MEC&F Expert Engineers : 05/01/17

Monday, May 1, 2017

Four workers were injured in a power distribution center incident at the BP Whiting Refinery in Indiana











4 workers injured at BP's Whiting refinery in NW Indiana



Saturday, April 29, 2017 09:48PM
WHITING, Ind. -- Four workers have been injured in an industrial accident at northwestern Indiana's sprawling BP Whiting Refinery.

The (Northwest Indiana) Times reports the workers were injured Friday and taken by ambulance to local hospitals.

BP spokesman Michael Adbendhoff said the workers' conditions were not immediately known.

The company said in a statement that the workers were injured in "an incident" at a refinery's power distribution center but provided no additional details.

Whiting Mayor Joe Stahura says the refinery responded to the accident internally with its own in-house fire department, which is not uncommon.

The BP Whiting Refinery employs more than 1,800 workers. The complex converts crude oil from Canada and the Dakotas into gasoline that's sold in seven states across the Midwest. It's the largest refinery in the Midwest.



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Four injured in BP Whiting Refinery accident

Joseph S. Pete joseph.pete@nwi.com, 219-933-3316
Apr 28, 2017 Updated 4 hrs ago

Four workers were injured in an industrial accident at the BP Whiting Refinery on Friday.


BP spokesman Michael Adbendhoff said the extent of the oil workers' injuries and their conditions were not immediately known.

The injuries, however, were serious enough that they had to be taken by ambulance to local hospitals.

"BP regrets to report that four individuals have been transported to local hospitals as a result of an incident at a power distribution center inside of the refinery," the company said in a statement. "Our primary concern is to help ensure the injured employees receive the care they need. There has been no other impact to the environment or the local community."

BP had no further details about what the incident was, or how it happened.

Whiting Mayor Joe Stahura said the Whiting Fire Department was not called out and the refinery responded to the accident internally with its own in-house fire department, which is not uncommon. The incident had no impact on the city outside the refinery gates, he said.

"Our concern is with the guys who were hurt," he said.


Dave Danko, president of United Steelworkers Local 7-1, which represents more than 1,100 oil workers at the refinery, did not immediately respond to messages.


The injuries at the BP Whiting Refinery took place on Worker's Memorial Day, when hundreds of local USW chapters across the country were calling for improvements in workplace safety, conducting training sessions, and highlighting how accidents are often preventable at ceremonies recognizing workers who were killed or injured on the job. It's an annual day of observance that takes place April 28.


The BP Whiting Refinery, which has tank farms that spill into neighboring Hammond and East Chicago, employs more than 1,800 workers and often has hundreds of union contractors working there on maintenance projects. It converts crude oil from Canada and the Dakotas into gasoline that's sold in seven states across the Midwest, and is the largest refinery in the Midwest.
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BP’s Whiting Refinery — a sprawling, 1,400- acre complex near downtown Chicago — can produce enough gasoline each day to fuel 6 million cars. Whiting is the largest refinery in the Midwest — as well as BP’s largest refinery in the world — and it makes enormous contributions to the region’s transportation network. The facility first opened in 1889, as part of John D. Rockefeller’s Standard Oil Company, and for more than 125 years it has been a key anchor of the northwest Indiana economy. Located about 17 miles southeast of downtown Chicago, Whiting is at the intersection of pipelines and railroads that carry its products to far-flung destinations. 


BP stores many of these products at its Whiting terminal before moving them across the region. In 2013, the company finished a massive modernization project at the refinery that amounted to the biggest private investment in Indiana’s history. The upgrades have allowed Whiting to process growing supplies of North American crude oil — up to 430,000 barrels a day — including heavy grades from Canada. “The modernization gave Whiting a unique flexibility to access and refine lower-cost crudes,” says Refinery Manager Don Porter.

“It also demonstrated BP’s strategic focus on refineries that are located in the northern part of the country and have strong ties to retail markets.” More recently, Whiting launched a $180 million flare gas recovery project. When completed, this project will allow engineers to recover — and use as fuel for refining processes — additional gases that would normally be released. The refinery also has built a new $235 million treatment unit that will remove additional oil and solids from its waste water, thereby reducing emissions even further. Whiting uses innovative technologies, not only to protect the environment and boost efficiency, but also to improve safety. 

For example, to inspect tall gas combustion devices, the refinery has deployed unmanned aerial vehicles — or “drones” — rather than have workers climb up temporary scaffolding. Over the years, Whiting and its employees have supported a diverse range of local and regional institutions, such as Ivy Tech Community College, Purdue University and the Lake Area United Way. In 2015 and 2016, BP sponsored Student Conservation Association environmental projects at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore.

Speeding driver Kyle Shannon, of Gary, died from blunt force trauma after he crashed into a paving steam roller CAT vehicle on East 15th Avenue at Interstate 66 in Gary, IN


 Speeding driver Kyle Shannon, of Gary, died




GARY, INDIANA — A 25-year-old Gary man died and a construction worker was injured after a car ran into a piece of machinery on East 15th Avenue at Interstate 65, according to the city's police department and the Lake County coroner's office.


Kyle Shannon, of Gary, died from blunt force trauma at the scene of the crash, according to a coroner's news release. Coroner's investigators were called to the scene about 4:10 a.m.


Police received a call about 3:45 a.m. about a crash in the area.


Preliminary findings from a Lake County police investigation suggest Shannon, the driver of a black 2012 Dodge Avenger, was traveling eastbound on East 15th Avenue at a high rate of speed before crashing into a paving steam roller CAT vehicle.


The CAT vehicle was crossing East 15th Avenue heading southbound, according to a department spokesman.


The operator of the CAT was thrown from the vehicle and was transported to the hospital to be treated for minor injuries, according to Gary and Lake County  police.


Shannon was pronounced dead at the scene.


The Lake County Sheriff's Department is conducting the accident reconstruction, and the Gary Police Department is handling the investigation.


Anyone with information is asked to contact Sergeant Michael Jackson at 219-881-7485.

KapStone Paper Mill employee Lawrence Shiner of Moncks Corner died in an accident at the company's paper mill in North Charleston











NORTH CHARLESTON (WCSC) -

The coroner's office has identified a KapStone employee who was killed in an accident at the company's paper mill in North Charleston.

The Charleston County Coroner's Office says 60-year-old Lawrence Shiner of Moncks Corner died as the result of an accident at the facility Sunday night.

The North Charleston Fire Department and Charleston County Coroner's Office are investigating the incident which also injured a second worker.

The incident happened when maintenance work was being done at the plant, representatives for the company say.

The state agency will examine whether there were any OSHA violations and whether they may have contributed to the incident, S.C. Dept. of Labor, Licensing and Regulation spokesperson Lesia Kudelka said.

Such investigations generally take at least eight weeks.

North Charleston officers and Charleston Country Rescue Team members were called to the plant off Virginia Avenue Sunday night.

Charleston County Dispatchers say one person was entrapped at one point.

Authorities have not said exactly what happened.

"The incident resulted in the fatality of one employee and injuries to a second employee," a news release states. "The second employee was transported to a local hospital and released."

"Our primary concern is for the privacy and welfare of the families involved and for the safety and well-being of employees working on our site," representatives add. 


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Another worker died on the job in western Pa., 25th work site death in state since April 2016





Worker died in western Pa., 25th work site death in state since April 2016






Dozens attend the annual Lehigh Valley Workers' Memorial Ceremony at the Bethlehem Rose Garden held to honor Lehigh Valley workers who died on the job.


Worker died in western Pa., 26th work site death in state since April 2016


A lineman working on a utility pole was killed Sunday in Wayne Township, Lawrence County when his bucket-truck tipped over, officials said.

The 54-year-old New Castle man was in the truck's raised bucket on unstable ground when the truck tipped onto its side, according to officials.

About 4,500 Americans die on job sites each year; tens of thousands are injured, some of them permanently.

Earlier this year, a contractor was killed after falling at a job site in Upper Saucon. Since April, 2016, 25 Pennsylvanians have died in work site incidents, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

Other work site deaths in Pennsylvania.

• A worker baling Christmas trees was struck and killed by a tree Nov. 18 in Bloomsburg, Columbia County.

• A pipe crushed at worker Nov. 7 at a site in York, York County.

Remembering Lehigh Valley workers who died on the job

• A man was struck by a log and killed Oct. 26 in Mount Pleasant Mills, Snyder County.

• A man was killed by a fall from a ladder Oct. 25 in Coraopolis, Allegheny County.

• A worker was killed after a wall collapsed on him Oct. 11 at a job site in Bensalem, Bucks County.

• A man was crushed to death between a tow truck and another vehicle on Dec. 13 in Johnstown, Cambria County.

• A man was killed after falling from a ladder on Sept. 23 in Bridgeport, Montgomery County.

• On Aug. 29, a man as killed when he was struck by a tree in McConnellsburg, Fulton County.






PHOTO GALLERY: Dozens attend the annual Lehigh Valley Workers' Memorial Ceremony at the Bethlehem Rose Garden held to honor Lehigh Valley workers who died on the job. (Harry Fisher)

• On Aug. 27, a man was killed after falling from a ladder in Gifford, McKean County.

• On Aug. 22, a man was killed after a lawnmower overturned in Erie, Erie County.

• A man was crushed between a forklift and a series of acetylene tanks Aug. 8 at a job site in Wind Gap.

• A man was killed after falling from a lift Aug. 5 in West Easton.

• A man was crushed to death after a trailer fell off a forklift in Bristol, Bucks county.

• A man was electrocuted in a boat lift July 21 in Harveys Lake, Luzerne County.

• On July 19, a man was crushed by a garbage truck in Northampton Borough.

• A man died after becoming trapped in a piece of machinery July 1 at a facility in Glen Rock, York county.

• A worker was asphyxiated in a manure pit June 28 at a work site in Newport, Perry County.

• On June 20, a man was killed after a trench collapse at a work site in Lebanon, Lebanon County.

• A man was killed after he was struck by a piece of metal on June 16 in Catasauqua.

• A worker was killed after falling from a roof June 6 at a work site in Allentown.

• A man died after falling from a ladder May 19 in York Springs, Adams County.

• On April 8, 2016, a man was killed after he fell from a roof in Wellsville, York County.

• Also on April 8, 2016, a man was killed after falling down a stairwell at a job site in Huntingdon Borough, Huntingdon County.

Closing the PFAS Mass Balance: The Total Oxidizable Precursor (TOP) Assay





Current methodologies for the analysis of per and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are designed to measure a discrete list of ~20 compounds. There are many additional PFAS compounds that are not determined as discrete compounds by existing analytical methods, including Method 537. 


Hence, we may be underestimating the PFAS risk potential present in the environment. There is significant pressure from the public, environmental agencies, and others to apply methodologies that more closely measure the full extent of PFAS contamination.

TestAmerica Sacramento implemented the TOP assay as a solution to this complex problem. The TOP assay rapidly converts polyfluorinated PFAA precursors into PFAAs including PFOA, using a hydroxyl radical-based chemical oxidation method. The TOP assay replicates what micro-organisms in the environment would achieve after many years. 


The TOP assay quantifies the sum of PFAS that could be converted to PFAAs in the environment. The TOP methodology has revealed that for AFFF-impacted sites, the existing analytical LCMSMS methods are only detecting an estimated 30% to 50% of the total PFAA mass present as PFAA precursors.

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PFAS Total Oxidizable Precursor (TOP) Assay

Click here to view TestAmerica's White Paper on the TOP Assay entitled "Closing the PFAS Mass Balance: The Total Oxidizable Precursor (TOP) Assay" - Karla Buechler.

The TOP Assay Improves Our Understanding of Risk

Current methodologies for the analysis of per and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are designed to measure a discrete list of 14 to 30 compounds.  There are many additional PFAS compounds that are not determined as discrete compounds by existing analytical methods, including Method 537.  Hence, we may be underestimating the PFAS risk potential present in the environment. A new method, the Total Oxidizable Precursor (TOP) assay, can help measure the concentration of non-discrete and difficult to measure PFAS compounds that are not determined by conventional analytical methods.  Assessment of TOP assay data may improve our understanding of potential PFAS environmental risk.

Biotransformation

Polyfluorinated compounds are often referred to as “precursors” to the perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs), as they biotransform to PFAAs as dead end environmental products.  An example of these environmental biotransformation processes is often seen in biological waste water treatment plants, where significantly more PFOA and PFOS are measured at the outflow than the inflow. The increase is explained by the fact that many PFAS compounds enter the sewage treatment plant uncharacterized and are biotransformed to PFAAs of various chain lengths with PFOS and PFOA often being the only analytes assessed.

How Can We Quantify the Potential for PFAA Production?

Current commercially available analytical methodologies are not capable of quantifying the full suite of PFAS compounds that exist in soil and groundwater. For example, the fluorotelomers and the many other PFAS compounds that biotransform are left undetermined.  In order to fully understand the potential extent of PFAS in the environment, additional laboratory techniques are needed.
TestAmerica Sacramento implemented the TOP assay as a solution to this complex problem.  The TOP assay rapidly converts polyfluorinated PFAA precursors into PFAAs including PFOA, using a hydroxyl radical-based chemical oxidation method.  The TOP assay replicates what micro-organisms in the environment would achieve after many years.  The end result is to provide a range of PFAAs which are detectable by LCMSMS[1]. The TOP assay quantifies the sum of PFAS that could be converted to PFAAs in the environment.  The TOP methodology has revealed that for AFFF-impacted sites, the existing analytical LCMSMS methods are only detecting an estimated 30% to 50% of the total PFAA mass present as PFAA precursors. 

[1] Erika F. Houtz and David L. Sedlak, “Oxidative Conversion as a Means of Detecting Precursors to Perfluoroalkyl Acids in Urban Runoff,” Environmental Science and Technology 46, no. 17 (2012): 9342-49.

California Labor and Workforce Development Agency Secretary reaffirm ED the agency’s commitment to worker protections regardless of immigration status



For Immediate Release                                                                           Contact: Garin Casaleggio
May 1, 2017                                                                                               916-653-9900

Secretary Lanier Issues Statement on Labor Protections for Immigrant Workers

SACRAMENTO – California Labor and Workforce Development Agency Secretary David M. Lanier today issued the following statement reaffirming the agency’s commitment to worker protections regardless of immigration status:

“Today on International Workers’ Day, May Day, the California Labor and Workforce Development Agency and its partner departments reiterate that we never ask for – nor do we collect – the immigration status of any worker who files a health and safety or wage theft claim with our offices. It has been longstanding state policy that our labor laws apply to all workers, regardless of immigration status, and that the immigration status of a worker is unnecessary information to enforcing our laws.

“Just because the federal administration has changed, our laws and policies have not.

“We will not tolerate the use of immigration status as a tool of retaliation against workers who are pursuing their rights under California law. 

“The Labor and Workforce Development Agency will continue to work in partnership with community leaders, worker advocates and employers to make sure immigrant workers know they are covered by our state’s workplace protections.”

Employees with work-related questions or complaints may contact the Department of Industrial Relations’ Call Center in English or Spanish at 844-LABOR-DIR (844-522-6734), and more information on wage theft and how to report violations is available through the Labor Commissioner’s Wage Theft is a Crime website. The California Workers’ Information line at 866-924-9757 provides recorded information in English and Spanish on a variety of work-related topics that include wage and hour laws, and workplace health and safety.

OSHA TAKES ENFORCEMENT ACTIONS AGAINST SEVERAL COMPANIES FOR SAFETY VIOLATIONS THAT LED TO WORKER DEATHS AND INJURIES



Wal-Mart and contractor cited after worker seriously injured at Alabama distribution center
Alabama
A contract worker was seriously injured when a trolley struck and crushed him inside the Wal-Mart Distribution Center in Brundidge, Ala. OSHA cited Wal-Mart and the worker’s employer, Swisslog Logistics Inc., for serious and willful violations for exposing workers to caught-between, struck-by and crushing hazards and for failing to implement lockout/tagout procedures. Wal-Mart and Swisslog Logistics were proposed fines of $139,424 and $126,749, respectively.

Ohio manufacturer cited for not installing proper machine guarding following three amputations in two months
Ohio
OSHA issued multiple citations to Napoleon Spring Works Inc. in Archbold, Ohio, after three inspections initiated as a follow-up to a 2013 case and in response to two incidents, on Nov. 2 and Nov. 7 of last year, where employees suffered amputations. In just over two months, there were three amputations at the employer’s facility. The follow-up inspection found that the company had abated the specific hazards cited in 2013, but failed to apply those same safety requirements to other pieces of equipment at the same facility. In these three most recent inspections, OSHA cited the company for violations related to mechanical power press operation, hazardous energy control, machine guarding, electrical safe work practices, and forklift training.

Texas lab cited for exposing workers to silica, combustible dust, chemical and other hazards
Texas
Durcon Inc. has been issued citations for 35 safety and health violations. OSHA inspected the Taylor, Texas, chemical resistant coatings manufacturer in response to a complaint about silica exposure. Inspectors also found other violations including: workers exposed to being struck by falling loads; failing to provide workers with personal protective equipment and effective respiratory protection; combustible waste materials soaked with flammable liquids stored in improper receptacles; and failing to implement a confined spaces program.


Nevada
Nevada cites employer for exposing workers to fall hazards
The Nevada Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited Clay Davis in Carson City for exposing workers to fall hazards. Nevada OSHA inspectors concluded that the company failed to provide proper fall protection for two employees working on a low slope roof 10 feet above a lower level. The violations included failure to provide guardrails, safety nets, personal fall arrest equipment, as well as warning line and safety monitoring systems. The company was previously cited for violations of this standard in 2015 and 2016.

California
California cites company for safety violations following fatal forklift incident
The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health cited Good View Roofing & Building Supply Corp. in San Francisco after a worker died when his forklift tipped over the unguarded edge of a ramp. Cal/OSHA inspectors determined that the company failed to inspect and identify workplace hazards, provide clearly written safety instructions on forklifts, and ensure that all workers comply with forklift safety requirements. For more information, read the news release.

Army Corps of Engineers says PennEast pipeline application is incomplete because it didn’t secure permission to conduct detailed environmental surveys


PennEast Runs into More Permit Snags with Another Federal Agency
Tom Johnson | April 25, 2017
Army Corps of Engineers says PennEast pipeline application is incomplete because it didn’t secure permission to conduct detailed environmental surveys


Penn East is not done dealing with permits from federal agencies just yet.

The Army Corps of Engineers is the latest agency seeking more information on the controversial 120-mile pipeline project before it is ready to render a decision on the proposal.

As has happened in the past, the application by the PennEast Pipeline Co. has been deemed incomplete because the developer failed to secure permission to enter rights-of-way along the proposed route to conduct surveys, including those involving wetlands and waterways.

In a letter to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the Army Corps’ Philadelphia office said because of the lack of information, it does not know when a decision on the permits sought by PennEast would be made.

“Depending on how long it takes to gain access and if the results of the initial surveys indicate more in-depth surveys are required makes it simply impossible to determine a permit issuance date at this time,’’ according to the letter signed by Glenn Weitknecht, senior project manager for the Corps.

The problem is a familiar, if unwanted, one for PennEast. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection advised the applicant not to bother filing for crucial water permits until it submits more information the state agency is seeking. PennEast filed for the permits earlier this month, the day before FERC issued its Final Environmental Impact Statement on the project, clearing one of the major regulatory hurdles for the developer. The project is one of the more contentious of more than a dozen new pipelines proposed in New Jersey, most seeking to tap into cheap, new natural-gas supplies in neighboring Pennsylvania. The $1 billion PennEast project begins in Luzerne County, PA, and extends across the Delaware River to Mercer County.

Pat Kornick, a spokesperson from PennEast, downplayed the significance of the letter from the Corps, saying it is a routine part of the permitting process. The information sought by the Corps will not change the company’s timetable, which aims to begin construction sometime in 2018.

In its letter, the Corps acknowledged the fluid nature of “these projects with continuing route changes’’ and pledged to continue working with the applicant to delineate wetlands and waters along the route. The permit requires the Corps to coordinate with various agencies concerning endangered species, wild and scenic rivers, historic preservation, and other issues.

Jeff Tittel, director of the New Jersey Sierra Club, said the tone of the Corps letter and information sought by the agency underscores that the EIS issued by FERC is flawed. “How can the EIS be considered final with all of PennEast missing information?’’ he asked.