From: DCHAS Membership Chair <membership**At_Symbol_Here**DCHAS.ORG>
Subject: [DCHAS-L] Chemical Safety headlines (16 articles)
Date: Wed, 26 Sep 2018 07:21:20 -0400
Reply-To: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**PRINCETON.EDU>
Message-ID: 4EDDB125-C39D-4839-9BFE-83D075C007FC**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org


Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Wednesday, September 26, 2018 at 7:21:07 AM

A service of the ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety
Connecting Chemistry and Safety at http://www.dchas.org
All article summaries and tags are archived at http://pinboard.in/u:dchas

Table of Contents (16 articles)

HAZMAT TEAM RESPONDS TO MAJOR GAS LEAK
Tags: us_TX, public, release, response, natural_gas

POWERFUL EXPLOSIVE ACCIDENTALLY DETONATES AT LANL
Tags: us_NM, laboratory, explosion, injury, waste

BIOFUEL CATCHES FIRE IN SARKEYS LAB DURING EXPERIMENT, BUILDING TEMPORARILY EVACUATED
Tags: us_OK, laboratory, fire, response, tetrahydrofuran

FERTILIZER FIRE IN WOOD COUNTY CAUSES EVACUATIONS
Tags: us_TX, industrial, fire, response, ammonium_nitrate

EXPLOSION AT CHEMICAL PLANT IN ARAB
Tags: us_AL, industrial, explosion, death, unknown_chemical

FORT POLK SOLDIER CONVICTED FOR ILLEGALLY MANUFACTURING CHEMICAL WEAPON
Tags: us_LA, industrial, explosion, injury, bomb, chlorine

'NO DEAL' BREXIT: IS THE UK FACING TWO YEARS OF CHEMICALS 'CHAOS'?
Tags: United_Kingdom, industrial, discovery, environmental

TRINSEO AND AICHE CENTER FOR CHEMICAL PROCESS SAFETY (CCPS) TO BRING WORKSHOPS TO ENGINEERING STUDENTS IN CHINA
Tags: China, industrial, discovery, environmental

UPDATE: AURELIA RESIDENTS BACK IN THEIR HOMES AFTER AMMONIA LEAK
Tags: us_IA, public, release, response, ammonia

TANKS FALL FROM TRUCK, PROMPT HAZMAT RESPONSE IN NORTH ANDOVE
Tags: us_MA, transportation, release, response, acetylene, nitrogen

CONTRACTOR SPILLS 1,300 GALLONS OF JET FUEL AT ASPEN AIRPORT
Tags: us_CO, industrial, release, response, jet_fuel

UK‰??S GOOD SAMARITAN RESUMES OPERATIONS AFTER CHEMICAL SPILL ‰?? LANE REPORT
Tags: us_KY, public, release, injury, unknown_chemical

MAJOR UK OIL REFINERY EVACUATED AFTER FIRE
Tags: United_Kingdom, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical

PERRYWOOD GARDEN CENTRE NEAR TIPTREE IS FINED FOR BREACHING HEALTH AND SAFETY RULES
Tags: United_Kingdom, industrial, follow-up, injury, unknown_chemical

COURT ORDERS TRUMP‰??S EPA TO IMPLEMENT CHEMICAL RULE AFTER ACTIVIST COMPLAINTS
Tags: us_DC, public, follow-up, environmental

CHEMICAL COMPANY FINED $200K OVER CHLORINE LEAK, SINGAPORE NEWS & TOP STORIES
Tags: Singapore, industrial, follow-up, injury, chlorine, gas_cylinders


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HAZMAT TEAM RESPONDS TO MAJOR GAS LEAK
https://www.kwtx.com/content/news/Hazmat-team-responds-to-major-gas-leak-494323851.html
Tags: us_TX, public, release, response, natural_gas

WACO, Texas (KWTX) The Waco Fire Department's hazmat team responded to a major natural gas leak after city workers struck a line around 7:45 p.m. Tuesday.

The leak was reported in the 1700 block of Austin Avenue.

The area has been blocked off while crews work the scene, and the Library was evacuated as a precaution.

Crews are monitoring the air while they wait on Atmos to shut the gas off.

The Waco Fire Department asks that people avoid the area.

---------------------------------------------

POWERFUL EXPLOSIVE ACCIDENTALLY DETONATES AT LANL
http://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/powerful-explosive-accidentally-detonates-at-lanl/article_3d9a5fac-f4c7-5cb6-8fa1-f8b9234a6f6a.html
Tags: us_NM, laboratory, explosion, injury, waste

An explosion in a densely staffed sector of Los Alamos National Laboratory on Sept. 14 left one employee with multiple cuts and prompted lab officials to request emergency approval from the New Mexico Environment Department to safely detonate two compromised vessels containing highly explosive hazardous waste.

Both of the approximately 1.7-ounce containers were ‰??unstable due to heat exposure and the presence of etching on the vessel exterior,‰?? an incident report said.

‰??This condition posed an imminent and substantial endangerment to human health and the environment,‰?? the report reads.

No radioactive material was involved in the incident, a lab spokesman said.

The detonation occurred during synthesis of a type of powerful non-nuclear explosive in development at LANL.

The injured worker, who sustained cuts to his or her hands caused by broken glassware, was treated at both Los Alamos Medical Center and University of New Mexico Hospital, the spokesman said. The employee has since been released and is back at work.

---------------------------------------------

BIOFUEL CATCHES FIRE IN SARKEYS LAB DURING EXPERIMENT, BUILDING TEMPORARILY EVACUATED
http://www.oudaily.com/news/biofuel-catches-fire-in-sarkeys-lab-during-experiment-building-temporarily/article_17361a4c-c137-11e8-89ee-8fc43419bae3.html
Tags: us_OK, laboratory, fire, response, tetrahydrofuran

Fire trucks congregated outside Sarkeys Energy Center on Tuesday night after a biofuel caught fire inside an oven during a student lab experiment.

A student working alone in a lab placed a chemical called tetrahydrofuran in an oven to dry when it caught fire, said Justin Daniels, OU Fire Marshal. Officials responded just before 9 p.m. and the building was evacuated when fire alarms went off.

Daniels said the student had turned around to wash dishes when she heard a noise and saw flames in the oven.

The student, who was not injured, handled the situation correctly by immediately leaving the area and alerting authorities of the situation, Daniels said, but should have left the oven closed to prevent oxygen from reaching the fire.

The chemical emits carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide, so firefighters monitored carbon monoxide levels until they reached zero, Daniels said.

The oven in the lab sustained damage from the flames, which left the inside and surrounding walls blackened with soot and a glass window cracked from the high temperature, Daniels said.

---------------------------------------------

FERTILIZER FIRE IN WOOD COUNTY CAUSES EVACUATIONS
https://tylerpaper.com/news/local/fertilizer-fire-in-wood-county-causes-evacuations/article_c6f29826-c0f5-11e8-8ac9-7b77a8b2b1bb.html
Tags: us_TX, industrial, fire, response, ammonium_nitrate

A fire at a Winnsboro-area feed mill caused evacuations and road closures on Tuesday.

The fire was burning at Valley Feed Mill plant, which is near Brookshire's and Tractor Supply in the city.

Wood County officials confirm that ammonium nitrate is chemical involved in the fire. The fumes are considered toxic. Ammonium nitrate was the chemical involved in the explosion of the fertilizer plant in West, Texas, in April 2013 that killed 15.

Wood County officials shut down Coke Road on both sides, and there were mandatory evacuations for homes and businesses within 1,000 feet of either direction due to toxic materials burning.

---------------------------------------------

EXPLOSION AT CHEMICAL PLANT IN ARAB
https://www.rocketcitynow.com/news/explosion-at-chemical-plant-in-arab/1475034992
Tags: us_AL, industrial, explosion, death, unknown_chemical

An explosion at an industrial plant in Arab left one man dead and part of the facility damaged.

Fire crews arrived at Umicore Specialty Chemicals shortly after the explosion happened around 2:00 p.m. Tuesday.

Umicore is a worldwide company that works with cobalt and nickel specialty chemicals. USCA is a plant in Arab that focuses on producing and distributing various chemicals and has tanks on site.

The explosion happened in a new part of the plant where construction workers were on top of an empty chemical tank. The workers had been working on the tank for several months.

Arab Fire Department's Fire Chief, Ricky Phillips, said, "We arrived on the scene and assessed the situation to determine that a contract crew was working inside a new construction part of the building on a storage tank whenever the tank exploded."

There was not a chemical spill. The tank once was used to hold sulfuric acid, but had been previously washed out.

"Everything is contained to the plant, so there's no need for alarm," said Phillips.

One man is confirmed dead. There were no other injuries.

Authorities don't yet know what caused the explosion. OSHA is now taking over the investigation.

---------------------------------------------

FORT POLK SOLDIER CONVICTED FOR ILLEGALLY MANUFACTURING CHEMICAL WEAPON
https://www.brproud.com/news/local-news/fort-polk-soldier-convicted-for-illegally-manufacturing-chemical-weapon/1475216845
Tags: us_LA, industrial, explosion, injury, bomb, chlorine

LAFAYETTE, La (LOCAL 33) (FOX 44) - A Fort Polk soldier is spending the next 11 years of his life behind bars for manufacturing and using a chemical weapon in the Kisatchie National Forest.

According to the U.S. Dept. of Justice, 24-year-old Ryan Keith Taylor was sentenced to 135 months in prison Monday for producing, possessing, and using a chemical weapon in violation of federal law.

Taylor was also sentenced to five years of supervision upon release.

We're told Taylor set off an explosive device containing chlorine gas on the morning of April 12, 2017 in the Kisatchie National Forest near Fort Polk.

Three U.S. Army soldiers who were conducting a training exercise nearby heard the explosions and found Taylor standing near his vehicle filming the explosion with his cell phone.

They then questioned Taylor and reported the incident to military police.

Upon arrival, Fort Polk military police investigators examined the scene and began collecting samples at the blast site.

One investigator filled a plastic bag with a rock coated in an unknown substance.

The bag immediately popped, and the investigator‰??s plastic gloves and boots began to melt. He also began to experience difficulty breathing and his skin started burning.

---------------------------------------------

'NO DEAL' BREXIT: IS THE UK FACING TWO YEARS OF CHEMICALS 'CHAOS'?
https://www.businessgreen.com/bg/news-analysis/3063364/no-deal-brexit-is-the-uk-facing-two-years-of-chemicals-chaos
Tags: United_Kingdom, industrial, discovery, environmental

The latest batch of technical notices outlining how the UK will cope in the event of a 'no deal' Brexit have sparked major concerns over the future of the UK's green energy, chemicals, and agriculture sectors.

Published by the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) last night, the notices include what one commentator described as some of "the most honest" Brexit analysis so far, revealing the "chaos" that could engulf key sectors of the green economy if the UK crashes out of the EU with out a deal.

The latest tranche in the series of government updates deal with a wide range of green issues, including chemicals regulation, low-carbon power generation, food importing and exporting rules, food labelling rules, and the movement of plants across borders.

---------------------------------------------

TRINSEO AND AICHE CENTER FOR CHEMICAL PROCESS SAFETY (CCPS) TO BRING WORKSHOPS TO ENGINEERING STUDENTS IN CHINA
https://www.tullahomanews.com/news/business/trinseo-and-aiche-center-for-chemical-process-safety-ccps-to/article_06fdf1e2-b2eb-501e-a027-562fff6a11ab.html
Tags: China, industrial, discovery, environmental

NEW YORK & BERWYN, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sep 25, 2018--Trinseo (NYSE: TSE), a global materials company, today announced a new partnership with the Center for Chemical Process Safety (CCPS) ‰?? a subsidiary of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) ‰?? to host process safety workshops for undergraduate chemical engineering students in China. The partnership was announced during the 6 th CCPS China Conference on Process Safety, held September 25‰??27 in Qingdao, China.

This is the first student workshop outside the U.S. of the AIChE/CCPS Undergraduate Process Safety Learning Initiative, which combines process safety theory and real-world cases taught by process safety experts. Chemical engineering students from several universities in China will be invited to participate in a one-day ‰??Student Workshop on Risk-Based Process Safety,‰?? which will be held in 2019 at Trinseo‰??s manufacturing site at Zhangjiagang, China.

The curriculum of the workshops will be designed and delivered by CCPS, the authoritative global organization providing the technical community with expertise and proven curriculum materials on process safety. The student workshops in China will be delivered by Byron Sun, a safety expert and CCPS staff consultant. Sun has over 27 years of professional experience, including safety leadership roles at China Petrochemical Company (now SINOPEC) and DuPont China. Byron received a diploma from Shanghai Science and Technology University and a Master Degree from Tongji University.

---------------------------------------------

UPDATE: AURELIA RESIDENTS BACK IN THEIR HOMES AFTER AMMONIA LEAK
https://siouxcityjournal.com/news/local/briefs/update-emergency-crew-on-scene-for-ammonia-leak-in-aurelia/article_e3f94883-964b-520a-80c2-d71dbc3e4b16.html
Tags: us_IA, public, release, response, ammonia

AURELIA, Iowa -- Aurelia residents who were forced to evacuate their homes Monday morning after a large anhydrous ammonia leak, were able to return that evening.

The Aurelia Police Department said the evacuation order was lifted at 5:30 p.m. Monday.

Shortly after 10 a.m., a tank valve broke at the First Cooperative Association. For safety reasons, all residences and businesses east of Main Street and north of Highway 7 were evacuated. The evacuation area was later expanded to the west, as the wind changed direction.

---------------------------------------------

TANKS FALL FROM TRUCK, PROMPT HAZMAT RESPONSE IN NORTH ANDOVE
https://whdh.com/news/tanks-fall-from-truck-prompt-hazmat-response-in-north-andover/
Tags: us_MA, transportation, release, response, acetylene, nitrogen

NORTH ANDOVER, MASS. (WHDH) - A busy section of Route 114 in North Andover was shut down during the height of Monday‰??s evening commute after acetylene and nitrogen tanks fell off a truck near Merrimack College, officials said.

The need for a hazmat response prompted officials to close the east and westbound sides of the road between the Route 125 Bypass and Wilson‰??s Corner for about two hours, according to the North Andover Police Department.

Four tanks in total fell from the truck, two of which were leaking, officials said.

Video from the scene showed crews loading the tanks into the back of a dump truck for transport.

---------------------------------------------

CONTRACTOR SPILLS 1,300 GALLONS OF JET FUEL AT ASPEN AIRPORT
https://www.aspentimes.com/news/contractor-spills-1300-gallons-of-jet-fuel-at-aspen-airport/
Tags: us_CO, industrial, release, response, jet_fuel

A contractor at the Aspen airport spilled more than 1,300 gallons of jet fuel Friday, though it was contained and did not reach water sources, an official said Monday.

The spill occurred after an Atlantic Aviation employee failed to follow protocols and did not check a fuel tank at the fixed base operation area before he began filling it, said Jonathan Jones, Atlantic Aviation general manager.

While it is difficult to estimate exactly how much fuel spilled, Jones said Monday his best guess was that it was about 1,325 gallons total.

Rick Balentine, Aspen fire chief, said he did not know about the spill until he was asked about it Monday.

"Something of this size, we should have been called immediately," Balentine said, noting that fire officials will investigate what happened.

---------------------------------------------

UK‰??S GOOD SAMARITAN RESUMES OPERATIONS AFTER CHEMICAL SPILL ‰?? LANE REPORT
https://www.lanereport.com/105902/2018/09/uks-good-samaritan-resumes-operations-after-chemical-spill/
Tags: us_KY, public, release, injury, unknown_chemical

LEXINGTON, Ky. ‰?? At approximately 5:30 a.m. Monday there was a small chemical spill in the inpatient pharmacy in the basement of UK HealthCare‰??s Good Samaritan Hospital.

The Lexington Fire Department and its Hazardous Materials Unit responded, contained the spill and oversaw first phase of the cleanup. Nineteen people were treated including five who were decontaminated‰?? none were patients.

The Fire Department released the hospital‰??s inpatient pharmacy to normal operations around 8:30 a.m.

---------------------------------------------

MAJOR UK OIL REFINERY EVACUATED AFTER FIRE
https://osburnoracle.com/major-uk-oil-refinery-evacuated-after-fire/11052/
Tags: United_Kingdom, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical

The fire broke out at a Shell-owned chemical plant on the same site as the Stanlow refinery in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire.

Essar Oil UK, which operates the refinery and chemical plant, say that 900 employees and 500 contractors work on the site which supplies 16% of all road transport fuels.

All staff have been accounted for and the fire has now been extinguished.

Flames and a column of thick black smoke were seen after the blaze broke out on Wednesday afternoon.

---------------------------------------------

PERRYWOOD GARDEN CENTRE NEAR TIPTREE IS FINED FOR BREACHING HEALTH AND SAFETY RULES
http://www.eadt.co.uk/business/perrywood-garden-centre-fined-hazardous-chemical-spill-injures-employee-1-5708943
Tags: United_Kingdom, industrial, follow-up, injury, unknown_chemical

A garden centre was fined more than å£100,000 after a member of staff was hurt when cleaning up hazardous chemicals.
w
Perrywood Garden Centre and Nurseries Ltd admitted to three safety offences under the Health and Safety at Work Act, when a member of staff developed breathing difficulties after clearing up spilt garden chemical in April 2017.

The incident was investigated after the worker complained to environmental health officers last September.

The incident occurred at Perrywood Garden Centre near Tiptree, and the company has now taken over the former Wyevale Garden Centre in Sudbury, which was purchased for å£1.1m.

Basildon Magistrates‰?? Court was told Perrywood had a health and safety policy and arrangements in place, but these had not been reviewed nor updated to reflect the changes in the directorship of the company.

---------------------------------------------

COURT ORDERS TRUMP‰??S EPA TO IMPLEMENT CHEMICAL RULE AFTER ACTIVIST COMPLAINTS
https://dailycaller.com/2018/09/24/trump-epa-chemical-safety-rule/
Tags: us_DC, public, follow-up, environmental

A federal appeals court is forcing the Environmental Protection Agency to impose a chemical safety rule the Trump administration attempted to delay.

The Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit granted a motion Friday night to force the EPA to enforce the risk management plan rule, a regulation passed during the Obama administration.

‰??Because EPA has not engaged in reasoned decision-making, its promulgation of the delay rule is arbitrary and capricious,‰?? the court wrote, noting the agency‰??s delay tactic ‰??makes a mockery of the statute.‰??

The same court issued a similar ruling in August after activists asked the judges to skip the traditional 52-day waiting period to enforce its Aug. 31 ruling, which held that the Trump administration improperly delayed the regulation.

Judges eventually reversed the order, saying it had been made ‰??inadvertently.‰?? Judges Judith Rogers and Robert Wilkins never explained their reasoning. Friday‰??s ruling effectively implements the court‰??s order from August.

---------------------------------------------

CHEMICAL COMPANY FINED $200K OVER CHLORINE LEAK, SINGAPORE NEWS & TOP STORIES
https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/chemical-company-fined-200k-over-chlorine-leak
Tags: Singapore, industrial, follow-up, injury, chlorine, gas_cylinders

A company was fined $200,000 for a chlorine leak incident on Sept 4, 2016, in which seven people were taken to hospital.

In a statement yesterday, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) said that Chemical Industries (Far East) had pleaded guilty to a charge under the Workplace Safety and Health Act for failing to take reasonable measures to ensure the safety and health of the people involved.

An MOM spokesman told The Straits Times last night that the company pleaded guilty in court on Sept 14 and was fined the same day.

The incident involved a chlorine leak in a cylinder stored in Chemical Industries' Jalan Samulun chlorine storage facility in Tuas.

The leak triggered an alarm from one of the facility's chlorine detectors and a worker activated the chlorine gas emergency scrubber and exhaust system. Two workers donned protective equipment and attempted to stop the leak but were unsuccessful. Chemical Industries then called the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) for help at around 9.20am.

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