CSB Applauds AIChE’s Response to Including Reactive Hazard Awareness in College Chemical Engineering Curriculum (www.csb.gov/newsroom/detail.aspx?nid=411)
Houston, TX -, April 2, 2012 – Today at the “2012 AIChE Spring Meeting & 8th Global Congress on Process Safety” in Houston, TX, Chairperson Rafael Moure-Eraso formally commended AIChE for exceeding the CSB's recommended action resulting from the board’s 2009 investigation report into the fatal reactive chemical accident at T2 Laboratories in Jacksonville, Florida.
As a result of the investigative findings the CSB had called on AIChE to work with the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) to include reactive hazard awareness in college chemical engineering curriculum. AIChE proposed changes, which ABET approved in October 2011, to require proficiency in not just reactive chemical hazards but in all chemical process hazards among a broad range of engineering disciplines.
The American Institute of Chemical Engineers, a professional association of more than 50,000 members describes itself as providing leadership in advancing the chemical engineering profession.
Chairperson Moure-Eraso said, "The status of the recommendation reflects AIChE’s outstanding response that surpassed the objectives envisioned by the Chemical Safety Board. If future chemical engineers are given the proper educational tools, they will be able to more fully comprehend and better manage the hazards in a chemical manufacturing process.
The CSB final report into the accident at T2 Laboratories concluded that T2 employees did not recognize all of the potential hazards when designing their process for making a gasoline additive. The employees had little to no reactive chemistry experience, though one of them had a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering. The report therefore called for improving the education of chemical engineering students on reactive chemical hazards. The explosion and fire on December 19, 2007, killed four T2 employees and injured four others. In addition, 28 people working at nearby businesses were injured when building walls and windows blew in. Some of those businesses never recovered and shutdown permanently and the blast sent debris up to a mile away damaging buildings within a quarter-mile of the facility.
The CSB’s final report on the accident was approved at a public meeting in Jacksonville in September of 2009; the CSB also released a safety video entitled “Runaway: Explosion at T2 Laboratories” depicting the tragic reactive chemical accident that devastated the facility.
The video is available for viewing and downloading on the CSB’s website as well as the agency’s YouTube channel. Free DVDs can be requested by completing the online request form in the Video Room of CSB.gov.
The CSB is an independent federal agency charged with investigating industrial chemical accidents. The agency's board members are appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate. CSB investigations look into all aspects of chemical accidents, including physical causes such as equipment failure as well as inadequacies in regulations, industry standards, and safety management systems.
The Board does not issue citations or fines but does make safety recommendations to plants, industry organizations, labor groups, and regulatory agencies such as OSHA and EPA. Visit our website, www.csb.gov.
IndustrialSafety
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Industrial Safety Procedures
(By Andrew Hernandez, www.ehow.com/about_5108452_industrial-safety-procedures.html)
Industrial safety is a topic that affects almost everyone. You may work in an industrial environment, work for a company that calls on industry or you know someone in that environment. Each year OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) reports thousands of injuries and hundreds of deaths with most of the injuries and deaths coming in the industrial sector. The industrial sector is comprised of manufacturing, construction and other service industries.
There are several areas of industrial safety such as electrical, fall hazard, fire safety, confined space safety, respiratory protection and many others. Although a few of these will be mentioned here this article will focus on electrical safety. Why electrical safety? Contact with live electricity results, on average, in 4,000 non-disabling injuries, 3,600 disabling injuries and 365 deaths each year, this according to a presentation given at the 2008 IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers) Electrical Safety Workshop (ESW). At the 2005 IEEE ESW a presentation titled Product Safety Engineering reported that between the years 1992 - 2000 there were 2,831 deaths just from electrical contact.
Every job has its hazards but a little knowledge and common sense can help keep you safe. This article will help you find and gather some useful knowledge to help keep you safe every day.
Electrical Safety - Shock
What are the three hazards of electricity? Everyone knows about shock, in fact, most of us have probably felt the bite of electricity at some time in our life. There are two other hazards that are now being regarded as being just as dangerous and maybe even more so. Arc flash and Arc Blast are two other hazards that many people don't consider.
Shock is a leading cause of electrical injury and death. Did you know it takes less than 0.1 amps of electricity flowing through your body to cause death? According to the 2002 National Technology Transfer's manual, Electrical Safety Requirements and Procedures, the average male can perceive electrical flow from 1 milli-ampere (mA - also called milliamps) - 10 mA (0.001 amps - 0.010 amps). From 3 - 10 mA the sensation is very painful. At 10 mA is the paralysis threshold, where you can't release your hand grip on an object. At 30 mA (0.030 amps) is the respiratory threshold which causes a stoppage of breathing and can be fatal. At 75 mA (0.075 amps) is the fibrillation threshold where heart action is discoordinated. Fibrillation can not be treated with CPR and at this state it can be fatal if a defibriillator is not applied within several minutes. Typically, the thresholds for women are slightly less. To give you some perspective, typically, the lowest circuit in your home is a 15 amp circuit. This can help to explain why there are 3600 electrical injuries in the home every year. You might hear some people say, "...oh, its only 120 volts..." now you know that 120-volts can be fatal.
Electrical Safety - Arc Flash
Arc Flash is a second hazard that, until 2002, could not be quantified. Before 2002 OSHA had regulations stating that electrical workers had to be protected from the arc flash hazard but there was no means to test or certify equipment for the hazard. Arc flash is a fire flash, or arc, that can be produced during an electrical failure or fault. In 0.06 seconds, the typical time for protective equipment (circuit breaker or fuse) to open, an arc can reach temperatures of 36,000 degrees Fahrenheit which is four times hotter than the sun. Temperature of the arc is a function of short circuit current availability and distance from the arc source. According to the presentation, Electrical Safety for Contractors and Service Personnel, presented at the 2008 IEEE ESW, exposure to skin at 203 degrees Fahrenheit for approximately 0.1 seconds will result in a non-curable burn.
Electrical Safety - Arc Blast
Arc Blast is a result of the arc flash and its force is dependent on the amount of short circuit current available and the distance from the arc source. When copper super heats, as is the case when an arc flash occurs, the copper can expand up to 67,000 times. This expansion causes molten copper to be spewed away from the source in a very forceful manner. This force or pressure can cause injury to body parts and/or the body can be injured from a resultant fall or from being thrown into a nearby object. Some of the OSHA regulations cited for fire safety in general industry are 1910 Subparts E, G, H, L, N, O, R and Z. For the construction industry, the regulations are 1926 Subparts C, D, F, H, J, K, R, S, T and U.
Ways to Reduce Electrical Injuries
What can be done to reduce the chance of injury? The most effective way to reduce the chance of injury is to eliminate the hazard. Eliminating the hazard is as simple as turning off the source. In fact, OSHA prohibits working on live electrical parts except for instances of trouble shooting or if shutting off power would cause a more serious hazard (i.e. cut power to a hospital operating room during surgery). When de-energizing an electrical circuit it is also mandatory to perform a Lockout/Tagout (LOTO) procedure. This procedure prevents the energizing of a circuit by installing a lock or other mechanism that can only be open by the person who installed it. There is also a tag on the lock to identify who installed the lock.
A second, and less effective way to reduce injury is by engineering to reduce the hazard. A good example of this would be touch safe connections and products that do not allow accidental touch of live parts. Another example would be the installation of current limiting fuses or circuit breakers.
A third, and less effective method than the second, to reduce injury is to train personnel to the hazards. The fourth method is to install barriers around the area of exposed live electricity.
The least effective method to reduce injury is to have personnel who work within the arc flash and shock boundaries of live electricity wear personal protective equipment (PPE). This equipment could include fire resistant (FR) clothing, FR rated face shields and hoods, voltage rated gloves and a myriad of other PPE. Although PPE has been shown to reduce and even prevent injury in many cases it is not made to eliminate injury. OSHA regulations state that an employer has the responsibility to keep an employee safe from the hazards of electricity. That safety, in the case of burns caused by arc flash, is to limit the injury to that of a curable burn. In other words, PPE is tested and certified to protect personnel and limit their injury to that of a curable burn.
Fall Protection
In 2006, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that work injuries due to falls had increased 5 percent. A total of 809 fatal falls in 2006 was the third highest total since 1992. Historically, falls from ladders and roofs have accounted for the majority of the injuries and deaths. According to OSHA, any time a worker is above a 4 foot work height that worker is at risk and needs to be protected. In general industry protection must be utilized for heights above 4 feet and for construction the minimum height is 6 feet.
Generally, at the heights cited above, the worker must wear a certified harness that is tied off to a secure anchor point. OSHA regulations that may apply for general industry are 1910 Subparts D, F, I and R.
Although not a regulation, the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) has consensus standards that may be used as guidelines. Those standards are; A1264.1-2007, Safety Requirements for Workplace Walking/Working Surfaces and Their Access, A10.32-2004, Fall Protection Systems for Construction and Demolitions Operations, ANSI/IWCA 1-14.1-2001, Window Cleaning Safety and Z359.1-1992 (R1999), Safety Requirements for Personal Fall Arrest Systems, Subsystems and Component.
Fire Safety
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics fire and explosions were responsible for 3 percent of the workplace deaths in 2007. Not only are personnel in danger but damage to equipment and building is at stake and can slow down or even shut down a business. There are regulations for required building equipment such as fire pumps, sprinkler heads and other equipment.
For personnel it is their responsibility to know building alarms and what they mean. Know the various exit routes in case your first choice is blocked. Know where fire extinguishers are located. Know where to gather or seek shelter and have a procedure to make sure all personnel are accounted for during an emergency.
OSHA has many regulations regarding fire safety. Per the OSHA's Fire Safety Standards web page, Section 5(a)(1) of the OSH Act, often referred to as the General Duty Clause, requires employers to "furnish to each of his employees employment and a place of employment which are free from recognized hazards that are causing or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm to his employees."
Some of the OSHA regulations cited for fire safety in general industry are 1910 Subparts E, G, H, L, N, O, R and Z. For the construction industry the regulations are 1926 Subparts C, D, F, H, J, K, R, S, T and U.
There are also consensus standards from the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and the International Code Council (ICC) that are not regulations but are guidelines that OSHA often quotes. Those consensus standards are Codes and Standards (NFPA) and About ICC: Introduction to the ICC (ICC).
Conclusion
There are many parts to industrial safety of which we've only touched on a few here. It is important to note that although there are many workplace regulations and laws that the employer must follow personal safety is YOUR responsibility. "..It's only 120 volts..." or "I'm only going a few rungs up, on the ladder..." have been common statements before a disaster occurred. Shut off the power, use PPE, wear your fall harness and know exit routes and where fire extinguishers are located. Using common sense along with a little knowledge can make your days at work safe and nights and weekends with your family the best part of your days. Be safe.
