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I knew I forgot something this morning. The Corona virus concerns is not helping us with EHS responsibilities to stay organized this week. I'm purposely not including all of the many stories about this issue that mention "hazmat" in describing the appropriate precautions. I am finding that there are interesting cultural challenges in discussing this with medical professions, much less with the general public...
- Ralph
Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Monday, February 10, 2020 at 12:42:47 PM
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 (13 articles)
AHMEDABAD: DEATH TOLL IN NAROL FIRE CLIMBS TO SEVEN, THREE ARRESTED
Tags: India, industrial, follow-up, death, unknown_chemical
VOLUNTARY EVACUATION IN COOK COUNTY DUE TO SILO FIRE
Tags: us_GA, industrial, fire, response, dusts
BRACING FOR CLIMATE CHANGE, THE CHEMICAL INDUSTRY LEARNS FROM HURRICANE HARVEY
Tags: us_TX, industrial, discovery, environmental
HURRYING IS AN AT-RISK BEHAVIOR THAT CAN LEAD TO UNDESIRED CONSEQUENCES
Tags: industrial, discovery, environmental
ARKANSAS STATE TROOPERS, ARDOT ENFORCING SPEED & DISTRACTED DRIVING TODAY ALONG I-40
Tags: us_AR, transportation, release, response, other_chemical
PUNJAB EXPLOSION: AT LEAST TWO KILLED IN BLAST AT RELIGIOUS RALLY IN TARN TARAN DISTRICT
Tags: India, transportation, explosion, death, fireworks
HYDERABAD: RAGPICKER LOSES HAND IN EXPLOSION
Tags: India, public, explosion, injury, explosives
LARGE FLARE AT RAVEN CHEMICAL PLANT IN BAYTOWN CAUSED BY POWER OUTAGE, COMPANY SAYS
Tags: us_TX, industrial, release, response, other_chemical
WITHOUT SAFETY CHECKS, CHEMICAL UNITS IN AMBERNATH A TINDERBOX
Tags: India, industrial, follow-up, environmental
DOVER FIREFIGHTERS BATTLE CHEMICALS, TOO
Tags: us_NH, industrial, discovery, environmental, unknown_chemical
CHEMICAL TANKER OVERTURNS NEAR DUMAD CROSSROADS
Tags: India, transportation, release, response, flammables
PUBLIC AUCTION SCHEDULED TO SELL SITE OF 2014 CHEMICAL EXPLOSION
Tags: us_CA, industrial, follow-up, environmental, illegal, waste
DERAILMENT 30 YEARS AGO FORCED EVACUATIONS, CLOSED DOWN LOCAL SCHOOL
Tags: us_TX, transportation, follow-up, environmental
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AHMEDABAD: DEATH TOLL IN NAROL FIRE CLIMBS TO SEVEN, THREE ARRESTED
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/ahmedabad-death-toll-in-narol-fire-reaches-to-seven-three-arrested/articleshow/74047169.cms
Tags: India, industrial, follow-up, death, unknown_chemical
AHMEDABAD: It was an inferno that lasted for over 15 hours and claimed seven lives - their bodies reduced to bones and ashes. The fire incident at Nandan Denim Ltd on Narol-Pirana Road at Piplaj is being termed the biggest fire-related casualty in Ahmedabad in past 15 years, according to Ahmedabad Fire and Emergency Services (AFES) officials.
Narol police on Sunday afternoon filed an FIR against six promoters and employees of the firm under IPC Section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder. Those included in the FIR included Jyoti Chiripal, MD; Dipak Chiripal, CEO; PK Sharma, full-time director; BC Patel, general manager of shirting division; HM Patel, deputy general manager; and Ravikant Sinha, fire safety officer. RB Rana, ACP J Division, told media on Sunday evening that three of the accused including BC Patel, HM Patel and Ravikant Sinha, were apprehended in connection with the case.
The bodies - four recovered on Saturday and three on Sunday - were sent to the VS Hospital for post-mortem. Investigators said that as there was no other way to identify the deceased, they would get their DNA sampling done with help of their relatives. The relatives refused to accept the bodies till the management of the firm approached them - accusing the officials of evading their responsibility to ensure safety of the employees.
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VOLUNTARY EVACUATION IN COOK COUNTY DUE TO SILO FIRE
https://www.valdostadailytimes.com/news/local_news/voluntary-evacuation-in-cook-county-due-to-silo-fire/article_dd595564-d548-54bc-9e2b-9f282cb2f438.html
Tags: us_GA, industrial, fire, response, dusts
ADEL ‰?? A voluntary evacuation has been launched in Cook County near a silo where a fire broke out Sunday morning, according to an official.
The voluntary evacuation extends a mile from Sanderson Farm's Feed Mill, 3140 JM Drive, Adel, said Johnny West, Cook County's emergency management director.
"There is no chemical involved," he said. The silo was full of soybean mill, and company policy required a mandatory evacuation of employees from the site, he said.
"The voluntary evacuation (surrounding the Sanderson Farm site) was out of an abundance of caution," West said.
West compared the situation to the January 2018 explosion of a pecan hull silo in Valdosta, in which no one was hurt but windows were blown out for several blocks around.
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BRACING FOR CLIMATE CHANGE, THE CHEMICAL INDUSTRY LEARNS FROM HURRICANE HARVEY
https://cen.acs.org/safety/industrial-safety/Bracing-climate-change-industry-learns/98/i6
Tags: us_TX, industrial, discovery, environmental
In the face of global warming, which is causing rising seas and more frequent, record-breaking storms, the US chemical industry‰??historically clustered on the Gulf Coast‰??is bracing for more events like Harvey and using it as a model for how to better prepare for future storms. The US industry on the Gulf Coast is just one case out of many around the world. Globally, the chemical industry is typically situated much like it is on the US Gulf Coast, near large bodies of water to facilitate logistics. Each region faces its own kinds of storms, and chemical plants on rivers can be choked off by drought and heat waves, like the Rhine was in 2018.
Related: Chemical plants in the Carolinas and Virginia gird for Hurricane Florence‰??s fury
The industry at large fared better in the storm than Arkema did but was still strongly affected, as it has been from other big storms over the years. Harvey temporarily knocked out more than half of US ethylene capacity and 27% of domestic crude oil‰??refining output, according to the consulting firm IHS Markit.
Analysts say that amid financial pressure caused by such losses, regulation, federal investment in infrastructure, and pressure from insurance companies to improve safety will help the US and global chemical industry become resilient to the increasingly extreme weather events expected with climate change.
After Harvey, the American Chemistry Council (ACC) and the Texas Chemical Council, both trade groups, convened a meeting of executives in Pasadena, Texas, to compare notes about their responses.
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HURRYING IS AN AT-RISK BEHAVIOR THAT CAN LEAD TO UNDESIRED CONSEQUENCES
https://opexshare.doe.gov/lesson.cfm/2020/2/6/30487/Hurrying-Is-An-At-Risk-Behavior-That-Can-Lead-to-Undesired-Consequences
Tags: industrial, discovery, environmental
At-risk behaviors are actions that involve shortcuts, violations of error-prevention expectations, or simple actions intended to improve efficient performance of a task, usually at some expense of safety. Hurrying through an activity or rushing to complete a task is an error precursor and an example of an at-risk behavior.
When performing tasks outside of normal operating conditions and/or when distracted, it is extremely important to conduct self-checking. Self-checking is another component of work that helps a performing individual focus attention on the appropriate component or activity and helps to ensure that each evolution of work is completed safely. When used rigorously, self-checking boosts attention and thinking just before a physical action is performed.
All workers, subcontractors included, need to be aware of (1) their surroundings before they start to do actions that are not typically performed at the local or point of an evolution and (2) rushing errors can occur; in this case, when they feel someone, or something is waiting on them.
Download Article
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ARKANSAS STATE TROOPERS, ARDOT ENFORCING SPEED & DISTRACTED DRIVING TODAY ALONG I-40
https://www.thv11.com/article/traffic/hazmat-responds-to-calcium-nitrate-spill-near-brinkley/91-74a56bdb-e9d1-4a94-a21e-0666b3991930
Tags: us_AR, transportation, release, response, other_chemical
BRINKLEY, Ark. ‰?? According to the Brinkley Fire Department, an overturned truck caused a traffic backup Saturday morning on I-40, west of the Brinkley exit.
Officials say the truck that overturned was loaded with calcium nitrate, a compound that absorbs moisture from the air and is commonly found as a tetrahydrate.
Hazmat responded to the incident and is working to clean up the spill.
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PUNJAB EXPLOSION: AT LEAST TWO KILLED IN BLAST AT RELIGIOUS RALLY IN TARN TARAN DISTRICT
https://scroll.in/latest/952559/punjab-at-least-14-killed-in-explosion-at-religious-procession-in-tarn-taran-district-say-police
Tags: India, transportation, explosion, death, fireworks
At least two people were killed and several were injured in an explosion in Punjab‰??s Tarn Taran district on Saturday, reports said.
A tractor-trailer exploded around 4.30 pm during a religious procession near Daleke village, 10 km from the town of Tarn Taran, Hindustan Times reported. According to initial reports, the tractor was carrying firecrackers and chemicals. The procession was on its way from Gurdwara Baba Deep Singh in Pahuwind village to Gurdwara Tahla Sahib at Chabba village on the Tarn Taran-Amritsar road. ‰??The procession had just reached Daleke when the blast took place in a trailer of a tractor in which a chemical was stored,‰?? a villager identified as Manjinder Singh told the newspaper.
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HYDERABAD: RAGPICKER LOSES HAND IN EXPLOSION
https://telanganatoday.com/hyderabad-ragpicker-loses-hand-in-explosion
Tags: India, public, explosion, injury, explosives
Hyderabad: A ragpicker was critically injured and lost his right hand in an explosion at Musheerabad on Saturday morning. Panic prevailed for a few minutes in the area following the explosion.
City Police Commissioner Anjani Kumar said forensic experts had examined the site and that the container that went off had no explosives in it.
‰??It was a paint box which exploded because of a chemical reaction,‰?? he said.
The incident took place around 10.45 am at a garbage dump near the White House Hotel in Risala Bazaar of Musheerabad. The ragpicker, identified as Nagaraju (55), was picking trash from the garbage bin when he found two tin containers.
‰??Nagaraju attempted to open one of the containers by hitting against it on the ground when it exploded. He sustained serious injuries and collapsed on the road. Passers-by informed the police,‰?? said S Murali Krishna, Station House Officer (Musheerabad). The right hand of the man was severed in the impact of the explosion, he added.
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LARGE FLARE AT RAVEN CHEMICAL PLANT IN BAYTOWN CAUSED BY POWER OUTAGE, COMPANY SAYS
https://www.click2houston.com/news/local/2020/02/08/flare-burns-at-plant-in-baytown-officials-say/
Tags: us_TX, industrial, release, response, other_chemical
BAYTOWN, Texas ‰?? A large flare at a facility in Baytown Saturday morning sent plumes of smoke billowing from the sky, but the flare did not pose a threat to residents in the community, officials said.
The flare was reported at Raven Chemical Plant just after 5 a.m. Saturday, officials with the Baytown Police Department said.
No one was injured and no evacuations were conducted related to the flare-up, according to officials.
Raven Chemical Plant released this statement related to the incident:
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WITHOUT SAFETY CHECKS, CHEMICAL UNITS IN AMBERNATH A TINDERBOX
https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/without-safety-checks-chemical-units-in-ambernath-a-tinderbox/story-AnsVBY5eqmh3VDwDYTjg2H.html
Tags: India, industrial, follow-up, environmental
The improper storage of hazardous chemicals in more than 100 chemical units functioning in the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) zone of Badlapur and Ambernath is the major cause of repeated fires in the factories, said fire officials.
Activists blamed the Directorate of Industrial Safety and Health for not conducting regular safety audits in the industries.
Fire officials said that they have received around 25 calls for major fire incidents from Badlapur and Ambernath MIDC in the past two years. In a year, the fire brigade receives around 15 calls for major fires and explosions in factories.
The fire accidents highlight violation of fire-safety norms in most factories.
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DOVER FIREFIGHTERS BATTLE CHEMICALS, TOO
https://www.fosters.com/news/20200207/dover-firefighters-battle-chemicals-too
Tags: us_NH, industrial, discovery, environmental, unknown_chemical
DOVER ‰?? City fire officials have implemented a new initiative aimed at keeping firefighters safe from service-related cancers.
The department has mandated any firefighter who responds to an active fire scene must go through a ‰??post-fire decontamination‰?? program before getting back onto their trucks.
The initiative is aimed at protecting firefighters from the often unseen chemicals and combustibles that can lead to cancer when firefighters are exposed to them.
‰??Years ago, the obvious hazards of a fire, were the flames, heat and smoke, but that evolved over time to the chemicals that are released when a house burns that we cannot see,‰?? Fire Chief Paul Haas said during an interview Tuesday at the Liberty North End Fire Station.
The new post fire decontamination program is aimed at protecting firefighters from ‰??the longer-term exposure that we can‰??t see, and the stuff that hangs around more often when the fire is out,‰?? Haas said.
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CHEMICAL TANKER OVERTURNS NEAR DUMAD CROSSROADS
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/vadodara/chemical-tanker-overturns-near-dumad-triggers-panic/articleshow/74016258.cms
Tags: India, transportation, release, response, flammables
VADODARA: Heavy traffic jam was witnessed near Dumad Crossroads on outskirts of Vadodara city when a truck carrying chemicals overturned early Friday morning. A chemical identified as isobutyl benzene began leaking out of the truck spreading panic among locals as well as passersby. Fire brigade officials rushed to the spot after they got a call at 5.30 am.
‰??We were earlier told that the liquid was chloroform. But it turned out to be isobutyl benzene. It is highly inflammable liquid that also causes respiratory problems. We stopped the seepage and then began spraying water on the chemical,‰?? said Om Jadeja, fire officer. Out of 25,000 litres, nearly 7,000 litres chemical leaked from the tanker. However, there were no reports of any person getting affected by the leakage.
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PUBLIC AUCTION SCHEDULED TO SELL SITE OF 2014 CHEMICAL EXPLOSION
https://www.vcstar.com/story/news/local/communities/santa-paula/2020/02/07/public-auction-scheduled-sell-site-2014-chemical-explosion/2860242001/
Tags: us_CA, industrial, follow-up, environmental, illegal, waste
A public auction for the Santa Clara Waste Water Co. facility near Santa Paula is scheduled for March.
The sale was discussed during a hearing Friday in Ventura County Superior Court for about a dozen civil lawsuits filed against the company over a Nov. 18, 2014, chemical explosion at its facility.
The incident also led to two criminal investigations and a yearslong prosecution of nine company employees, the company and its parent organization, Green Compass Environmental Solutions.
The explosion occurred when sodium chlorite mixed with other chemicals when sucked into the tank of a vacuum truck. The sodium chlorite on the ground dried and ignited in the explosion. It was inhaled by employees and first responders, many of whom suffered lasting injuries.
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DERAILMENT 30 YEARS AGO FORCED EVACUATIONS, CLOSED DOWN LOCAL SCHOOL
https://www.kwtx.com/content/news/Derailment-30-years-ago-forced-evacuations-closed-down-local-school-567677661.html
Tags: us_TX, transportation, follow-up, environmental
TEMPLE, Texas (KWTX) Seven cars of a Santa Fe freight train derailed in downtown Temple on Feb. 9, 1990 and after the chemical-laden cars overturned authorities evacuated 75 families from their homes and ended classes early at Temple High School.
It made quite a mess and disrupted things near downtown for some time, but according to news reports from the day no one got hurt.
‰??Seven railcars carrying chemicals rolled down the tracks until they contacted a derailment clip,‰?? Thomas Pechal, a retired Temple firefighter, said.
A derailment clip is a heavy iron device that trackmen place on some tracks that is designed to force uncontrolled cars off the rails before they can strike other cars.
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