SAFEX Newsletter No.35 - EU-Excert

SAFEX Newsletter No.35, 4 th Qtr. 2010 22
plant supervisor were
manufacturing a gun powder
substitute known as Black Mag
powder when the explosion
occurred. The workers had been
required to hand feed powder into
operating equipment due to the
employer's failure to implement
essential protective controls. The
employer also chose not to
implement remote starting
procedures, isolate operating
stations, establish safe distancing,
and erect barriers or shielding—all
of which are necessary for the safe
manufacture of explosive powder.
Additionally, the employer chose
not to provide the personal
protective equipment and other
safety measures its employees
needed to work safely with such
hazardous material. OSHA cited
the company with four egregious
willful, 12 willful, 36 serious and
two other-than-serious violations
with total penalties of $1,232,500.
"Even after a prior incident in
which a worker was seriously
injured, and multiple warnings
from its business partners and a
former employee, this employer
still decided against implementing
safety measures," said Assistant
Secretary of Labor for OSHA Dr.
David Michaels. "Unfortunately,
we see this kind of disregard time
and time again across industries.
All employers must find and fix
workplace hazards so these types
of avoidable tragedies don't
happen, and workers can return
home safely at the end of the day."
The four egregious willful
citations were issued for the failure
to train each of the four workers
involved in the manufacture of the
gun powder substitute. In addition
to the two workers killed and their
supervisor, there was an additional
employee who left the job nine
days before the explosion. Willful
citations are considered egregious
(Ed – outstandingly bad; shocking)
when more than one worker is
exposed to a single hazard. The
citation issued for that hazard is
then multiplied by the number of
workers exposed.
Other willful citations were issued
for the failure to locate operators at
safe locations while equipment
was operating; separate
workstations by distance or
barriers and ensure that each
worker was properly trained;
provide adequate personal
protective equipment, such as fire
resistant clothing, face shields and
gloves; safely store gun powder;
and identify explosion hazards in
the company's operating
procedures. A willful violation is
one committed with intentional
knowing or voluntary disregard for
the law's requirements, or with
plain indifference to worker safety
and health.
Hot water geyser explodes
Some of the 36 serious citations
were issued for the failure to
separate small arms ammunition
from flammable liquids, solids,
and oxidizing materials by a fireresistive
wall or by a distance of
25 feet; establish and implement
an emergency action plan and
provide written procedures to
manage changes; provide personal
protective equipment including
clothing, respiratory devices,
protective shields, and barriers for
workers exposed to lead; train
workers on appropriate protective
equipment; train workers in
electrical safety-related work;
address hazards associated with
exit routes; and address hazards
associated with handling, storing
and transporting explosives. A
serious citation is issued when
there is substantial probability that
death or serious physical harm
could result from a hazard about
which the employer knew or
should have known.
The two other-than-serious
violations are for a failure to
perform respirator fit tests and to
ensure that facial hair does not
interfere with a respirator seal. An
other-than-serious violation is one
that has a direct relationship to job
safety and health, but probably
would not cause death or serious
physical harm.
Piet Halliday (AEL Mining Services) kindly sent us this information which was made available to industry by
Natref refinery. Natref (National Petroleum Refiners of South Africa) is a joint venture between SASOL Mining
(Pty) Ltd and TOTAL South Africa (Pty) Ltd. The refinery was commissioned in 1971 and is located near the
industrial heartland at Sasolburg, South Africa. We thank Sasol and Total for sharing this information with us.
While on the face of it this incident has nothing to do with explosives, it has off-the-job safety value. It also contains
important lessons to remind us that old installations must keep pace with changing regulations and good practices. It
also illustrates the result of control instrumentation failure in a simple application.
Description of the Incident
On Sunday 22 August 2010 at
about 02h00 the hot water geyser
at the Natref mechanical workshop
exploded and caused severe
damage to the building and
equipment inside the building.
Repair cost of the damage
estimated at R600 000 Fortunately
no-one was in the affected area
and therefore no injuries resulted.