CSB Emphasizes Existing Resources Available on Hot
Work Safety
Safety Videos, Safety Bulletin and Accident Investigations
Call Attention to the Hazards of Welding or Cutting Near Storage Tanks
Washington, DC, August 6, 2014 – The U.S. Chemical
Safety Board (CSB) today emphasized the hot work safety resources available
free of charge through the agency’s website at www.csb.gov. The Board previously released safety
videos, a safety bulletin, and
accident investigations all warning of the hazards of welding, cutting,
grinding, and other hot work activities in and around storage tanks containing
flammable materials.
Of particular interest is the CSB’s safety video
entitled “Dangers of Hot Work,” which presents key
lessons from the CSB’s hot work safety bulletin, released on March 4, 2010, in
Wausau, Wisconsin, near the Packaging Corporation of America (PCA) facility
where three workers were killed in July 2008 during a hot work-related
explosion.
CSB Chairperson Rafael Moure-Eraso said, “The CSB
has examined multiple deadly hot work accidents. Our call to industry is
to follow effective hazard analysis and combustible gas monitoring procedures
when welding and cutting in and around storage tanks. These simple steps
will save many lives.”
Hot work is defined as burning, welding, or similar
spark-producing operations that can ignite fires or explosions. The CSB
has conducted numerous investigations into fatal hot work accidents, with final
reports which are available at the following links:
The CSB’s “Dangers of Hot work” safety video uses 3-D
computer animations to depict three of the hot work accidents summarized in the
bulletin - Partridge-Raleigh, an oil production site in Central Mississippi;
the Bethune Waste Water Treatment Plant in Daytona Beach, Florida; and the
Motiva Enterprises Refinery in Delaware City, Delaware.
Hot work accidents occur throughout many industries
in the U.S., including food processing, pulp and paper manufacturing, oil
production, fuel storage, and waste treatment.
CSB Investigations Supervisor Donald Holmstrom
states in the video, “We typically hear about hot work accidents weekly. It has
become one of the most significant types of incidents the CSB investigates, in
terms of deaths, in terms of frequency.”
The CSB began investigating hot work hazards
following a July 17, 2001, explosion at the Motiva Enterprises refinery
in Delaware City, Delaware. A work crew had been repairing a catwalk above a
sulfuric acid storage tank farm when a spark from their hot work ignited
flammable vapors in one of the tanks. Following the a July 29,
2008, accident at the Packaging Corporation of America (PCA) n Tomahawk,
Wisconsin - which killed three maintenance workers and injured another -
the CSB began systematically tracking hotwork incidents. The CSB
determined the explosion resulted from welding above an 80-foot-tall storage
tank that contained highly flammable hydrogen gas – the product of bacterial
decomposition of organic fiber waste inside the tank.
In the ten months following the explosion at
Packaging Corporation, the CSB deployed investigators to five other sites where
hot work ignited flammable gas or vapor, including an explosion at MAR Oil in
La Rue, Ohio, that killed two contractors in October 2008; an explosion that
killed one and injured another at EMC Used Oil in Miami, Florida, in December
2008; an explosion that killed a contract welder at ConAgra Foods in Boardman,
Oregon, in February 2009; an explosion at A.V. Thomas Produce in Atwater,
California, in March 2009 that severely burned two employees; and the explosion
of a massive gasoline storage tank that killed three workers at a TEPPCO
Partners fuel distribution facility in Garner, Arkansas, in May 2009.
In November of 2011 two contractors at the E. I.
DuPont De Nemours Co. located in Buffalo, NY were performing welding atop a
10,000 gallon slurry tank when hot sparks ignited flammable vapors inside the
tank, causing an explosion that killed one contractor and seriously injured
another. The CSB’s final report and safety video
entitled “Hot Work: Hidden Hazards” were released at an April 19, 2012, public
meeting. The CSB said a primary cause of the blast was the failure of the
company to require that the interior of storage tanks – on which hot work is to
be performed – be monitored for flammable vapor. A proposed recommendation
urges DuPont to require monitoring the inside of storage tanks – and the area
around tanks – before performing any hot work, which is defined as welding,
cutting, grinding, or other spark-producing activities.
Just last week there was a deadly accident in Moss
Point, MS. According to media report one man was killed and three others injured
while performing welding working on a tank that was supposed to be empty. The
CSB is following up on this incident and is in the process of gathering
additional information.
The CSB’s 2010 safety bulletin provides
summaries of all the hot work incidents examined by the CSB and identifies
seven key lessons aimed at preventing worker deaths during hot work in and
around storage tanks containing flammable materials which include:
1. Use Alternatives – Whenever possible, avoid hot
work and consider alternative methods.
2. Analyze the Hazards – Prior to the initiation of
hot work, perform a hazard assessment that identifies the scope of the work,
potential hazards, and methods of hazard control.
3. Monitor the Atmosphere –
Conduct effective gas monitoring in the work area using a properly calibrated
combustible gas detectorprior to and during hot work activities, even in areas
where a flammable atmosphere is not anticipated.
4. Test the Area – In work areas
where flammable liquids and gases are stored or handled, drain and/or purge all
equipment and piping before hot work is conducted.When welding on or in the
vicinity of storage tanks and other containers, properly test and if necessary
continuously monitor all surrounding tanks or adjacent spaces (not just the
tank or container being worked on) for the presence of flammables and eliminate
potential sources of flammables.
5. Use Written Permits – Ensure
that qualified personnel familiar with the specific site hazards review and
authorize all hot work and issue permits specifically identifying the work to
be conducted and the required precautions.
6. Train Thoroughly – Train
personnel on hot work policies/procedures, proper use and calibration of
combustible gas detectors, safety equipment, and job specific hazards and
controls in a language understood by the workforce.
7. Supervise Contractors – Provide safety
supervision for outside contractors conducting hot work.Inform contractors
about site-specific hazards including the presence of flammable materials.11
CSB videos, investigations reports and safety
bulletins are available at www.csb.gov.
The CSB is an independent federal agency charged
with investigating serious chemical accidents. The agency's board members are
appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate. CSB investigations look
into all aspects of chemical accidents, including physical causes such as
equipment failure as well as inadequacies in regulations, industry standards,
and safety management systems.
The Board does not issue citations or fines but
does make safety recommendations to plants, industry organizations, labor
groups, and regulatory agencies such as OSHA and EPA. Visit our website,
www.csb.gov.
For more information, contact Communications
Manager Hillary Cohen, cell 202-446-8094 or Sandy Gilmour, Public Affairs, cell
202-251-5496.