile in

the sanitary sewer pipe. The following links provide more detail,

including a press release about the Illinois Attorney General's

lawsuit. Chicago Sun Times, 10/24/2017: EPA: Speedway knew of Westmont gas leak days before

explosions, fire

Chicago Sun-Times, 11/03/17: Lawsuit: Speedway where explosive gas leak started should

stay closed

Press release, Illinois Attorney General's Office: Attorney General Madigan, Dupage County

State's Attorney file lawsuit against suburban gas station over leak, explosions

Inspector report: Why did this tank "blow out" while filling?

Robert L. McChan II sent us this report and photos, knowing the

incident would be of interest to the tank industry. Bob is an STI and

API inspector, and is general manager of STI/SPFA Affiliate Member

Genesis Environmental Solutions, Blue Springs, Missouri.

"I was called to investigate why a 10,000 gallon diesel fuel tank

'blew out' while filling (photo 1). They had put approximately 5,000

gallons in when the tank end was blown off.

"After looking at it, I knew that, from the shape of the remaining

tank, it had to do with over-pressure. "First, I verified that the tank

fill and the vent pipe were of the same size (photo 2). Then I

examined the screens on the vent. Both sides of the natural vent

were completely plugged (3). Then I also noticed that there was no

'weighted emergency vent.'

"If this tank had been outfitted with an ER vent, the over-pressure

would have been vented with the internal pressure. Instead, they

had a major release. Thankfully, no one was hurt."

Drone view of tank farm fire

Photo: West Fargo Fire

Department

Comments:

Ken Reed

TapRoot

‘Equipment Failure’ is the cause? On February 18, there was a diesel fuel oil fire at a tank farm in West

Fargo, ND. About 1200 barrels of diesel leaked from the tank. The

fire appears to have burned for about 9 hours or so. They had help

from fire departments from the local airport and local railway

company, and drone support from the National Guard. There were

evacuations of nearby residents.

The fire chief said it looks like there was a failure of the piping and

pumping system for the tank. He said that the owners of the tank are

investigating. However, one item caught my attention. He said, “In

the world of petroleum fires, it wasn’t very big at all. It might not get

a full investigation.”

This is a troublesome statement. Since it wasn’t a big, major fire,

and no one was seriously hurt, it doesn’t warrant an investigation.

However, just think of all the terrific lessons learned that could be

discovered and learned from. How major a fire must it be in order to

get a “full investigation?”

I often see people minimize issues that were just “equipment

failures.” There isn’t anyone to blame, no bad people to fire, it was

just bad equipment. We’ll just chalk this one up to “equipment

failure” and move on. In this case, that mindset can cause people to

ignore the entire accident, and that determining it was equipment

failure is as deep as we need to go.

Don’t get caught in this trap. While I’m sure the tank owner is going

to go deeper, I encourage the response teams to do their own root

cause analyses to determine if their response was adequate, if

notifications correct, if they had reliable lines of communications

with external agencies, etc. It’s a great opportunity to improve,

even if it was only “equipment failure,” and even if you are “only” the

response team. Read more about the story here.

MANAGING HAZARDOUS CHEMICALS

Exposure to chemicals is 100 per cent preventable.

Without the proper controls, they can cause cancer,

respiratory illnesses, skin and eye irritations, and

fire and explosion-related injuries.

There are literally thousands of hazardous chemicals

used in the workplace – paints, pesticides, cleaners

and fuels, to name a few. They come in various forms

– powders, solids, liquids and gases.

You must manage health and safety risks when

storing, handling or using hazardous chemicals at a

workplace by using the hierarchy of controls.

This video demonstrates what to consider when

applying the hierarchy and how to go about choosing

the appropriate controls.

You should review your chemical management

strategies and use controls higher in the hierarchy in

combination with lower level controls for the

greatest effect.

You should also ensure that your workers receive

training and supervision and consider the risks

associated with storage, handling and disposal.

Through the implementation of the Hazardous

chemicals and materials exposures baseline

reduction strategy, the level and impact of

workplace exposures to hazardous chemicals will be

identified and reduced.

A priority list of 100 chemicals, based on national

and international research has been developed, in

which formaldehyde and crystalline silica rank first

and second.

Read the codes of practice for more information

on how to manage work health and safety

risks and managing risks of hazardous chemicals in

the workplace. Content: Safe Work NSW; Video safework australia

Terrifying moment Passenger's Bag

catches Fire before Brave Stewardess

puts it out with Bottle of Water on China

Southern Flight

Indonesia: 5 die in Confined Space on Ship Five people, including four port workers and a port paramedic, died

on board of aggregates carrier SUMIEI, docked at Banjarmasin port,

south Kalimantan.

The ship was loaded with palm kernel, dockers went into hold

shortly after hatches were open, notwithstanding crew warning, that

the holds are to be ventilated for some hours. All five were taken to

hospital with hypoxia, all were found dead. Police launched an

investigation, suspecting negligence, which led to tragic accident.

Palm kernel cargo hazards include oxygen depletion:

Oxygen depletion and high carbon monoxide levels present a serious

risk to the safety of the crew and/or any stevedores entering the

cargo spaces. It is necessary to undertake extensive ventilation and

gas monitoring to ensure safe working conditions prior to entering

the cargo spaces or accesses. Source and Photos: Maritime Bulletin

Dallas Home Explosion A young girl is dead after a natural gas explosion destroyed her

Dallas home, Atmos Energy confirms. Additionally, the girl's

neighbourhood and a nearby school are under an evacuation order

until the area is deemed safe.

Four other people who were in the home were also hospitalized at

Parkland in unknown conditions.

"This is the third such incident related to a gas explosion over the

last three days," said Dallas Fire-Rescue's Jason Evans.

Videos and Source

Ten People injured in UK as Gas

explosion ‘flattens’ Homes

February 28 and March 1: Heavy Vehicle Industry

Association's Member Information Sessions

There are two session days yet to be held.

One is in Adelaide on February 28 and the other in Perth on March 1.

These information sharing sessions are designed to help you stay

abreast of what's happening across all the heavy industry's big

issues.

Some of the issues on the agenda for these information forums are:

Revision of ADR35 and ADR 38; Update on the Motor Vehicle

Standards Act review; Road Certification Scheme; Roller Brake

testing; Dangerous Goods; and more.

The sessions are open to all aspects of the transport industry as

well as to non HVIA members.

For more go to www.hvia.asn.au.

Leicester explosion: 6 injured, 2 critical Local media reports witnesses as hearing a heavy explosion and

photos and video posted on Twitter and Facebook show an intense

fire in a building in the residential street.

“It’s blown the shop across both sides of lanes and there is carnage

everywhere. It rattled doors and windows here,” one witness

told The Mirror.

A Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service spokeswoman said: “This

is a search and rescue at the moment. It is unknown if people are

injured or trapped.”

My thanks this month to Don Johnston and Andrew

Battye.

Please email Robyn Hogan

with any interesting news; any relevant pars are very much

appreciated!