30th anniversary of three mile island-what safety management lessons have we learned?
Today marks the 30th anniversary of America’s worst commercial nuclear accident at three mile island. Many people remember the accident simply as the “three mile island incident”. What lessons have we learnt from this accident? Are we having better industrial management systems today than were present at that time? Are we better prepared now to face a similar challenge if it (God forbid it doesn’t) happens again?
For those of you who were not yet born at the time or were too young to remember, here’s a recap of the incident. The Three Mile Island nuclear power generating station, in Dauphin County, Pa was being operated by Metropolitan Edison, a utility company.
On March 28, 1979 the plant experienced a failure in the cooling system of the plant when the main feedwater pumps tripped. Due to overtemperature due to lack of cooling water, the reactor and the turbines tripped subsequently. However the reactor pressure began to increase. A pilot operated relief valve (PORV) opened to reduce the reactor pressure. After some of the pressure was relieved, the relief valve should have shut down again, but it remained stuck open. The plant instrumentation, apparently was not very sophisticated and the operators did not realise that this PORV was still open. More shockingly there was no instrument that showed the level of coolant in the core.
On the other hand a lot of alarms and annunciations flooded the control room and the operators did not realize that the incident happening was due to loss of coolant; they took steps to reduce the coolant flow further and exacerbated the situation. Because of a lack of cooling, the nuclear fuel overheated to the point at which the zirconium cladding ruptured and the fuel pellets began to melt. One-half of the core melted during the early stages of the accident. Thus the plant suffered a severe core meltdown, the most dangerous kind of nuclear power accident, it did not produce the worst-case consequences that could have happened. In a worst-case consequence, the melting of nuclear fuel would lead to a breach of the walls of the containment building and release massive quantities of radiation to the environment. Fortunately nothing of this kind happened, but small amounts of radioactive gases were found by monitoring instruments in the plants vicinity and this concerned the authorities. By March 30 a lot of people deemed “vulnerable” like small children and pregnant women were evacuated from the area.
Have we learnt our safety management lessons from this incident? Are today’s instrumentation and control systems more reliable and sophisticated than those on the three mile island plant? Are todays government personnel, emergency staff and plant operators better trained and more comptent?
This accident marked a decline of the nuclear industry in most parts of the world (except perhaps France). Today when it is seeing a revival due to the crude supply situation and the campaign against fossil fuels, we must ask ourselves these questions.
You are welcome to post your answers and opinions in the comments section.
Industrial accidents must be reported within 15 minutes
Industrial accidents must be reported within a time frame of 15 minutes to 911, says a bill that was recently passed in the Senate, reports the Register Herald. Non compliance of this will attract penalties up to $100,000.
The Register Herald further reported that Gov. Joe Manchin said that it was passed without any debate. The intention was to ensure that industrial complexes should get emergency personnel to the scene of any industrial accident, as fast as possible.
The legislation apparently already existed for the coal industry and this bill has only broadened the scope.
Read the full story here.
It seems to be a good and reasonable piece of legislation, however I just wonder what are similar provisions exist in other states. If anybody has any information, please post it in the comments section.
Australian Oil & Chemical Spill highlights issues of transportation safety
The Australian state of Queensland declared parts of the Sunshine Coast, Moreton Island and Bribie Island disaster zones after a container ship belonging to the Swire Group leaked fuel during a storm. The oil spill has contaminated about 37 miles of pristine beaches and mangroves, reports say. Queensland’s Deputy Premier Paul Lucas said today the spill was about 230 tons, reports Bloomberg here.
The oil spill was caused when the ship that was carrying containers of Ammonium Nitrate was buffeted in a storm, leading to some 31 containers being thrown overboard into the sea. One of these same containers apparently banged against the ship’s hull, piercing it’s fuel tanks and causing the oil spill.
While everybody has been focused on the oil spill, there has been no coverage on what is being done regarding the ammonium nitrate filled containers. Were they recovered intact? Has any ammonium nitrate leaked into the sea? How much? What are the consequences?
In industrial plants, a lot of care is taken while designing the plant to ensure safety of operations. In the past twenty years, especailly since the Bhopal disaster, the worldwide chemical industry has become more safety conscious, with an impressive track record. However these chemicals after manufacture have to be shipped to various parts of the world in large quantities and this accident has exposed how much more vulnerable we are to such happenings. The plant that produced this ammonium nitrate may be very safe, with not a singel case of environmentally unsafe discharge, but the transportation of this chemical has led to a big environmental incident.
Local authorities, worldwide standards bodies and engineering professionals should now re-think how we can make transportation of chemicals as safe as their production and use.
As usual, your comments are welcome.
Bayer Cropscience explosion update-CSB to hold public hearing
Recall that there was a large accidental explosion at the Bayer Cropscience facility in Institute, W. Virginia, on Aug 28, 2008. Details of this incident were reported by me in a post on this blog, you can refer it here.
Now the US Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board has announced that it will be holding a public meeting on April23, 2009 in the West Virginia State University at Institute, W. Virginia, to present preliminary findings about the incident. The preliminary findings may throw some more light on what caused the accident and whether it could have been prevented.
More details about this can be found on the US Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board webpage here. You can also attend the hearing if you are interested by prior intimation, details are at the same webpage referred above. The photo of the bast site is also on this webpage, you can see it below.
Bayer Cropscience Explosion Photo
CO gas leak in Church-Portable Toxic Gas Monitors detect the problem
So now we can have gas leaks in a Church too! If you thought that toxic gas monitors are necessary to be installed only in industrial plants, you’re wrong! You may need them in as safe a place as a Church.
AP reports that the local Authorities in Madison, Wisconsin said that six people — including a toddler — got sick from carbon monoxide poisoning during a Sunday church service in Madison. The first indication that there was a problem came at 11:01 a.m. when paramedics were called to attend to a 2-year-old child who was reported to be groggy . The parents of the child decided to transport the child to the hospital on their own.
Fortunately by the time a second distress call was reported to the local Fire Department, Engine Company 4 responded, bringing along monitors to check air quality at the church. The portable Carbon Monoxide toxic gas monitors showed a CO level of 3000 ppm- more than 100 times the safe limit!
The incident shows the importance of having portable toxic gas monitors handy in all places and not just industrial plants.
