BST Elastomers plant at Map Ta Phut, Thailand- Explosion kills 12 and injures several
Map Ta Phut, May 6, 2012- A powerful explosion at the BST (Bangkok Synthetics Company) plant at Map Ta Phut, Thailand has reportedly resulted in 12 fatalities and more than a 100 injuries, say news reports from various sources. Hundreds more were evacuated when fumes and gases from the accident site began spreading to nearby areas. BST Elastomers ( an associate company of BST that actually operates the BST site at Map Ta Phut) has opened a special 24-hour Hotline, for all seeking help. A mobile medical unit was being dispatched to serve villagers living near the facility said reports.
The Map Ta Phut petrochemical hub, in Rayong province is one of the larger industrial parks in Asia, having petrochemical and other hydrocarbon processing plants of several companies. The present accident occurred in the BST plant that produces various kinds of synthetic rubber including BR (Butadiene Rubber) and SBR (Styrene Butadiene Rubber).
The incident apparently occured as a storage tank was being flushed using Toulene, a solvent to remove material before a product changeover operation. It is not clear how the tank caught fire, nor the root cause of the explosion. Initial estimates of damage are in the region of about Bt 1.7 billion (Thai Baht 1.7 billion) according to unconfirmed news reports. Officials from the Map ta Phut industrial park said that the ambient air was being monitored for contaminants and carcinogens and upto now, the levels were not alarming. Toluene is not carcinogenic although the vapors in sufficient concentration can cause eye and skin irritation. Locals who stay in the vicinity were concerned about the after effects.
Meanwhile, reports say that the Prime Minister of Thailand, Ms.Yingluck Shinawatra herself and other top govt officials summoned a meeting , where the seniormost management of BST was present, apparently to carry out mitigation efforts and investigate the cause of the disaster. A tri-partie committee has been formed to inspect the site. Damage at the BST site, as well as at the adjoining facilities will be inspected. A review of the laws governing industrial facilities, disaster and emergency preparedness and other areas is also being proposed apparently as a result of the accident.
TUV Certified Functional Safety Training in India
Mumbai, Feb 16, 2012- Abhisam Software informs us that the February batch of the TUV Certified Functional Safety Training Course was sold out, within weeks of being announced! This batch was held from 7th to 10th February 2012 at Aker Solutions training center (in the Aker Solutions office building), located at iThink Techno Campus, an iconic office complex coming up in the eastern suburb of Kanjurmarg, Mumbai. This batch was attended by several to notch engineers from companies such as Aker Solutions, ABB, iGate Patni, Petrofac and others. The training was led by Dr. Michel Houtermans of Risknowlogy, who have partnered with Abhisam to bring this globally recognized qualification to India.
“This training program is superb and is a must-do, for every professional who desires to master Functional Safety and work in areas such as Risk Assessment, Safety Integrity Level, Safety Instrumented Systems and such. Dr. Houtermans is not only an expert in the subject but also a very good speaker and trainer and I absolutely enjoyed being in the program when all my doubts were cleared in no time” was a spontaneous reactions from one of the participants. “The TUV test is tough but it is also necessary to pass it and get the title of FSEng, as our clients insist on qualified personnel working on their safety systems” was the reason given by another engineer who participated in the program.
The next batch starts from April 17th and registrations have already started according to an Abhisam spokesman who informed us. So we think it will be a great idea to participate in this, don’t you?
Lithium Ion battery plant explosions
Nov 12, 2009- A series of explosions were reported last weekend from a Lithium-Ion battery recycling plant located in British Columbia. The plant, owned by Toxco Waste Management, is reportedly the only one of its kind for recycling Li-Ion batteries in all of North America! The incident only serves to highlight the other side of the “green movement”-safety issues with batteries. As more and more of these devices are installed in things like Electric Cars, ostensibly to save the earth and all that, nobody (none from the “Greens” anyway) seems toa sk what happens to all those batteries at the end of its useful life.
Cars with Internal Combustion engines for all their so called “carbon” and other footprints are solidly recyclable into other objects. How the large number of spent batteries in the revolutionary electric cars would be managed is anybodys guess.
In this case, the blaze produced emissions of sulfur dioxide and lithium hydrogen, but officials with Toxco state that, “The fire did not result in any negative impacts to the environment of the surrounding area.” Firefighters could not use water to douse the flames because Lithium reacts with water explosively and releases toxic chemicals.
