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Up Topic Welding Industry / General Welding Discussion / train tanker accident
- - By kkfabricator (**) Date 07-09-2010 01:47
I am not familliar with working on tanks or around flammable liquids and was wondering if this was most likely due to the fact that he was welding on a half full tank or otherwise. I was wondering about what the correct procedure would be when working on a tank that has housed flammable liquids.

http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/24189913/detail.html

Any information would be greatly appreciated

thanks Chuck
Parent - - By SMTatham (**) Date 07-09-2010 09:35
It's a sketchy news story............BUT it seems he was working outside the tank; doing who knows what..........NEAR the vent.  That's the operative piece of info!  No mention of sniffing, or that "he had followed hot work practices" etc.........
Parent - By dbigkahunna (****) Date 07-09-2010 12:05
It was an environmental company. Translated, a bunch of highly educated "managers" who have figured out how to hire low paid, poorly trained workers and charge customers high prices for doing "environmental" work.
You can bet there was a 4 gas monitor somewhere on the place that has not been calibrated or bump tested, the guy that died had papers that said he had been trained in calibration and use of the 4 gas detector (not that he had actually been TRAINED and QUALIFIED), and the company will be slapped with a $100,000 willful violation fine which will be cut to $5,000 after appeals.
These "environmental"companies that process this stuff are, to a company, cheap bastages. Went to inspect some patches on a repaired tank. The LEL's were 5 at the manway. I refused to enter the tank but I could see the patches on the floor. Some poor dumb welder climbed in that bomb and welded those patches on. The only thing that saved his dumb butt was the low %. Also the company got PO'ed I refused to enter  and would not gas free the tank.
I left, Sent them a bill. 120 days later they paid. After two letters from an attorney.
I do not even take calls from these jokers any more.
- - By KFab (**) Date 07-09-2010 22:25
I just finished welding on flare tank at a compressor station. 65 inches round pipe 12 feet long,  Was reading 55 lel after drained and blinded.   took  10 hours to clean the tank with scrubbers and pressure washers.. with an air mover to vent, it read 0 lel   and i made my 2 in cut for a flange for a probe.  Took 18 hours becase there were 3 inches of sludge packed hydrocarbons on the bottom.  Iam new to compressor station work but the company i work for and my immediate supervisor were really on the ball about making me feel safe about throwing fire in that tank.   IF you have never done it... i would find someone that has.  just make sure its super clean and blinded and 0 LEL.  and keep a water truck on the job site for all your water needs.. ur going to need it.   good luck
Parent - By awspartb (***) Date 07-09-2010 23:17 Edited 07-09-2010 23:21
Let me guess.  Lowest bidder?  Some guy with a Rig, a Mexican helper and no safety training, no confined space monitor or explosive gas detectors and "burning 'er in Hot and DEEP?

Sorry to hear about a man being killed.  This and ALL fatal accidents do NOT have to happen.  These are the people I see ruining the metal trades.  It's getting worse, not better.  What the hell is happening to our trade??
Parent - - By dbigkahunna (****) Date 07-10-2010 12:53
The key here is the monitors on site, used by personnel qualified in their use.
This type of work is done safely every day. All it takes in a Goldman Sachs banker and someone winds up injured or dead.
Parent - - By JMCInc (**) Date 07-10-2010 14:04
Few ?'s....

What does blinded mean? Where can this kind of safety training be had, where do I start to look? Finally, what is LEL? I've never had to weld in these kind of instances but would like to be able to tell if I'm flirting with disaster or not. Common sense and knowing my limits has kept me out of trouble so far, but knowledge is power.

Jon
Parent - - By jrw159 (*****) Date 07-10-2010 14:17
JMCInc,
   Blinding=undoing all of the flanges closest to the vessel and capping off with solid plates, thus "blinding" the vessel from the rest of the system.

LEL=Lower Explosive Limit is the lowest concentration of 'fuel' in air which will burn and for most flammable gases and vapors it is less than 5% by volume (0% is always the best bet). The LEL of a substance may also be referred to as the 'LFL': Lower Flammable Limit.

The Upper Explosive Limit (UEL) is the maximum concentration of 'fuel' in air which will burn. Concentrations above the UEL will not burn because there is insufficient atmospheric oxygen available.

jrw159
Parent - By dbigkahunna (****) Date 07-12-2010 03:06
Here is CSB investigation and write up.
Good information
http://www.csb.gov/newsroom/detail.aspx?nid=331
CSB Chairperson Saddened by Fatal Colorado Welding Accident; Renews Call for Hot Work Safety

July 09, 2010

Investigation Details:
Packaging Corporation Storage Tank Explosion

              Washington, DC, July 9, 2010 — Dr. Rafael Moure-Eraso, chairperson and CEO of the  U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) said today he was saddened by news of the death of a Colorado welder yesterday while performing what is called “hot work” on a storage tank containing flammables at an environmental remediation company in Englewood, Colorado.

Hot work is defined as welding, cutting, grinding, or other spark-producing activities that can ignite flammable substances. To date in 2010, the CSB has learned of 15 serious hot work-related fires and explosions that caused six reported fatalities and numerous injuries.

Dr. Moure said, “I am saddened by this accident and disturbed that such fatalities continue to occur. The CSB is vitally concerned about hot work accidents and this was expressed in our important safety bulletin and safety video, both issued within the past few months.”

            According to information gathered by the CSB from the fire department and the company, a worker was standing on a ladder, welding on the side of a tank partially filled with a mixture of water and flammable hydrocarbons.  Sparks ignited flammable vapor and the worker was thrown off the ladder, suffering fatal injuries.

            The company stated that although it has a hot work permit system and had provided safety training to the victim, there was no monitoring for a flammable atmosphere before or during the welding. While current OSHA standards prohibit hot work in an explosive atmosphere, OSHA does not explicitly require the use of combustible gas detectors.

The CSB safety bulletin, “Seven Key Lessons to Prevent Worker Deaths During Hot Work In and Around Tanks” is subtitled “Effective Hazard Assessment and Use of Combustible Gas Monitoring Will Save Lives.” The bulletin noted there have been more than 60 fatalities since 1990 due to explosions and fires from hot work activities on tanks. In seven of the 11 accidents discussed in the bulletin, no gas testing was performed prior to or during the hot work activities. In the remaining cases, monitoring was conducted improperly.

            Dr. Moure said, “There is no secret to preventing these accidents. Companies should require effective monitoring of the atmosphere before and during all welding or other spark-producing activities near tanks that may contain flammable liquids or gases. Monitoring should be frequent or continuous and performed at multiple locations to assure that no flammable vapor is present which could be ignited.  Monitoring the atmosphere and following the other six key lessons in our bulletin can help avoid these tragedies.”

           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 Director of Public Affairs Dr. Daniel Horowitz, 202-261-7613, cell 202-441-6074.
Parent - By Cactusthewelder (*****) Date 07-12-2010 17:36
John, Where are you at ? Give me a call
Up Topic Welding Industry / General Welding Discussion / train tanker accident

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