06:41 pm, Friday 26 April, 2013

A number of people died and the small town of West in Texas was devastated by the massive explosion that reportedly levelled a fertiliser plant last week.

The casualties included emergency responders and volunteer fire crew members however the authorities cannot confirm the number of casualties till they have thoroughly searched the rubble that was once peoples homes.

Because it wasn’t just the factory that was flattened by the explosion, many homes in the town of 2800 were affected as well and the area remains toxic and volatile because of the presence of ammonium nitrate making the searching difficult.

Our hearts go out to the people that are affected by such an enormous workplace accident and we cannot help thinking why did it happen and what steps could have been taken to avoid it.

The cause of the explosion

The first sign of a problem was when a fire broke out at the fertiliser plant. Firefighters decided to start evacuating the immediate area once they realised the potential hazards of the chemicals stored at the site and the explosion occurred approximately 20 minutes after the fire started.

Complex investigations still need to be completed. It is reported that authorities knew that anhydrous ammonia was stored at the site yet the companies risk management plan, filed with the EPA 12 months ago, stated that the company did not handle flammable materials.

As a result sprinklers, water-deluge systems, blast walls, firewalls or other safety mechanisms were not installed at the site.

However, it is a requirement of the state that every facility that handles anhydrous ammonia must have safety measures in place as it is considered a flammable substance.

There is also conjecture that ammonium nitrate was also at the site and used by a partner company. Also known as a common fertilizer, it is considered more volatile than anhydrous ammonia and has featured in a number of bombings and explosive accidents over the years.

Ammonium nitrate possibly caused the explosion that rocked the town.

The dangers of the chemicals involved

Anhydrous ammonia

In Australia this chemical classified is a Dangerous Good and a Hazardous Substance and is a liquid that forms a gas after it is released from pressure.

Anhydrous ammonia is used for preparing of fertilizers and is commonly an ingredient. It is used in the manufacture of explosives and rocket fuel, is used for chemical synthesis, condensation catalyst and is a latex preservative.

The known hazards:

- Ammonia is a flammable gas that may explode with the application of heat and is volatile when stored under pressure

- It reacts violently with acid and in particularly dangerous when spilled or the gas is released accidently

- Nitrogen is produced when it combusts in either air or at an extreme temperature

- Ammonia causes severe burns, eye damage, respiratory irritation and is toxic on inhalation

- Ammonia is very poisonous for aquatic life and because it is water-soluble it has the potential to pollute drinking water

Ammonium nitrate

In Australia this ammonium nitrate is classified as a Dangerous Good because of its physiochemical hazard = it is an oxidising agent. It is used for the production of explosives and fertilisers.

The known hazards:

- It is a dangerous oxidising agent

- It releases toxic gas when it comes in contact with acid

- When heated it can decompose and produce toxic gases such as oxides of nitrogen and ammonia

- It will make any fire that is present worse because it creates oxygen as fuel

- It is harmful to swallow and an irritant to the eyes

- In large quantities it can poison plants, animals and cause algal bloom in  static bodies of water.

How this accident could have been avoided

The explosion that rocked West was massive with a 30-meter-fireball and the force registering as a 2.1 magnitude quake damage was widespread and potentially avoidable.

Some of the factors that could have contributed to the magnitude of the event are:

-       The fertiliser plant was physically located in the middle of a residential area where schools, houses and a nursing home were located close by. By locating a facility such as this in an industrial zone the impact on the town and its residents would have been significantly reduced.

-       Confusion about the chemicals that were present by the first responders who may have acted differently in the first instance if they had known that ammonium nitrate was also stored at the site.

-       The absence of essential safety measures that would control or even prevent such an explosion from happening.

-       A lack of monitoring of this facility by the state and federal authorities to ensure that it was complying with the required regulations and disaster management planning requirements.

How these chemicals are monitored

As ammonium nitrate is an explosive it is classified as “Security Sensitive Ammonium Nitrate” (SSAN) in Australia, a classification that is applied to all chemicals in Australia that have more than 45% ammonium nitrate in them.

Everyone that is involved with the transport, storage, handling or application of a SSAN must be licensed which involves a police check and a politically motivated violence check (PVM).

They are restricted products and only available for purchase to those that have a legitimate need.

In Australia we also have strong regulations around Major Hazard Facilities where large quantities of hazardous materials are stored, handled or processed.

They are obliged to:

- Identify all major incidents and hazards

- Conduct risk assessments to identify safety risks

- Implement control measures for identified hazards including the minimising the risk of a major incident

- Prepare an emergency plan

- Create a Safety Management System for the operation of the facility

- Be able to show the effectiveness of their safety systems in case of a major incident

In Texas, even though historically they are aware of the explosive nature of ammonium nitrate from a previous incident, the authorities were concerned with the health and environmental impacts of the fertiliser plant in West rather than the explosive potential of the 2400 tonnes of ammonium nitrate stored there.

The responsibility was passed to different state government organisations and none felt they had the authority to check for potential explosive incidents at the site even though anhydrous ammonia is listed with OSHA (the US Occupational Health and Safety Administration) as a ‘highly hazardous chemical which presents a potential for a catastrophic event at or above the threshold quantity.’

Report by Zoe Dunbar - Do you have an OHS News Story - Let us know

12:36 pm, Wednesday 14 November, 2012

Photo: SafetyCulture Library

Twenty two year old rodeo rider Cody Grealy has been critically injured in a feedlot accident in Condamine on Monday afternoon.

Mr Grealy, who has been riding horses since he was a child, was herding a bullock when the front legs of his horse clipped the back legs of the bullock and he was thrown from the horse.

He was dragged with a foot caught in the stirrups and then the horse fell onto him. Mr Grealy received a serious head injury, a cracked vertebrae in the neck, broken ribs and injury to the pelvis.

The RACQ CareFlight chopper airlifted him to the Princess Alexandra Hospital after working on him for more than an hour.

Mr Grealy is currently in an induced coma and listed in a critical but stable condition.

Report by Zoe Dunbar - Do you have an OHS News Story - Let us know

10:39 am, Monday 1 October, 2012

Photo: Fraser Coast Chronicle

Rodney Vagg broke his neck in a workplace accident 14 years ago and uses his experience to talk to others about workplace safety in his job as a safety speaker.

Mr Vagg fell from the bucket of a front-end loader onto his head and broke the C7 vertebra. He feels he is lucky because even though he lost the use of his legs he still has the full use of his arms.

He says that the process of healing has been ongoing since his accident and sees his work as a part of that. It gets easier according to Mr Vagg and you learn different ways of doing things with what you have.

With his partner he travels extensively to talk about safety and he feels that his message has more impact delivered from a wheelchair.

Mr Vagg will be delivering safety speeches for the Toowoomba Regional Council and Toowoomba businesses for the Queensland Safety Week this month.

Report by Zoe Dunbar - Do you have an OHS News Story - Let us know

04:58 pm, Monday 6 August, 2012

Just before 9am this morning a 54-year-old truck driver from Pooraka in South Australia lost his life in a workplace accident.

A front-end loader struck him and pinned him against a concrete wall at his workplace, garden supply business in Golden Grove in the north eastern suburbs of Adelaide

The man, a long-term employee of the business, died before the ambulance arrived.

SafeWork SA will look into his death.

Report by Zoe Dunbar - Do you have an OHS News Story - Let us know

10:43 am, Tuesday 8 May, 2012

An engineering company was fined $187,500 and ordered to pay $1000 in costs and levies after a worker was partially paralysed in a workplace accident.

According to the Adelaide Now, the Industrial Relations Court fined the engineering company for its failure in implementing guard railings around a machine used in the preparation of asphalt in May 2009.

The victim accidentally slipped into the pit as he was taking a break from cleaning and was crushed between the incline conveyor belt and drum roller. He suffered nerve damage, some broken bones, brain injuries and partial tetraplegia.

Magistrate Michael Ardlie said that the incident could have led to the victim’s death.

“The employee is highly unlikely to be able to work again or to be able to live independently,” said Magistrate Ardlie.

“It is clear, and it was not disputed, that in the circumstances the risk was that the employee could have suffered fatal injuries.”

Magistrate Ardlie also said that the company had since taken action to provide protection and ensure safe work practices in its Dry Creek plant.

“It went further to ensure that Australia wide all its plant was reviewed to ensure that guarding was adequate,” said Mr Ardlie.

Report by Haydee - Do you have an OHS News Story - Let us know

01:31 am, Monday 20 February, 2012

One of Australia’s largest food manufacturers was convicted and fined $50,000 on Thursday at the Castlemaine Magistrates’ Court over an incident where a worker suffered with a crushed hand when it was caught in a machine. The company pleaded guilty for failing to provide a safety plant.

The incident happened on 30 July 2010. The court heard that the worker was packing frankfurts on the company’s processing machine when the plastic wrapping got stuck and had to be removed. The machine was switched off and the guarding was removed. The victim was clearing the blockage when a workers who was unaware that work was still being done, turned the machine on. Her hand was trapped between a hot plate and the top of the machine. The victim suffered crush injuries and burns to her hand.

An investigation found out that the company was aware that the machine did not comply with Australian standards.

Magistrate Cottrell considered the company’s guilty plea, cooperation with the investigation, subsequent remedial measures and the fact that it was in the process of addressing safety issues when the incident happened.

The court was told that changes to the machine’s guarding were made by the company immediately after the incident.

WorkSafe Manufacturing, Logistics and Agriculture Director, Ross Pilkington said that appropriate guarding is important in many businesses, especially in the manufacturing industry.

“Appropriate guarding is one of the easiest steps that can be taken to ensure workers do not injure themselves,” said Mr Pilkington.

“Equipment maintenance often comes at little to no cost and ensures workers get home safely at the end of the day.”

“This incident could have been easily prevented if there was an effective lockout-tag out (LOTO) system in place to effectively prevent the accidental starting of machinery.”

“Businesses need to constantly look at ways they can make their workplaces as safe as possible.

“If there are instances where guarding is not doing its job, or machines can operate without, employers need to fix this as a matter of urgency. Not doing so is just not worth it.”

Report by Haydee - Do you have an OHS News Story - Let us know

09:16 pm, Thursday 27 October, 2011

There was a lot to hear, see and do at the Sydney Safety Conference & Show today – as there has been each day. Some of the topics covered today included the emerging area of managing mental health issues in the workplace; managing the long-term injured employee; and several small sessions looking at safety technologies and innovations.

The first keynote speaker of the conference, John Watson, GM WHS Division, WorkCover NSW, asked the audience to consider the usual weekend BBQ. He asked, if one of our friends, or a child of a friend, had been killed that week at work – how might that change the situation? He implored us to keep that in mind when managing safety.

It is too easy to get caught up in figures, systems and programs to manage safety, and to manage behaviours of workers. The final keynote speakers brought the message home loud and clear.

TODD RUSSELL – BEACONSFIELD MINE DISASTER SURVIVOR

I have been privileged to hear some great speakers during my lifetime. However, Todd Russell’s talk today was truly heart warming and inspirational. He was just an ordinary man going about his job on ANZAC Day, 2006, when his life was changed forever by a workplace accident that would unfold before the eyes of the world over the next 14 days. Todd is one of the survivor’s of the Beaconsfield Mine Disaster inTasmania.

Todd gave a detailed account of what happened from when he clocked on for his shift that night until he and Brant Webb were rescued fourteen days later. I won’t go into the details, as most of us have read at least one account of this disaster.

What struck me the most about this talk is that Todd is an ordinary, humble, husband and father. He didn’t seek celebrity, but it came to him through a workplace accident.

The audience was spellbound – laughing during the funnier moments and welling up during the more touching ones. Todd Russell and Brant Webb’s lives were changed forever by this incident. Larry Knight lost his life, leaving behind his wife and two young children.

Following two days of presentations around legislation, systems for safety, statistics and research findings – the real message was brought home:

• workers deserve to be safe in their workplace;
• families should expect their loved ones to come home at the end of their shift; and
• employers have no right to put profits before lives.

Report by Angela Young - Do you have an OHS News Story - Let us know