WHAT’S HAPPENING?
June 2014
Explosion/Fire at Dutch Shell Chemical Plant
AIDGC 2014
Conference
September 19
“Hazardous
Areas”
A fire triggered by an explosion at a Shell chemical plant in the
Netherlands has been brought under control. Television footage
showed flames and smoke pouring from the plant in Moerdijk, south
of Rotterdam.
Two people suffered minor burns, but the cause of the blast - heard
from more than 30km away - remains unknown (suspected benzene
leak but it is not known whether it was methylbenzene or
ethylbenzene)
The factory makes oil-based chemicals for use in products including
car components and insulation materials. Source: BBCNews
Watch a Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3DlaC9BlYU
Gas Leak at Bhilai Steel Plant - India
6 people are dead and over 30 sustained injuries after a gas leak
occurred at the Bhilai Steel Plant in Chhattisgarh. Of the injured, 11
people are admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
Initially, leakage was reported from water pump number 2 at the
plant after the pump house got inundated with water.
Photo and story: ndtv.com
Explosion at Kosovo Power Plant
An explosion struck Kosovo's second biggest coal-fired power
station outside the capital Pristina and local media reported three
people had been killed.
Authorities shut down the 40-year-old Kosovo A plant, considered
one of the worst polluters in Europe. The blast was heard in the
capital some 10km away.
Economy Minister Fadil Ismajli, whose ministry covers the energy
sector, told Reuters that the 345 Megawatt (MW) Kosovo Ahad been
shut down. He said the accident occurred when a hydrogen tank
exploded in a separate part of the power station from the electricity
generators. Source: www.rte.ie
US CSB: Draft Report Finds Deepwater
Horizon Blowout Preventer Failed Due to
Unrecognized Pipe Buckling Phenomenon
A Look Back
“Offshore” is a
feature-length,
online, interactive
documentary exploring
the aftermath of the
Deepwater Horizon
disaster and the
difficulties of
extracting energy
from increasingly
challenging
environments. It can
be experienced at
www.offshoreinteractive.com. The
interface for
“Offshore” is part
documentary, part
video game and part
website.
READ INSTRUCTIONS
Click here to see an updated version of the investigation
video: USCSB - New Findings
Report Says Similar Accident Could Still Occur, Calls for Better
Management of Safety-Critical Elements by Offshore Industry, Regulators
Click here to read the USCSBs Investigation Report Overview:
http://www.csb.gov/assets/1/7/Overview_-_Final.pdf
The maintenance requirements and limitations of blowout preventers, or
BOPs, on oil wells in the Gulf of Mexico are still broadly misunderstood in
the industry four years after the massive BP spill, according to a report by
the U.S Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board. As a result,
another catastrophe remains a possibility, the report says as its calls for
separate testing of every system in each BOP so that the success of one
doesn't obscure the failure of another.
BP's Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill Disaster
Just Got a Whole Lot Worse
The United States may win the fight to smack BP and Anadarko with
maximum multi-billion dollar fines for violating pollution laws
resulting from the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill. The U.S. Court of
Appeals in New Orleans upheld a U.S. District Judge's ruling that the
United States may seek to collect as much as $18 billion from BP
and $4.6 billion from Anadarko. Oppenheimer & Co. oil analyst Fadel
Gheit tells TheStreet's Joe Deaux that the key will be whether the
judge determines BP to have been grossly negligent, which carries
the maximum fine. Should the judge rule BP wasn’t grossly
negligent, the fine would be $4.6 billion.
Video Analysis Source: TheStreet / Powered by NewsLook.com
CSB Releases New Computer Animation
of 2010 Deepwater Horizon Blowout
This 11-minute animation illustrates how the Deepwater Horizon’s
blowout preventer failed to seal the well on the night of the accident
because drill pipe buckled due to a mechanism known as “effective
compression.”
Blast at Chinese Pharmaceutical Factory
Photo: CCTV News
A huge explosion in a pharmaceutical factory in southwest China
has left one person injured. The blast was in Sichuan‘s provincial
capital Chengdu.
Witness said there were dense smoke and sharp odours coming
from the factory. Dozens of fire-fighters have rushed to the site,
which has been cordoned off.
News Report
Maintenance Error Causes Fire at Power
Plant in Colorado
A mechanic opened the wrong end of a filter causing oil to spray on
hot piping. The immediate flash fire caused extensive damage at the
Martin Drake power plant run by Colorado Springs Utilities.
See the Colorado Springs Fire Department report here:
http://www.pennenergy.com/content/dam/Pennenergy/onlinearticles/2014/06/CSFD%2BDuty%2BReport%2Bfor%2BDrake%2BFire
%2B052314.pdf
PG&E: Further Charges for Pipeline Explosion
A massive fire from a PG&E
pipeline explosion roars
through a mostly
residential neighborhood in
San Bruno, Calif. in Sept.
2010. (AP Photo/Paul
Sakuma, File)
Californian Pacific Gas & Electric Co. expects to be hit with a new
federal indictment next month over a deadly pipeline explosion that
leveled a suburban California neighborhood in 2010, a regulatory
filing says.
In April, PG&E was charged with 12 felony violations of federal
safety laws. It could be fined $6 million and ordered to submit to
court oversight. The utility has pleaded not guilty.
One possibility is that the coming indictment could name
individuals.
Thus far, no employees or executives have been charged in the San
Bruno disaster. Source: Channing Joseph, Associated Press
New Conductor could Prevent
Lithium-ion Battery Fires
Japanese researchers have developed a new type of lithium-ion
conductor that could help prevent the kind of lithium-ion battery
fires that grounded the Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft last year.
While easily rechargeable, lithium-ion batteries contain flammable
organic solvents that present a risk of fire, as seen in a recall of
Apple MacBook Pro replacement batteries. Read More
Floating Roof Tanks – Pontoon
Compartment Explosion
Figure 1
An explosion occurred at a location during restoration activities on
a crude oil tank which had been cleaned up (Figure 1). Two workers
were carrying out hot work on the top of the tank floating roof
(cutting rim seal brackets in close proximity to the pontoon). One of
the pontoon compartments exploded. Flammable residue was
released onto the tank floor causing a small fire.
In this case, workers sustained moderate injuries. However similar
accidents (e.g. Figure 2) involving hot work on floating roofs after
tank clean-up have taken place in the past and led to more severe
injuries and fatalities.
What Went Wrong?:
Figure 2
Ignition sources generated by the hot work came in contact with the
flammable mixture of hydrocarbons inside a nearby pontoon
compartment that was contaminated.
 Tank Cleaning activities had been executed by contractors
with little / no experience with tank cleaning
 There was no detailed procedure describing the tank cleaning
activities
 The tank cleanliness inspection was incomplete as the
pontoon compartments were not inspected
 The possible presence of hydrocarbons in the pontoon had not
been anticipated during risk assessments (hence gas testing
was ineffective because not done inside pontoon).
Your Membership Corrective Actions and Recommendations:
Subscription to Have engagement sessions with staff to increase awareness on
risks related to tank cleaning and hot work inside, on or near tanks.
the AIDGC for
NB: Consider very carefully the risks of enclosed volumes, e.g.: tank
the 2014/2015 pontoons. Unless clearly proven otherwise, they should always be
Financial Year is treated as if they contain volatile hydrocarbons!
 Tank cleaning activities are critical operations that require
now due. To
specialized interventions using detailed procedures.
download a tax
 Pontoon compartments are enclosed volumes potentially
invoice goto:
containing hydrocarbons that sometimes go unnoticed.
AIDGC website
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Other enclosed volumes exist on floating roofs and present
the same risks as with pontoons (e.g. some parts of seal
systems, radial stiffeners).
 Risk assessments must systematically address the hazards
related to enclosed volumes and include adequate safety
measures (e.g. pontoon cleanliness verification, inside
pontoon gas detection).
Source: OGP Safety Alert: 255 with Disclaimer

China Coal Mine Accident: Kills 22
Image: AFP
Twenty-two people have been killed at a coal mine in China in what
local authorities are calling a “gas incident”.
The accident occurred at the Yanshitai coal mine in China’s southwestern municipality of Chongqing state media agency Xinhua said.
A total of 28 people were working at the time of the incident, but six
managed to escape.
The mine is owned and operated by state-owned Nantong Mining
Company.
China has the worst safety record of any coal mining country. Last
year 589 mining accidents left approximately 1050 people dead or
missing. Death figures for 2012 and 2011 stand at 1300 and 1973
respectively.
In an effort to lower numbers, the government launched a
'nationwide safety overhaul' to develop better working conditions on
site and in turn prevent more deadly accidents.
As part of the plan it announced 2000 coal mine would be closed by
the end of this year. Source: Australian Mining
Vale Nickel Mine: Protests over Chemical Spill
Mining giant Vale is facing $30 million worth of damage at its Goro
nickel mine in New Caledonia after an acid spill into a creek
sparked violent protests.
Earlier this month, Vale was ordered to suspend operations at its $6
billion plant after 10 000 litres of acid effluent spilled into a creek
and killed thousands of fish, and was the fifth spill at the plant in as
many years.
Dozens of young protesters torched vehicles, equipment and
buildings at the site. The action lasted for around 48 hours, with
activists forming blockades on roads near the mine where they lit
fires and used mine site vehicles such as excavators and loaders to
ward off police.
The project, where Vale is has developed an unconventional nickel
treatment method called high-pressure acid leaching, or
hydrometallurgy technology, has been steeped in saga and conflict
for over ten years. Several chemical spills have been reported over
the last few years, including during commissioning in 2009 when
more than 40,000 litres of acid spilt, 2 500 of which ended up in the
river. “There is an inherent risk in Goro’s type of operation,” said
Gavin Mudd, a professor of environmental engineering at Monash
University in Melbourne.
The Goro mine produced 4,100 tonnes of nickel in the first quarter,
up 41 per cent on a year ago. The plant has a production target of
60,000 tonnes of nickel at full capacity. Source: nouvelle caledonie
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Lead Contaminated Rainwater Tanks
Kingston Sheet Metal stainless steel water tanks
The tanks of concern were made by Kingston Sheet Metal in
Kingston, Tasmania. Water in some of these stainless steel
rainwater tanks has contained lead levels well above safe
levels set by public health guidelines.
 Suspect tanks were made between March 2010 and January
2013. They comprise stainless steel panels joined by an
amalgam of 50% lead and 50% tin solder.
 The source of the lead contamination is the solder.
 These stainless steel rainwater tanks have no manufacturer’s
label or marks.

Approximately 120 of these tanks have been sold since March
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Chemical Gazette – June 2014 Download the .pdf
The Flixborough Works U.K. Explosion
Remembering this 1974 Accident
On June 1, 1974, 28 employees were killed and 36 injured during a
massive vapor cloud explosion at the Flixborough Works of Nypro
(UK) Limited. Additionally, hundreds of people offsite were injured
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cyclohexane vapor were released when the piping failed, and when
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http://www.catastrophic-events.com/docs/Flixborough.pdf
Watch the Video:
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SAI GLOBAL –
Goods Standards
Updated Guide to Dangerous
New Report into Deaths at Austar Coal Mine
Pressurized gas has been ruled out as the cause of a rockfall that
killed two miners at the Austar underground coal mine last month.
By examining the gas monitoring system, investigators at the
Yancoal-owned mine have found that there was no evidence of
higher gas readings before or after the accident.
This means that the coal burst could not have been caused by gas
pressure as was surmised by some following the accident.
Source: www.ferrett.com.au
Government May Ban Clothing Dyes
Worker Dies in ‘fridge
Explosion
A man has died and
another man remains
in a critical but stable
condition in hospital
after a gas explosion
erupted while they
were working on a
refrigerator unit in the
cellar of Hotel
Rochester Victoria's
north.
It is believed
something sparked an
ignition as the men
were removing a
motor from above a
refrigeration unit.
Source: The Age
The Federal Government may ban dyes which are often used in
clothing and have been linked to cancer.
At the request of Small Business Minister Bruce Billson, the
Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) is
investigating the use of the chemicals, known as azo dyes.
The ACCC will deliver a report on the use of the dyes in July.
There are 300 azo dyes. 20 of these break down into compounds
called aromatic amines which are carcinogenic.
The ACCC has already recalled about 207,000 items of clothing that
contain azo dyes. In addition, the dyes are already banned in
Europe.
Experts claim the risk of cancer from clothes with azo dyes is very
low.
Cancer Council Australia spokesman Professor Bernard Stewart told
the ABC that some of the azo dyes are carcinogenic, but in different
contexts. "They are carcinogenic in the sense that decades ago
with different industrial procedures, men who were actually making
large quantities of these chemicals developed bladder cancer ...,” he
said.
Source: ABC News
More Recalls of Jeans Linked to Cancer
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has
recalled another brand of jeans containing a cancer-linked dye from
sale.
Men's Spitfire Denim Jeans in New Black and Holy Black from
Cotton On have been added to the list of 207,000 recalled clothing
items.
The dyes causing concern are aromatic amines (Azo dyes). It is a
synthetic dye which is widely used. However, some forms of it can
break down into carcinogenic chemicals and is harmful to humans.
Source: ABC News
Dangerous
Goods?
This Accident
Really Stings!
A truck
transporting
bee hives
containing 16 –
20 million bees
overturned on a
curve in
Delaware. The
driver and two
passengers
were covered
in bees and
stung by 50 –
100 bees each.
Do you really
want to watch
the Video?
Fox 29
Breaking News
Reactive Material Release in Nuclear
Facility – Caused by Reaction in Drums?
Is this the radioactive version of mixing nitric acid and organic
waste?
On Feb. 14, radioactive material leaked from the Waste Isolation
Pilot Plant nuclear waste repository in New Mexico. Reports about
the incident appear to be pointing a finger at a reactive mixture of
nitrate salts and organic material in the waste drum involved–and
more may have the same problem.
There are some details of the incident in a Department of Energy
“Waste Isolation Pilot Plant Nitrate Salt Bearing Waste Container
Isolation Plan” dated May 30:
• The event did not appear to involve an explosion.
• A chemical reaction in the involved container created sufficient
heat to breach the lid to the container and caused a release.
• Damage to surrounding containers, backfill bags, shrink-wrap, and
slip-sheets was due to the heat.
• The bulkhead adjacent to the waste stack in Panel 7, Room 7 does
not appear to display signs of pressure.
• The risk to workers is from heat, smoke, airborne radionuclides,
and pressure related to container(s) breaching.
The nuclear waste material itself was nitrate salts. The organic
material was added in processing and packaging the waste and
comes from two sources. One was the use of cat litter added as a
sorbent. Formerly a clay material, at some point Los Alamos
National Laboratory changed to a cellulose material.
The other was neutralizers added to adjust the pH of the material.
To read more about what went into the solution, read the document
supplied by contractor Energy Solutions:
http://www.nmenv.state.nm.us/NMED/Issues/documents/5.19.14Combined-ESTransmittalofNeutralizersUsedinNSProcessin....pdf
More documents are available at the New Mexico Environment
Department website:
http://www.nmenv.state.nm.us/NMED/Issues/WIPP2014.html
Firm’s Chemicals had 'explosive power'
Chemicals removed from a former factory had the power equivalent
to more than 100 tonnes of explosives, Flintshire council has said.
It cost the council more than £100,000 to clean-up at the Euticals
site in Sandycroft, the environment overview and scrutiny
committee has been told.
Read the story in the January 2013 issue of What’s Happening
Chemicals of Security Concern – Survey
Australian businesses are invited to have their say on the chemicals
of security concern work program implemented by Australian
governments.
The government is now exploring whether to introduce controls for
the remaining 84 chemicals of security concern and other changes.
Pricewaterhouse Coopers has been engaged to help determine the
best way of reducing the risk of dangerous chemicals being used in
terrorist attacks.
This survey is for importers, distributors, transporters, universities,
hospitals, local councils, farmers, pest controllers, hardware stores
and any other business that manufactures, handles or uses any of
the 84 toxic chemicals of security concern.
Have your say via the PwC survey. Survey closes on 20 June 2014.
Fire at Dutch Chemical Plant
Two people have suffered minor injuries in a fire which broke out at
a Shell chemical plant in the Netherlands.
The blaze was caused by a series of explosions which were heard
up to 30 kilometres away.
It’s not known what caused the blasts although a leak of the
chemical benzene has been reported.
The factory in Moerdijk near Rotterdam makes oil-based chemicals
for use in products including car components and insulation
materials. Watch the Video
Copyright © 2014 euronews
Nanjing Refinery Blaze Reignites
Stock Image
A state-run oil refinery in Nanjing, the capital of Jiangsu province in
eastern China, was still in flames from an oil tank fire after
firefighters thought they had stemmed a five-hour blaze from an
earlier explosion, according to Xinhua. No casualties have been
reported so far.
The public security bureau and other authorities are investigating
the cause of the explosion at the plant, which is owned by the
Sinopec Yangzi Petrochemical Company.
Some 200 firefighters battled to bring the earlier fire under control
and reported it extinguished, but some hours later, flames raged
again after combustible material in an oil tank ignited.
The petrochemical company, a subsidiary of state-run oil giant
China Petroleum and Chemical Corporation (Sinopec), has said that
it will implement strict security measures and step up “safety
accountability” following the incident. Source: South China Morning Post
AS/NZS 1596:2014 Storage and Handling
of LP Gas. Revision of AS/NZS 1596:2008.
This standard specifies requirements for the location, design,
construction, commissioning, and operation of installations for the
storage and handling of LP Gas, and includes the management of
emergencies.
The objective of this standard is to provide designers, planners,
operators, and regulators with technical and procedural
requirements for installations for the safe storage and handling of
LP Gas and has been revised in terms of safety and technical
matters.
AS/NZS 1596:2014 can be purchased on the Standards New Zealand
website www.standards.co.nz or at SAI Global
http://infostore.saiglobal.com/store with AIDGC discounted rates.
Greece: Ammonium Nitrate Fire
Thought this might be
an appropriate Safety
Photo to place here?
Athens officials say 70 tons of ammonium nitrate was delivered to a
fertilizer plant warehouse just before a giant fire broke out.
It's not clear how much of it had been sold and what actually
remained in the bins when the fire started at the facility.
(There was an estimated 20 to 30 tons of ammonium nitrate in the
West facility when it exploded last year, killing 15 people.) No one
was injured in the Athens fire.
The Athens fire chief told reporters that 47 residents spent the night
in shelters after being evacuated when the fire broke out at the
plant. Source: KVUE.com
Ship Passengers Injured in Explosion
Several passengers on board a Royal Caribbean cruise ship were
injured by an explosion near their vessel. The vessel, Independence
of the Seas had been docked in Gibraltar when there was an
explosion in a nearby fuel tank. 10-foot-high flames shot into the
air. At least 10 passengers were injured seriously and required
medical attention.
Cruise authorities say that they took steps immediately retract the
gangway and move the ship away to safety as soon possible after
the explosion occurred. It is believed the blast was caused by
welding sparks from the tank. However, the possibility of an attack
on the ship exists, and is being investigated.
Two persons on the tank were also injured seriously, including the
welder who suffered burn injuries. A police officer was also injured
during rescue operations. There was no damage to the Cruise
vessel, and it continued on its journey to Cannes.
Source: Maritime Injury Lawyers
One Dead - Refrigerant Leak on Boat
Fukushima
On June 2, the
operator of
Japan's crippled
Fukushima
nuclear plant
began work on a
substantial
underground ice
wall to contain
leaking
radioactive water
from the damaged
reactors. The
1.4km-long wall
will be made by
inserting 1,550
pipes into the
ground which will
later be filled with
coolant that
should freeze the
surrounding soil.
To read more
goto:
A refrigeration leak aboard a fishing vessel in St. Herman Harbor left
one fisherman hospitalized and another dead on Wednesday.
The Kodiak Police Department and fire and rescue personnel
responded to a report of the Freon leak aboard the boat Alpine Cove.
Freon is a caustic chemical used to keep refrigeration systems cold
on boats and also in some air conditioning systems in cars.
A press release from the police department said five crewmembers
were evacuated from the boat and officers provided immediate
medical attention until EMS personnel arrived
Nearby vessels were evacuated yesterday by harbormaster staff as
a precaution to the chemical release.
A preliminary investigation revealed that repair work was being
done to the Alpine Cove on Tuesday night, but it is unclear if that
work is related to the Freon leak. The incident is still under
investigation by the police department and the Marine Safety
Detachment of the U.S. Coast Guard.
Source: Alaska Public Media
Appeal Dismissed Against Gas Explosion Fine
The Supreme Court of the Northern Territory has dismissed an
appeal from a Darwin air-conditioning and maintenance company
over the $120 000 fine it received after pleading guilty over a gas
explosion that killed one of its employees in December 2011.
Download media release:
media_release_14_march_2014.pdf
Download court decision:
damday_pty_ltd_v_work_health_authority_2014_ntsc7
Faulty Gauge Causes Chlorine Leak
A chlorine gas leak sent a vapour cloud across the roadway just
south of Red Lion Creek in the state of Delaware, USA.
The Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control
said more than 10 pounds of chlorine gas escaped from Kuehne
Chemical, a longtime chlorine producer. The release was due to a
faulty gauge, DNREC said and the incident remains under
investigation.
Kuehne, which also manufactures bleach and caustic soda,
produces chlorine using a system of membranes and electrochemical separation, a process considered far safer and more
environmentally friendly than the mercury-based process used at
the now-shuttered Occidental Chemical plant along the same
stretch of roadway. The company's two chlorine facilities can
produce about 50,000 tons of the material annually.
Source: delawareonline
Chemical Reaction Incident
A reaction inside a chemical processing room at Strongwell
Corporation, resulted in one worker being hospitalized.
Marketing Manager Barry Myers said the company is still
investigating to determine if a freezer malfunctioned or if a catalyst
that cause a prescribed chemical reaction began its process too
early, but 14 gallons of resin vaporized into the air.
Three workers in that area were exposed and immediately put
through a decontamination process and other accident protocols,
Myers said.
"There was no explosion or anything like that, just a chemical
reaction that emitted a vapour that some workers got into close
contact with," he said. Source: Bristol Herald Courier
RACI Seminar: SA Work Health & Safety
Legislation - Chemicals - 19 Jun 2014
The new National Work Health and Safety Act and Regulation came
into effect in SA and across most states of Australia.
Are you aware of the changes? Do you know your current
responsibilities and obligations under the new Act? Do you know
what the ‘Global Harmonised System for Classifying Hazardous
Substances (GHS)’ is all about? Another aspect of the new WH&S
legislation is that every site where hazardous substances are used
or stored must have chemical safety awareness training. This halfday seminar will help you on your way as we focus on the new Work
Health and Safety Act and Regulation, hazardous substances and
dangerous goods changes, and some of the tools you might use in
order to comply with the legislation.
Speakers:
 Colin Richards, Inspector SafeWork SA. He specialises in DG
storage and use for a license and WHS purposes including
service station approvals, chemical storage in warehouses,
wineries and anywhere a DG license is required. He has
extensive experience in the response team at SafeWork and
also in the mining industry.
 Richard Greenwood, Senior Chemical Consultant, Noel Arnolds
and Associates. He has previously run hands-on training
sessions on the new chemical legislation on behalf of
SafeWork Australia.
 Adrian Thomas is Director of Chemicalia Pty Ltd; a specialist
in classification, label preparations and NICNAS submissions.
He is also RACI HS&E Division Treasurer.
Click here for more information, and to register online
First Degree Burns – Lubricant Company
If you have any
articles, relevant
information or ideas
that might be useful
or of interest to
Members they
would be much
appreciated! Please
forward to:
robhogan@tpg.com.
au
My thanks this
month goes to Don
Johnston, Peter
Hunt and Scott
Young
An oil tanker is
burning after it
exploded off
Japan's coast.
The Japanese
coast guard
says seven
crew members
were injured
and one is
missing. (May
29) Video provided by AP
Watch Video
Two workers from a lubricant company in Al Sajjah area. Mohammed
Rashad, a 46-year-old Pakistani national and Mohamed Sudhan, a 30year-old Bangladeshi, received first-degree burns while on the job.
The workers were cleaning chemically contaminated barrels, which
erupted into fire that burned them. The workers were rushed to the
hospital by ambulance and are currently admitted in the ICU of Al
Qasimi Hospital. The police have launched an investigation to
determine the cause of the accident. Source: The Gulf Today
Barge Captain Convicted of Negligence
In a rare criminal conviction for a workplace fatality, a tugboat
captain and his uncle’s Lemont business were found guilty of
negligence charges for the death of a crew hand killed in a massive
2005 barge explosion.
Dennis M. Egan was piloting a tugboat pushing a steel cargo barge
on the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal when it exploded, killing
Alexander Oliva, sinking the barge and spilling 600,000 gallons of
concentrated slurry oil – a petroleum by-product.
Judge James Zagel found that Egan illegally ordered Oliva to use a
small propane torch to heat a frozen discharge pump moments
before the barge was to be unloaded. It was travelling to the
Ameropan Oil facility in Chicago from the ExxonMobil plant near
Joliet.
Surveillance video shows an orange fireball erupting from the barge
just after it cleared the Cicero Avenue bridge. Much of the heavy
steel plating atop the barge was peeled away by the explosion and
debris was thrown hundreds of feet onto the bridge, busy with
traffic.
Zagel said while the explosion meant it was “difficult to find proof
that’s fully direct” about what happened, he was swayed by expert
witnesses who testified that a standpipe vent allowing petroleum
fumes to escape onto the deck was open at the time of the blast.
He also relied on expert testimony that found that the heating
system on the barge had been disconnected from the discharge
pump, bolstering prosecutors’ claims that Oliva used the torch to
heat the pump. Source: Chicago Tribune News
Update on Anhydrous Ammonia Incident
A coroner's jury has ruled the death of a man, who inhaled
anhydrous ammonia last year, accidental. The jury ruled the man
died of a brain injury caused by a lack of oxygen due to chemical
burns from inhaling anhydrous ammonia from a ruptured tank. He
also had bacterial pneumonia and acute chronic respiratory failure.
Authorities say he was traveling with two tanks in Illinois, USA, on
December 5th when he lost control of his load and wrecked, causing
one of the tanks catastrophically fail while the second one leaked.
He crawled out of his truck and into a cloud of anhydrous ammonia
and was pulled to safety by a citizen and state trooper. He died
about two months after the accident. Here is the original story, this
was the accident that launched the nurse tank several hundred
yards into a field!
Watch the video:
http://www.centralillinoisproud.com/story/anhydrous-ammonia-tankexplodes-in-peoria-county/d/story/tejo4L2Jd06Jc_VNwC8nJA
NSW Biosecurity Legislative Framework
The NSW Department of Primary Industries has released a proposed
framework for protecting NSW that outlines the legislative tools and
powers required to manage pests, diseases, weeds and
contaminants in NSW.
The framework will be used to form the basis of the NSW
Biosecurity Act, which will support the national agreed principle
that biosecurity is a shared responsibility.
The NSW Biosecurity Act will wholly or partly replace 14 pieces of
existing legislation to form one piece of cohesive, innovative
legislation.
Public comment is now invited on the proposed framework.
Key documents on NSW Department of Primary Industries link
 Summary – A Proposed Framework for Protecting NSW
 Full Document – Proposed Framework for a NSW Biosecurity
Act
 NSW Biosecurity Act overview diagram
 Presentation: Biosecurity legislation consultation
 Media release 29 May 2014 - Have your say on new
Biosecurity Framework
Acetylene Tank Fire – Houston, Texas
http://www.click2houston.com/news/fire-breaks-out-at-northhouston-warehouse/26459460
Rebuilding, Modernizing a Fuel
Storage Facility for the U.S. Navy
By GRANT SMITH, Director - Commercial Fueling and Aviation Services,
Burns & McDonnell Engineering
The US Navy’s Point
Loma’s Fuel Storage
Facilities were built by
STI/SPFA and received the
2012 Flat Bottom Oil
Storage Tank of the Year
Award
The U.S. Navy was faced with an aging fuel storage facility. Point
Loma is the fuel hub for the Navy in the southwestern United States
and the eastern Pacific. Planning and design were required to
replace the existing 70-plus-year-old fuel storage facility with new,
modernized tanks and equipment to meet the requirements of the
21st century.
To read this article goto:
For more information on this topic, contact Grant Smith at (816)
822-3223 or email gsmith@burnsmcd.com
Proposed New U.S. EPA Rule Cracks
Down on Oil Refinery Air Pollution
Flaring at one of the 150+
chemical plants between
New Orleans and Baton
Rouge, Louisiana.
Chemicals plants and
refineries are often colocated. (Photo by Julie
Alicea)
The Shell-PEMEX Deer Park
refinery on the Houston
Ship Channel is the sixth
largest in the United
States. (Photo by Roy Luck)
To protect neighborhoods located near oil refineries, the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency have proposed to update the air
pollution standards for refineries – standards that environmental
groups proved in court are more than a decade overdue.
The EPA’s proposal would, for the first time, require monitoring of
air concentrations of benzene around the fence line perimeter of
refineries to ensure that emissions are controlled. These results
would be available to the public.
The proposal would also require upgraded emission controls for
storage tanks, including controls for smaller tanks; performance
requirements for flares to ensure that waste gases are properly
destroyed; and emissions standards for delayed coking units, which
are currently a significant unregulated source of toxic air emissions
at refineries, the agency said.
The refinery industry criticized the proposal Thursday.
"EPA's refinery rule proposed today comes with a high price tag but
uncertain environmental benefits while emissions continue to fall
under existing regulations," said the American Petroleum Institute
in a statement.
A spokesman for the state Department of Environmental Quality,
which would have to enforce new rules, said the agency
wouldn't comment on the matter until after the rules are published
in the Federal Register.
"If EPA changes the standards, we will enforce the new standards,"
said Greg Langley, DEQ press secretary.
Source: Environment News and Chemical Regulation Reporter and Bloomberg.bna.com
Cotswold U.K. - Airfield Operator
Prosecuted Following Fire-Fighter’s Death
Kemble Air Services Ltd, the operator of Cotswold Airfield, has been
fined for safety failings after an experienced fire-fighter was killed
while moving a pressurised gas cylinder. Steven Mills was employed
by Kemble Air Services as Station Officer at the airfield and was
also a retained fire-fighter with Wiltshire Fire & Rescue Service. He
died during work to clear out a number of disused shipping
containers that were being prepared for use as a training facility for
the airfield.
As part of the process, a number of redundant gas cylinders, which
were formerly part of a fire suppression system, needed to be
removed. Mr. Mills was attempting to move a large freestanding
cylinder weighing 65kg when the gas in the cylinder discharged very
rapidly. This caused the cylinder to spin round violently striking Mr
Mills on his head and body leaving him with fatal injuries.
The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) investigated the
circumstances of his death and identified that there was no
assessment or consideration of the risk by Kemble Air Services with
regards to how the fire suppression system would be
decommissioned safely.
The cylinders had been removed from the containers on the previous
day by a number of fire-fighters from the Wiltshire Fire & Rescue
Service under the direction of Mr Mills. They had also been subject
to the same risks from the cylinders. Read the HSE Media Release
Comment by W.V.Peter Hunt who submitted this par:
Cylinders used in fire suppression systems are usually fitted with a quick
discharge valve, quite different from other gas cylinder valves. Accidental
or misguided activation of this valve on a redundant CO2 cylinder in
western Sydney some years ago resulted in injuries to 2 persons, one of
whom suffered serious injuries, including a ruptured bladder.
Gas Explosion in Lane Cove N.S.W.
A gas main has burst into flames forcing the evacuation of shoppers
and leaving one man in a critical condition. Watch the News Report
Safety in the Chemical Sector:
What to Consider? What to Do?
Catalyst May 2014 pp. 14, 15, 16
Hydrocarbon Leak Statoil Shuts Production
Snorre B - Photo: Statoil
Norwegian energy company Statoil says it has shut down production
from its Snorre B platform in the North Sea and evacuated a quarter
of the personnel after detecting a soil shift and an oil leak. The leak
was into a recently identified crater measuring 100 cubic metres
affiliated with a well at one of four seabed production frames.
The crater was spotted May 17 after a routine inspection by a
remotely operated underwater vehicle.
The company said heavy brine is now being pumped into the well to
stabilise it. Production will remain shut down until the cause of the
leak is found. Hazardex Article
Update: Norway LNG Leak could have
Resulted in Explosion says Watchdog
A leak at Statoil's liquefied natural gas plant in the Norwegian
Arctic this year could have caused an explosion, killing workers and
seriously damaging the facility, the Petroleum Safety Authority said
on Thursday.
The four-month investigation also concluded that Statoil took too
long to reduce pressure in the LNG unit as 12 minutes passed
between the sounding of the alarm and the decision to depressurize.
"Had the hydrocarbon leak ignited, an explosion would have
resulted that could have caused two fatalities," the safety watchdog
said. "An explosion would also have caused damage to equipment
and structures and a lengthy shutdown of the plant."
In response to the regulators' finding, Statoil said it had introduced
a new internal control mechanism to deal with gas leaks and had
inspected other equipment for signs of fault to avoid future leaks.
Source: Reuters
Tonnes of Toxic Chemical Spill into
Hangzhou River after Tanker Overturns
The accident is the latest
in a series of water supply
contamination scares in
recent weeks. Photo:
Weibo
About eight tonnes of a toxic chemical spilled into a river near
Hangzhou yesterday after a tanker overturned, prompting the
authorities to cut off water supplies to people in the area for several
hours.
The tanker was carrying the chemical tetrachloroethane when the
accident happened in Fuyang in Zhejiang .
The chemical is often used to make industrial cleaners and solvents
and can damage internal organs and the nervous system if its
vapour is inhaled.
Source: South China Morning Post
Top Ten Myths about Process Safety and
Ignition Sources
Chilworth Technology’s latest “Focus Article” lists 10 myths, looks
at 12 ignition source categories (with examples) and lists 10
commonly found instances of poor management of ignition sources.
Download from https://www.chilworth.com/wpcontent/uploads/2014/05/Focus-Article-Top-Ten-Myths-AboutProcess-Safety-and-Ignition-Sources.pdf
Blast at Renault Plant in Northern France
Firefighters told local media that a gas cylinder explosion had
injured five workers at the Renault plant in Maubeuge (Nord), which
makes the Kangoo model. Two were apparently seriously injured,
three others received minor injuries, and all are now in hospital.
The explosion of the cylinder took place in the plant’s press shop.
Management has yet to comment about the incident, but France 3
says production lines at the plant have not been stopped.
Source: Voix du Nord
El Dorado Chemical Sues Air Liquide
El Dorado Chemical Company is suing one of its suppliers for more
than $100 million as a result of the catastrophic explosion that
destroyed its El Dorado plant in 2012.
El Dorado Chemical, which is part of LSB Industries Inc. of
Oklahoma City, filed the lawsuit Tuesday in the U.S. District Court in
the Western District of Oklahoma against Air Liquide.
While the explosion on caused no injuries, it shook the City of El
Dorado. The blast ripped through one of the plant’s two nitric acid
reactors and was heard miles away.
El Dorado Chemical manufactures industrial and agricultural grade
ammonium nitrate, nitric acid and sulphuric acid at the plant. The
lawsuit says that prior to May 15, 2012, the company had a contract
with French-based Air Liquide for the sale of an on-site supply
centre of oxygen required for the reactions conducted in its nitric
acid, or DSN Plant, reactors.
The company claims that during an initial start-up of one of the two
nitric acid reactors after a maintenance turnaround, a catastrophic
explosion occurred in Reactor B, which resulted in significant
damage to El Dorado Chemical’s property and business.
See the 5 page lawsuit
Source: www.magnoliareporter.com
Pipelines in the U.S. carry 25 times more oil than tank
cars do, yet derailments are by far the biggest threat
Photo:
pastorjamesheine.wordexp
ress.com
Diagram:
blogs.cas.suffolk.edu
The Keystone XL Pipeline got another nail in its coffin Monday, in
the form of a Senate energy vote that excluded the pipeline issue.
But Keystone was already near death thanks to the Obama's
administration's recent decision to ignore the evidence of a
definitive government study—and instead keep listening to
environmentalists' dubious claims. The upshot will be more political
fires in Washington caused by train derailments in the absence of a
pipeline to transport oil more safely.
After the derailment in downtown Lynchburg, Va., on April 30,
approximately 30,000 gallons of Bakken crude oil burned or spilled
into the James River. On May 9, a derailment north of Denver spilled
another 6,500 gallons of oil, which was contained in a ditch before
reaching the South Platte River. Fortunately, unlike in the 2013
derailment in Quebec where a 1.3 million-gallon spill killed 47
people and incinerated 30 buildings, no one was injured in
Lynchburg or Colorado.
These and other tank-car derailments are prompting local, state and
federal officials to consider various regulations to reduce the
threats of such accidents, including lower train speed limits and
safer tank cars. Unfortunately, few policy makers are doing sensible
risk assessment.
Clearly, we are going to continue moving crude oil and petroleum
products from where they are extracted to where they are needed.
When considering whether to approve the Keystone XL, therefore,
the question has to be: Which is safer, pipeline or rail tank cars?
Source: Terry L. Anderson, Dow Jones
Smoke and fire rises over
train cars as firefighters
inspect the area after a
train carrying crude oil
derailed and exploded in
the town of Lac-Megantic,
100 kilometres east of
Sherbrooke. Photograph by:
Dario Ayala, The Gazette
Risk Management: Near Enough is Not Safe Enough
This safety article from Civil Engineers Australia Journal has been
placed on the AIDGC Website in the Members’ Only Pages
3 Employees to be Charged in
Lac-Megantic Train Derailment
The three men and the company each face 47 counts of criminal
negligence causing death, said René Verret of the provincial
prosecutor's office. The maximum sentence, if convicted, for that
offence for a person is life in prison. Fines could also be imposed,
Verret said. For a company, if convicted, there are no minimum or
maximum fines. A judge would decide the amount of the fine
imposed. Source: Montreal Gazette
Blasts, Fire at New Mexico Biofuels
More than 1,000 residents of a rural New Mexico county were briefly
ordered to evacuate following a series of explosions and a major fire
at a biofuels plant, county officials said.
The cause of the explosions and fire was under investigation, and
hazardous materials specialists were trying to determine if any
chemicals were released during the incident.
State transportation officials were bringing in heavy equipment to
build an earthen damn that would contain all water on the site.
The Rio Valley Biofuels plant in Anthony, about 20 miles north of El
Paso, Texas, was known to have large quantities of methanol,
glycerine and sodium methylate as well as vegetable oil,
hydrochloric acid and biodiesel fuel, according to the statement.
Source: Chicago Tribune News
Child Dead in Ireland Farming Accident
The farming community in north Antrim has been shocked after the
death of an eight-year-old boy in a slurry tank accident. The child’s
father has also been left fighting for his life.
It is understood they were overcome with slurry fumes.
Barclay Bell, the deputy president of the Ulster Farmers Union, said
dangerous gases build up in the slurry tanks. "It's really a tank for
holding all the waste products from animals produced during the
winter time," he said. "It stays in these tanks maybe for a number of
months and a lethal combination of gases build up, including
methane, carbon dioxide, ammonia, and worst of all probably,
hydrogen sulphide."
In September 2012, up and coming Ulster rugby star Nevin Spence,
his father Noel and brother Graham died after entering a slurry tank.
Source: BBC News Northern Ireland
Camera Flash Believed to be Cause of
Powerful Gas Explosion
FIRE investigators believe a camera flash could have sparked a
powerful gas explosion that has left a Sunshine Coast woman with
burns to her face.
In what appears to be a rare and almost freakish accident, a woman
taking photos on an SLR camera walked into a gas cloud created by
a leaking cylinder on an outdoor barbecue.
Fire investigators believe the powerful flash on her camera ignited
the explosion. Source: Sunshine Coast Daily
U.S. Fire Marshal and Emergency Officials
Meet on Ammonium Nitrate Facility Safety
The State Fire Marshal met with Grayson County emergency
officials to review the best safety practices when working with
facilities containing ammonium nitrate. He said there are 95
facilities in Texas with at least 10,000 pounds of ammonium nitrate
or more and said with more concern for fertilizer fires, it is even
more crucial for emergency officials to have a safety plan in place
when working with hazardous material.
Following the West fertilizer plant explosion in April of 2013,
emergency officials from all around the state are taking a look at
their plans to prevent a similar tragedy. Watch News Report
‘Hazardous’ Cargo Waiting to Dock
A container ship carrying a number of hazardous goods is anchored
outside Limassol port, Cyprus, after it was damaged by fire while
crossing the Suez Canal. The Hanjin Athens caught fire in the Suez
Canal - according to the report, the fire was in the second hold and
caused substantial damage to the cargo in that hold.
Around 200 containers were loaded onto the ship. The fire was put
out by specialists on board but according to Limassol Port deputy
head Georgios Pouros the ship’s captain requested to unload some
of the damaged cargo, “the manifest does classify some of the
ship’s cargo as hazardous but this is the case with almost 40 per
cent of the cargo on any ship. We have verified that no class 1 and
class 7 material were on board, which are the really dangerous
ones”. Class 1 substances are explosives and ammunition, while
class 7 are radioactive material. Pouros said the cargo classified as
“hazardous” mostly had to with paint, refrigerant gas (freon) and
cars. “The gas inside the cars is a flammable liquid therefore
classified as hazardous,” explained Pouros. Source and photo: Cyprus Mail
Cargo Ship Berthed at Yarraville Leaked Acid
Emergency crews were called to the Port of Melbourne after a cargo
ship carrying hydrochloric acid noticed a leaking tank. Crew aboard
the Captaine Tasman were approaching Melbourne when they saw a
leak in a 20,000 litre tank containing 33 per cent acid. MFB
Dangerous Goods were notified and met the ship when it berthed.
An MFB spokesman said the acid leaked onto the ship and did not
enter Port Phillip Bay.
Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/cargo-ship-berthed-at-yarraville-leaks-acid20140531-39aum.html#ixzz34gPJVSxy
Cleanup: Storage Tanks in West Virginia
LEAKING TANK
PROGRAM
West Virginia’s governor has ordered the company at the centre of a
chemical spill that tainted the state capital’s water supply to
remove all above-ground storage tanks. The January 9 spill of a
chemical used to clean coal at Freedom Industries contaminated
the water supply for 300,000 West Virginians, some of whom
couldn’t use their tap water for a week.
The order to dismantle and properly dispose of the tanks also
includes associated piping and machinery. The facility currently has
17 tanks. Crude MCHM leaked from one of three now-empty tanks
containing the chemical at the plant. All 17 tanks are located within
inadequate secondary containment areas.
Company President Gary Southern told environmental officials
earlier in the week that a second, less toxic chemical also was
mixed in the tank that leaked. The company still has to move nearly
1 million gallons of calcium chloride and glycerin.
The U.S. Chemical Safety Board and other government entities are
investigating the spill. State environmental inspectors have
described crude MCHM oozing from a pierced tank through a
cracked containment wall into the river.
A West Virginia website will provide information and online
registration for aboveground storage tank owners to comply with a
new law. The Department of Environmental Protection estimates
tens of thousands of tanks will be affected. Tank registration is
expected to start June 10. Inventory and registration of
aboveground tanks must be completed by Oct. 1. The website
includes public comments as DEP crafts regulations for
consideration in the legislative session starting January 2015.
Source: http://www.claimsjournal.com/news/southeast/2014/05/30/249576.htm
San Diego County (CA) Hazmat Releases
Chemical Suicide Flammability Study
Download the
Study as a .pdf
The paper that was produced reviews all of the potential off-site
consequences, flammability and disposal of the chemical waste
post treatment.



The Chemical Suicide Phenomenon
Hazmat Team Responds to Chemical Suicide in WA
New Free Training Program About Chemical Suicides, a New Threat to
First Responders
Source: Fire Engineering
Kaohsiung Waste Explosions - Taiwan
A Kaohsiung environment
protection officer collects
samples where ASE's
waste water pipes enter
the creek.
Photo:
wantchinatimes.com
The Kaohsiung City Government yesterday said it had found the
companies responsible for the two explosions at its Southern
District Waste Management Plant, noting that it has transferred the
case to the district prosecutors' office for further investigation.
The waste and recycling plant received flammable and explosive
waste materials that subsequently caused two explosions in two
days, the city's Environmental Protection Bureau (EPB) said, adding
that after a month of investigations it discovered that the flammable
material was a magnesium alloy that came from a technology
company based in Yanchao District.
The bureau said that, according to the investigation, the technology
company entrusted a trade company to handle the magnesium alloy
waste, adding that the trade company later handed part of the
waste over to another recycling firm.
The bureau further explained that the powdered magnesium alloy
easily oxidizes and explodes. The bureau added that if people
attempt to put out a fire caused by magnesium with water, the
reaction of the two elements will generate hydrogen and lead to
more explosions.
Noting that the series of explosions at the Southern District Waste
Management Plant caused a loss of over NT$10 million to the city
government, the EPB said it had already revoked the recycling
company's business registration and is seeking compensation.
Source: The China Post
Chemical Tanker Falls on Slums in India
Two people were killed and 9 others injured when a chemical-laden
tanker fell from the Mumbra bypass in Thane over hutments in an
adjoining slum area.
The tanker, containing Methyl Hexil Nitrate was heading towards
the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust when it met with an accident.
The driver was apparently reversing the tanker and did not realise
that it was on the edge of the road. As a result, the rear wheel
skidded off the road and the driver lost control of the vehicle.
The weight of the chemical-laden container tore open the concrete
barrier wall, built to prevent such accidents, and came hurtling
down nearly 150-200 ft on the hutments.
The rescue work continued for six hours to extricate those trapped,
involving efforts of more than 40 employees of the RDMC and the
fire brigade, while two giant cranes and fire brigade vehicles were
also pressed into service.
Source: Hindustan Times
What is ExTA?
Why has the AIDGC become a Corporate Member?
ExTA aims are:
to promote and contribute to the safety of personnel and
property related to explosive environments;
 to act as an industry body to interface with other bodies and
other statutory authorities related to explosion safety; and
 to manage Schemes for the certification of equipment,
services and personnel related to explosion protection.
ExTA is proposed as a not-for-profit incorporated association,
governed by a committee comprised of leading hazardous area
industry stakeholders.
Goto the ExTA Homepage

DC Technologies are running a conference on Hazardous Areas on
the 16th & 17th July in Melbourne.
Neil Dennis and Ross De Rango will be speaking at this conference
on the formation of ExTA, and on other topics as covered in the IDC
brochure linked here: http://www.idconline.com/sites/default/files/Hazardous_Areas_Conference_Brochure.pdf
Neil and Ross were both ExTA Steering Committee members from
August 2013 to March 2014; Ross is serving as one of the incoming
committee members.
If you’re planning to attend, Neil and Ross will look forward to
seeing you there. For more information about this conference, IDC
can be reached via +61 1300 138 522 or conferences@idc-online.com
HSIS Database Updated – May 2014
Safe Work Australia has completed an update of the Hazardous
Substances Information System (HSIS) database to incorporate
hazard information published after assessments conducted by the
National Industrial Chemicals Notification and Assessment Scheme
(NICNAS).
This update adds 112 new chemicals to the HSIS database and
amends the existing entries of 4 chemicals. As part of this update
the consolidated lists available on the HSIS website have also been
updated to reflect the data currently in HSIS.
A full list of the schedule of changes for the HSIS database update
can be downloaded:
http://www.hsis.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/DataHistory/HSIS_Databas
e_Updated_May_2014
Alert Issued after Chemical Release
A Code Red alert has been issued for the neighbourhood around
Rubbertown following a chemical leak.
According to MetroSafe, American Synthetic Rubber is experiencing
a leak of butadiene. The leak was first reported around 10:30
Monday morning and is considered a level 2 hazmat situation.
Metrosafe reports the leak has been contained.
Butadiene is a colourless, highly flammable hydrocarbon used to
manufacture rubber. Source: Wave 3 News
Nitric Acid Leaks from Czech Plant
Nitric acid leaked at least twice from the premises of a Penta firm
located on the outskirts of the small town of Chrudim, 130 km east
of Prague.
"We have been investigating the leak, but I have no information on
it; the investigation has only started," a police spokesman said.
Chrudim Mayor Petr Řezníček said he learned Penta manipulated
radioactive material based on uranium and thorium on its premises,
and he said would check whether it is acceptable to use nuclear
material in the area.
The second leak was more serious, but the fire-fighters sprinkled
the yellow cloud of nitric acid and prevented it from escaping the
firm's premises. Details on the volume of the leaked acid have not
been released yet.
Nitric acid is a highly corrosive strong mineral acid that can damage
human skin and mucous membranes, and its fumes are dangerous.
Source: Prague Post
Explosions at Petrochemical Factory
Large flames and clouds of black smoke filled the air after two
explosions at an oil-and-gas filtration plant owned by IRPC Plc in
Rayong's Muang in Bangkok. There were no injuries.
Nattapon Natthasomboon, director-general of the Department of
Industrial Works, said the blasts erupted from a gas tank within the
compound. Firefighters were able to control the fire after about an
hour, he added.
Pollution Control Department director-general Wichian
Joongrungruang said reports of a pungent stench that had been
emanating from the factory may be linked to the cause of the
explosions. An investigative team has begun conducting further
investigation.
Source: The Bankgok Post
Hazardous Chemical Lists no Longer on
the Public Record in Texas
For the past 30 years, federal law has required chemical makers and
handlers to disclose what's stored on premises. It's called the
Community Right To Know Act, and it has been at the core of the
safety conversation since last year's deadly fertilizer explosion in
West, Texas.
But News 8 has learned that in the past few weeks, state health
officials have stopped making those hazardous chemical records
public.
On May 29, emergency responders in Athens, Texas, were faced
with a potential disaster. An old storage building filled with
explosive ammonium nitrate near the center of town was on fire.
According to the Community Right To Know Act, the chemical
contents of that building had to be publicly disclosed through what's
called a Tier II report.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, “states and
communities [...] can use the Tier II information to improve chemical
safety and protect public health and the environment." In Texas,
Tier II reports are kept on file at the Department of State Health
Services and according to its web site, those reports are public
information. All citizens "may ask for" them by simply filling out a
request.
Yet, just days ago, following the ammonium nitrate building fire in
Athens, when News 8 asked the Department of State Health
Services for an updated Tier II report on the facility, department
spokesperson Carrie Williams told us, "We're not able to release the
kind of information you're requesting."
Williams cited an Attorney General's ruling from May 22, 2014,
which denied public access to "Tier Two information [...] because it
reveals the location, quantity and identity of hazardous chemicals
[...] likely to assist in the construction of an explosive weapon."
Emergency officials and responders are now the only ones in Texas
able to access Tier II reports.
We even checked with neighboring states, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and
New Mexico. Officials in all three states say their Tier II hazardous
chemical information has always been available to the public upon
request.
So, again, why are those reports suddenly off limits in Texas?
Click here for the News Report