Formosa Plastics Corporation, USA: Olefins Fire and Explosions in 2005
1.0 INTRODUCTION
Accidents are an inevitable part of life. Children learn this at an early age by bumping their head, scraping their knees, or falling off the swings. They learn that sometimes painful experiences just happen, seemingly without cause or reason. These children carry these lessons into adulthood, and then project their tolerance for accidents onto their families and occupation. The chemical industry, while one of the safest industries, has the potential for catastrophic accidents. Through experience and renewed focus on the conservation of life, the chemical industry has improved its safety considerably. In 2005, chemical industry fatality rate (the number of fatalities per year per total number of people in the applicable population) was the third lowest when compared to industries such as agriculture, coal mining, and construction1. However, accidents still occur, sometimes with regrettable repercussions. In 2005, Formosa Plastics Corporation in Point Comfort, Texas experienced an accident with severe consequences.
2.0 BACKGROUND
Formosa Plastics Corporation has four plastics manufacturing sites in the United States which were located in Delaware, Illinois, Louisiana, and Texas2. The manufacturing site in Point Comfort, Texas (located 120 miles south of Houston on the Gulf Coast) had 17 operating units which covered 1,800 acres as shown in Figure 1.The Olefins II Unit, highlight in the box on Figure 1, was the ground zero for the fire and explosion. A map of the Texas manufacturing site is available in Appendix 13.
The Olefins II Unit makes hydrocarbons from naphtha or natural gas using furnaces. After distillation, the p...
... middle of paper ...
...com/company/operations/point_comfort_tx.html (accessed April 3, 2014).
4. "The History of Plant Incidents at Formosa Plastics and Past Safety Violations." Industrial Injury Attorneys. http://www.industrialinjuryattorney.com/Industrial-Accident-Blog/2013/May/The-History-of-Plant-Incidents-at-Formosa-Plasti.aspx (accessed April 3, 2014).
5. Cable, Josh. "Lawsuit: Formosa's Negligence Caused Propylene Blast." EHS Today Home Page. http://ehstoday.com/news/ehs_imp_43628 (accessed April 3, 2014).
6. Hess, Glenn. "CSB to Investigate Formosa Plastics Explosion." Chemical Market Reporter265 (): 4-4.
7. Sissell, Kara. "Workers File Lawsuit over Formosa's Texas Blast." Chemical Week 168 (): 27-27.
8. http://media.victoriaadvocate.com/img/croppedphotos/2013/05/02/PLSIDE_FORMOSA_EXPLOSION_12WEB_t630.jpg?30004eeab9fb5f824ff65e51d525728c55cf3980 (accessed April 3, 2014).
hydrocarbons that forms during the extraction of natural gas and is used as a thinning
Greer, M. E. (2001, October). 90 Years of Progress in Safety. Professional Safety, 46(10), 20-25. Retrieved April 22, 2014, from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&AN=5367632&site=ehost-live&scope=site
When it comes to safety most people think they are safe, and they have a true understanding on how to work safe. Human nature prevents us from harming ourselves. Our instincts help protect us from harm. Yet everyday there are injuries and deaths across the world due to being unsafe. What causes people to work unsafe is one of the main challenges that face all Safety Managers across the world.
The United States Enrichment Corporation (Producer). (2013). USEC issues WARN act notices to Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant workers [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.usec.com/news/usec-issues-warn-act-notices-paducah-gaseous-diffusion-plant-workers
Fossil fuels, such as coal and oil, are Carbon rich compounds, the combustion of which produces Carbon Dioxide, a pollutant and a greenhouse gas. A large amount of energy is released during this process, which is why the pollutants off products are tolerated. This process occurs constantly throughout the world, in power stations, vehicles and cooking ovens, leading to an immense volume of CO2 being released every second, 50% of which is absorbed by oceans (Oce...
50 years and 6 months after the Texas City disaster, a lot of changes has been made to ensure the safety of handling hazardous material due to the disaster. It was a wake up call for people around the world to look deeply into the safety issues and for government to assume an active role in enforcing those issues. For the residents in Texas City who decided to stay and rebuild after the disaster, it was more than a wake up call for safety. It was a painful memory that made people even stronger. It was a call for the community to come together and make Texas city a major industrial center again. It was a joint effort to make Texas City a better and safer place to live.
The most common form of polyethylene is petroleum based or olefins based; as before mentioned polyethylene compounds have a wide commercial applicability and are made from non-renewable resources (Harding, Dennis, von Blottnitz, Harrison, & S.T.L., 2007). Its manufacturing processes are regarded as energy intensive and release significant amount of CO2 and heat into the atmosphere (Broderick, 2008). Next a little more detailed description of polyethylene’s production processes will be presented, with a focus on the way the material inputs are extracted and synthesized.
During the 1960's the demand for sub-compact cars was rising on the market. Ford Motor Company, in competition with the foreign market, decided to introduce the Ford Pinto. The Ford Pinto was going to be the new wave for the Ford Company, but it was soon discovered that numerous problems existed. For example, the time that it took to manufacture an automobile was down from three and a half years to just over two years. Before production, however, the engineers at Ford discovered a major flaw in the cars design. In nearly all rear-end crash test collisions the Pinto's fuel system would rupture extremely easily (The Ford Pinto, n.d.). Other problems that were discovered compounded the problem that caused the fires. These included the gas tank being about six inches from the flimsy bumpers, the backend not containing rear sub frame members, and doors tending to jam shut in an accident. The fuel filler tube was prone to separate and create spillage (Alfred, n.d.).
OSHA regulations give full disclosure to employees about workplace hazards. Businesses that produce or import chemicals of any sort must review the dangers associated with these chemicals and have them labeled accordingly. They must also prepare material safety data sheets to go with any delivered chemicals. This will describe technical information as well as hazardous effects from exposure and the appropriate protective measures. Any employees wh...
The process need toluene and hydrogen as a main reactor. Then, toluene and hydrogen are converted in a reactor packed with catalyst to produce benzene and methane. This reaction is exothermic and the operating conditions are 500 0C to 660 0C, and 20 to 60 bar of pressure. This process begins with mixing fresh toluene with a stream of recycle unreacted toluene, and the mixing is achieved in a storage tank. Then, the toluene is pumped to combine it with a stream of mixed hydrogen and fresh hydrogen gas. The mixture of toluene and hydrogen is preheated before it is introduce to the heater or furnace. In the furnace, the stream is heated to 600 0C, then introduced into the reactor. Basically, the main reactions occurs in the reactor.
Introduction There are some astounding evidences that are significantly relevant and pivotal, serving as a source of stimulus for why the problem of occupational SWF needs to be addressed. Slip and fall accidents have been recognized as a major threat to the safety of individuals not only in industry but also in daily living. In most industry groups, slips and falls either represents the highest or second highest type of workers compensation claim(Leamon and Murphy 1995). The National Safety Council (2002) reported that the slips and falls are the leading cause of death in the workplace and source of more than 20% of all disabling injuries, which is fairly appalling. Liberty Mutual Workplace Safety Index indicates that workplace injuries cost
Hazardous material accidents are common in warehouses and industries, the employ should provide a safe place to store the hazardous material, and the workers should have a good knowledge about how to response with that accidents and how to use the correct PPE and what control measures should be taken in that kind of accidents.
Chemical and fire hazards in the workplace cause serious injuries that in most cases are fatal.
Regulation compliance, employee safety, fire safety, ergonomics, industrial hygiene, hazardous waste removal, training procedures, and management relations are samples of features taken into consideration during a Safety Major’s day. Though there are numerous specializations safety professions can choose, a base knowledge in all fields is essential for a successful career. Therefore, I intend to pursue a continuation of safety certifications that will demonstrate a persistent ability to learn about my career. For the initial duration of my profession, I hope to obtain an Environmental Health and Safety specialist entry level position for an established organization. If the opportunity arises, I will promote within the same organization until