BP says oil leak plugged for now

July 15- BP has said today that the Deepwater Horizon Macondo oil leak has been finally plugged, after almost 87 days of mayhem. BP says that the well is now fully shut-in and no oil is flowing into the Gulf now. This news has been greeted by cautious optimism in the states bordering the Gulf Of Mexico. The oil is being collected by the new cap and the gas is being flared. The BP web site reported that “For the first 12 hours on July 15 (midnight to noon), approximately 5,875 barrels of oil were collected and approximately 3,430 barrels of oil and 22.5 million cubic feet of natural gas were flared”

The stopping of the oil leak has brought cheers to the states that border the Gulf of Mexico, but the news is being treated with cautious optimism. Observers are not sure whether the cap can last and whether the leak has really stopped.

‘I think it is a positive sign,’ President Barack Obama said carefully when asked about the oil flow after he made a statement about Wall Street reform’s passage in the Senate. ‘We’re still in the testing phase. I’ll have more to say about it tomorrow.’

Bobby Jindal, the Governor of Louisiana was also cautious in commenting. He said that he was “cautiously optimistic” about the plugging. But, he said, ‘Work to revitalise our coast won’t be done until our waters and our shores are completely clean and our wildlife, our communities and our coastal industries are 100 percent restored.’

Let us all hope that the new containment cap does its job well and so the task of cleanup can really begin in  earnest.

Hazardous Area Instrumentation e-learning course-get the latest version now from Abhisam Software

Miami, July 11- A new version of Abhisam Software’s popular e-learning course on Hazardous Area Instrumentation has been released, which covers all the changes that have taken place in the field of hazardous area instrumentation and control especially those related to IEC standards, ATEX regulations and implementing  Fieldbus in hazardous areas.

This updated training course covers all aspects of Hazardous Area Instruments and Controls, with changes to the IEC standards and ATEX directives fully reflected in the course contents. The original Hazardous Area Instrumentation training course was very well received by engineers and technicians in oil & gas, chemical processing, pulp & paper, power and other industries, as also by engineering consultants, contractors and even regulatory authorities. The updated version of this course is even better than the earlier version. Furthermore, the updated version will be available free of cost, to all customers of Abhisam Software who have purchased the earlier version within the past one year.
This new version of the Hazardous Area Instrumentation training course consists of the following six modules.
1. Basic Concepts
2. Classification (Area Classification, Material Classification and Temperature Classification)
3. Methods of protection (including explosionproof, intrinsic safety, increased safety, pressurization and other methods)
4. Using Fieldbus in hazardous areas (covers entity, FISCO, high power trunk, amongst other topics)
5. Certification and Labeling
6. Inspection and Maintenance

Though the module names are the same as the earlier version, the content has been revised to a great extent. The changes in the IEC standards and the ATEX directives have been included in the relevant modules, so that this course is now all that you need to have for becoming a pro as regards Instrumentation and Control systems in Hazardous Areas. These modules contain several topic pages containing Flash based animations, actual photographs of hazardous area instruments and equipment, rich graphics and easy to understand text, so that the subject becomes very easy to learn. Engineers and technicians who work in the process industries are sometimes intimidated and confused by the array of standards, systems and acronyms that are used by experts in hazardous areas. This course makes it all so very easy to understand that after completing it one can easily apply the various hazardous area concepts and standards to actual workplaces to enhance the safety of assets and people. The course is also available in an online LMS based system which would be ideal for corporations, universities and training institutes, who may wish to train large numbers of people in this subject. All training reports including learner login times, modules accessed, scores obtained on tests and other data can be made available in a spreadsheet for training records and tracking. Learners can also take an online test and qualify for a certificate at no additional charge. As a limited time bonus, Abhisam Software is also giving away a copy of their popular ebook “Practical Guide to Hazardous Area Classification” alongwith this updated course. For more information about the updated course please click here .

The  most interesting aspect is that Abhisam Software says that if somebody has purchased the earlier version of the course within the past one year, then they may be eligible for a FREE upgrade.

Yet Another Hot Work Accident in Colorado-CSB chief expresses regret

Washington, DC, July 9, 2010 — Dr. Rafael Moure-Eraso, chairperson and CEO of the  U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) said today he was saddened by news of the death of a Colorado welder yesterday while performing what is called “hot work” on a storage tank containing flammables at an environmental remediation company in Englewood, Colorado.
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Hot work is defined as welding, cutting, grinding, or other spark-producing activities that can ignite flammable substances.  To date in 2010, the CSB has learned of 15 serious hot work-related fires and explosions that caused six reported fatalities and numerous injuries.
Dr. Moure said, “I am saddened by this accident and disturbed that such fatalities continue to occur. The CSB is vitally concerned about hot work accidents and this was expressed in our important safety bulletin and safety video, both issued within the past few months.”
According to information gathered by the CSB from the fire department and the company, a worker was standing on a ladder, welding on the side of a tank partially filled with a mixture of water and flammable hydrocarbons.  Sparks ignited flammable vapor and the worker was thrown off the ladder, suffering fatal injuries.
The company stated that although it has a hot work permit system and had provided safety training to the victim, there was no monitoring for a flammable atmosphere before or during the welding. ( What a joke-how can anybody issue a permit when they haven’t measured the flammable gas concentration in the area-do they expect a piece of paper will actually prevent an accident?!). While current OSHA standards prohibit hot work in an explosive atmosphere, OSHA does not explicitly require the use of combustible gas detectors.
There have been more than 60 fatalities since 1990 due to explosions and fires from hot work activities on tanks.  In seven of the 11 accidents discussed in the bulletin, no gas testing was performed prior to or during the hot work activities.  In the remaining cases, monitoring was conducted improperly.
Dr. Moure said, “There is no secret to preventing these accidents.  Companies should require effective monitoring of the atmosphere before and during all welding or other spark-producing activities near tanks that may contain flammable liquids or gases. Monitoring should be frequent or continuous and performed at multiple locations to assure that no flammable vapor is present which could be ignited.  Monitoring the atmosphere and following the other six key lessons in our bulletin can help avoid these tragedies.”

Jaipur Oil Tank Farm Fire update-nine officials arrested for negligence

July 3, 2010 Jaipur, India- The Oil Tank farm here belonging to Indian Oil Corporation, a large Indian government owned oil company had a devastating fire about eight months ago. The reports were posted on this blog at that time.

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The fire had resulted in 11 fatalities and destruction of oil worth millions., plus a lot of collateral damage was caused to an adjacent factory. The fire had raged on for several days and had was very difficult to control and extinguish.

Well, now the investigation into the accident is over and nine officers have been found guilty of gross negligence. The investigation speed was surprisingly fast (look at how the Bhopal case went on for decades before resulting in convictions) and nine officers of the company, including a General Manager, have been arrested on charges of gross negligence. Such arrests, will hopefully, instill enough respect for Industrial Safety in organisations that pay only lip service to the philosophy of safety.

As in most other cases of accidents, the result of the mishap occuring was the end result of a lot of events, not just the result of one event. Look at what facts were dug out and presented by the investigation team:

• Non working Public Address System
• Non implementation of Emergency Response Procedures-so the police control room was informed of the accident after ONE HOUR after the accident
• Apparent non working of any automation system that was supposedly installed at the facility to prevent overfilling

This means that if a plant or facility is well designed by competent engineers and also well maintained, then it will automatically ensure safety. However the operations of the systems that have been installed years ago need to be checked at least every year by third parties (as is the practice in many countries). For sure this being done for mechanical items like pressure vessels and safety relief valves, but is it being done for Instrumentation and Control Systems, or other systems like Public Address Systems? The sooner this is done seriously, we will have lesser chances of such accidents-be it the BP Deepwater Horizon spill or the Jaipur tank farm fire.

CSB approves urgent recommendations to OSHA NFPA and others to prevent Kleen energy type natural gas explosions

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June 28, 2010 Middletown, CT On a 4-1 vote, the U.S. Chemical Safety Board tonight approved urgent safety recommendations to OSHA, NFPA and others. The draft recommendations, which were approved without amendments at a public meeting in Portland, CT, aim to prevent deadly explosions and fires during pipe cleaning and purging operations.
The recommendations – directed to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and others, result from extensive CSB investigations into the February 7, 2010, explosion at the Kleen Energy power plant in Middletown that caused six deaths and multiple injuries, and the June 9, 2009, explosion at the ConAgra Foods Slim Jim plant in Garner, North Carolina, that killed four workers and injured 67.

The accident at Kleen Energy occurred during the planned cleaning of natural gas piping during the commissioning and startup phase of construction. Natural gas was forced through large piping that was to fuel the plant’s large electricity-generating gas turbines, in an operation called a “natural gas blow.” This gas was vented directly to the atmosphere from open pipe ends that were less than 20 feet off the ground and were located in congested areas adjacent to the power generation building.

CSB investigators obtained gas company records showing some two million standard cubic feet of natural gas were released to the atmosphere during gas blows on February 7—enough, the CSB calculated, to provide heating and cooking fuel to a typical American home every day for more than 25 years!! The gas found an ignition source and exploded.

In the CSB proposed recommendations, OSHA is urged to pass regulations that would prohibit the use of natural gas for pipe cleaning, the cause of the explosion at Kleen Energy, and would prohibit the venting or purging of fuel gas indoors, the cause of the explosion at the ConAgra Slim Jim plant. Both explosions resulted from releases of natural gas during the installation and commissioning of new piping that led to gas-fired appliances.

OSHA is also urged to require that companies involve their workers and contractors in developing safe procedures and training for handling fuel gas.

In testimony this morning at a field hearing before a subcommittee of the U.S House of Representatives Committee on Education and Labor, held in Middletown, CSB Board Member John Bresland said there is a “significant gap” in the current gas safety standards for general industry and construction, “a gap that threatens the continued safety of workers at facilities that handle flammable natural gas.”

An urgent recommendation directed at the NFPA urges the code-development organization to enact a tentative interim amendment as well as permanent changes to the National Fuel Gas Code that addresses the safe conduct of fuel gas piping cleaning operations.  Under the draft recommendation, NFPA would be asked to remove key exemptions in the code for natural gas power plants and for high-pressure gas piping and to require the use of inherently safer alternatives to natural gas blows. CSB investigators determined that compressed air is a feasible and economical alternative to using natural gas for pipe cleaning and is already used by many companies.

Mr. Bresland told the House Committee, “At our CSB public meeting later this evening, I intend to vote for and support new urgent safety recommendations that we have developed, calling for OSHA to enact new regulations to control this hazard, and I will encourage the other Board members to do the same.”

Other draft recommendations would seek related safety improvements from the State of Connecticut and other states, the leading gas turbine manufacturers, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, and the Electric Power Research Institute.

At the public meeting, newly appointed CSB Chairman Dr. Rafael Moure-Eraso will preside; Dr. Moure and Mr. Mark Griffon were confirmed by the Senate on Wednesday June 23 and were commissioned by President Obama the following day.

The CSB public meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. at the Saint Clements Castle conference facility, 1931 Portland-Cobalt Road, Portland, Connecticut, (860) 342-0593.   The public is invited; no prior arrangements are needed. Attendance is free and there will be ample seating and free parking.

The CSB investigation team, headed by Investigations Supervisor Don Holmstrom, will present a report on the Kleen Energy accident as well as a review of existing regulations applying to the practice of gas blows at power plants and general industry.

The Board will hear from two witness panels, including –

·         Professor Paul Amyotte – Dalhousie University (Canada)
·         Ervin Patterson – Commissioning Management Services, Inc.
·         Larry Danner – GE Energy
·         Representative Matthew Lesser – Connecticut House of Representatives
·         Professor Glenn Corbett – John Jay College of Criminal Justice (New York)
·         Michael Rosario – Local 777, United Association of Plumbers and Pipefitters
·         Steven Schrag – Connecticut Council for Occupational Safety and Health

Following a public comment period in which any interested person may speak, the Board will vote on the recommendations. The CSB staff is expected to propose (subject to Board approval) that upon passage of the urgent recommendations, the Kleen Energy and ConAgra investigations would be concluded. Although no additional written report is planned beyond the statement of more than 60 factual findings, the CSB plans to develop a computer-animated safety video describing the two accidents and the recommendations for safety change.

Mr. Bresland told the House committee, “We believe that the 18 urgent recommendations proposed today – together with the two urgent recommendations we issued on February 4 – address all of the principal root causes of these two tragic accidents. If adopted by the recipients, I have no doubt that future accidents will be avoided and lives will be saved as a result.”