| About This Archive | | DCHAS-L 2014 Index | | DCHAS-L Yearly Index | |
Check out Safety Emporium for your N95, N99, and face shield needs.
|
Previous by Date: Subject: [DCHAS-L] CSB issues report on Tesoro Refinery Accident Investigation Date: Sat, 3 May 2014 05:32:50 -0700 Author: Ralph Stuart |
Next by Date: Subject: [DCHAS-L] Training survey results Date: Tue, 6 May 2014 12:46:16 +0000 Author: Ralph B. Stuart |
Chemical Safety Headlines
A service of the ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety
Connecting Chemistry and Safety at http://www.dchas.org
Tweets available on our ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety (DCHAS) Facebook Page
Tagged Article summaries are available at http://pinboard.in/u:dchas
Table of Contents (18 articles)
NO INJURIES IN EAST PHOENIX HAZMAT INCIDENT
Tags: us_AZ, industrial, fire, response, solvent
3 HURT AFTER CHEMICAL IGNITES EXPLOSION, FIRE INSIDE AVONDALE GARAGE
Tags: us_AZ, public, explosion, response, unknown_chemical
CHEMICAL STASH RAISES ALARM IN BYRON BAY
Tags: Australia, public, discovery, response, benzene, cleaners, ethyl_acetate, petroleum, solvent
CADILLACNEWS.COM
Tags: us_TX, industrial, explosion, death, other_chemical
YOUR ONE STOP COMMUNITY WEB PORTAL FOR ALL YOUR CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA NEWS, SPORTS AND WEATHER, POWERED BY WTAJ YOUR NEWS LEADER
Tags: us_OH, transportation, fire, response, flammables
DOW CHEMICAL PROJECT TO HONE TEACHING SKILLS
Tags: Thailand, laboratory, discovery, environmental
CHEMICAL WASTE CASE: SIX ARRESTED
Tags: Pakistan, industrial, release, death, waste
MASSIVE FIRE IN AJMER'S CHEMICAL FACTORY, NO CASUALTY
Tags: India, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical
'CHEMICAL SUICIDES' A GROWING CONCERN FOR FIRE OFFICIALS
Tags: us_MA, public, discovery, environmental, toxics
FIRE IN BALCATTA POOL CHEMICAL FACTORY SPARKS HEALTH WARNING
Tags: Australia, industrial, fire, response, pool_chemicals
WATCHDOG REPORT: MOVING HAZMAT ON THE ROADS HAS FEW RULES IN NEW YORK
Tags: us_NY, transportation, discovery, environmental, ammonia, gasoline, petroleum, sodium_hydroxide
CHEMICAL SAFETY BOARD RELEASES FINAL REPORT ON DEADLY REFINERY EXPLOSION IN ANACORTES
Tags: us_WA, industrial, follow-up, death, flammables
POLICE INVESTIGATING CHEMICAL POURED ON SLIDE AT LAS VEGAS PARK
Tags: us_NV, public, release, injury, unknown_chemical
MAKING CHEMISTRY INTRIGUING
Tags: us_PA, education, discovery, environmental
MARTIN COUNTY SCHOOL EVACUATED FOLLOWING CHEMICAL REACTION
Tags: us_KY, education, release, injury, solvent
HAZMAT SCARE AT THE WATER TREATMENT FACILITY
Tags: us_SC, industrial, release, response, chlorine, water_treatment
FAISALABAD CHEMICAL WAREHOUSE FIRE DOUSED
Tags: Pakistan, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical
CHEMICAL DISPOSAL WARNING AFTER RECYCLING CENTRE FIRE
Tags: United_Kingdom, public, fire, response, waste
---------------------------------------------
NO INJURIES IN EAST PHOENIX HAZMAT INCIDENT
http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/phoenix/2014/05/04/phoenix-hazmat-chemical-exposure-no-one-injured/8696269/
Tags: us_AZ, industrial, fire, response, solvent
No one was injured in a Sunday morning fire in an east Phoenix manufacturing plant, a Phoenix Fire Department spokesman said.
Hazmat crews responded to a first alarm chemical exposure call at about 9:30 a.m. Sunday at FlipChip International near 37th Street and University Drive, said Phoenix Fire Capt. Tony Mure.
Workers were using chemicals and solvents when a small flash fire ignited in one of the booths, Mure said. About 20 employees were evacuated from the building. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
"The employee was not injured, although quite scared because he thought he got burned initially," Mure said.
The employee was evaluated by paramedics and was not transported to the hospital, Mure said.
Mure said FlipChip International works with other companies to develop computer chips. The company's fire protection systems successfully contained the fire and there was no risk or health concerns to the public.
---------------------------------------------
3 HURT AFTER CHEMICAL IGNITES EXPLOSION, FIRE INSIDE AVONDALE GARAGE
http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/50f282c5f3c4406aa40603cf79d7bfe2/AZ--Garage-Explosion
Tags: us_AZ, public, explosion, response, unknown_chemical
AVONDALE, Arizona ? Police in Avondale say three people had to be hospitalized after a chemically-triggered explosion that blew the garage door off a home.
Sgt. Brandon Busse says two men and one woman were taken to a burn unit in Phoenix early Sunday for injuries that weren't life threatening.
Busse says the two men were working with some type of chemical in the garage around 1:30 a.m. when the woman entered with either a lit cigarette or one that she was about to light.
Busse says the damage was all contained within the garage.
He says two adults and three children who were elsewhere in the home were uninjured.
---------------------------------------------
CHEMICAL STASH RAISES ALARM IN BYRON BAY
http://www.northernstar.com.au/news/chemical-stash-raises-alarm-byron-bay/2248812/
Tags: Australia, public, discovery, response, benzene, cleaners, ethyl_acetate, petroleum, solvent
NSW Fire Brigade's HazMat unit was called to a housing commission residence in Gordon Street Byron Bay this afternoon after a cleaner found a stash of chemicals and raised an alarm.
The home's occupant had recently passed away and when a cleaner was employed to spruce thing up the quantity of exotic-sounding thinning agents aroused suspicion.
Chemicals included methyl benzene, formic acid, ethyl acetate, glycerine and a petroleum-based solvent.
Fire crews responded to the clean up wearing safety suits and spent several hours at the scene.
---------------------------------------------
CADILLACNEWS.COM
http://www.cadillacnews.com/ap_story/?story_id=230019&issue 140430&ap_cat=1
Tags: us_TX, industrial, explosion, death, other_chemical
MENTONE, Texas (AP) ? A buildup of pressure caused an explosion as workers were changing a wellhead Wednesday at a West Texas oil field, killing two of them and injuring nine others, a sheriff said.
Loving County Sheriff Billy Hopper said authorities received an emergency call before 8:30 a.m. Wednesday about the explosion some 60 miles southeast of Carlsbad, N.M.
The two workers who were killed died at the scene, he said. Their names have not been released. Hopper said all of the nine workers who were hurt had minor injuries and did not go to a hospital.
It was not clear Wednesday which company operates the oil field, he said.
Initial reports indicated the workers were operating an oil rig, but Hopper later clarified they were using heavy machinery to switch out the wellhead.
"Those wellheads are tremendously heavy pieces of equipment," he said, explaining they can weigh more than 1,000 pounds.
---------------------------------------------
YOUR ONE STOP COMMUNITY WEB PORTAL FOR ALL YOUR CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA NEWS, SPORTS AND WEATHER, POWERED BY WTAJ YOUR NEWS LEADER
http://www.wearecentralpa.com/story/d/story/hazmat-crews-respond-to-i80-fire/49332/vMuIru-zR0m6_QD-4-mx1A
Tags: us_OH, transportation, fire, response, flammables
WOODLAND, CLEARFIELD COUNTY - A tractor trailer carrying hazardous material goes up in flames along the interstate early this morning in Clearfield County.
It happened around 3 o?clock at mile marker 123 on Interstate 80 Saturday morning.
Crews from a number of fire companies in Clearfield, Centre, Blair and Jefferson were called out to the scene. They spent most of the morning, cleaning up.
Chief John Shirey, of the BJW Fire Company, said the tractor trailer was carrying a highly flammable ink.
"We had to remain a pretty good distance from it and once we got it mostly out we had to keep it cool until hazmat arrived and that."
---------------------------------------------
DOW CHEMICAL PROJECT TO HONE TEACHING SKILLS
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/business/Dow-Chemical-project-to-hone-teaching-skills-30232544.html
Tags: Thailand, laboratory, discovery, environmental
Dow Chemical Thailand, together with the Chemical Society of Thailand under the Royal Patronage of Professor Dr HRH Princess Chulabhorn Walailak, has conducted chemistry training for science teachers in lower-secondary schools in Rayong as part of its "Dow Chemistry Class" project.
The objective of the training - initially carried out on a pilot basis - is to hone the teachers' teaching skills and boost their creativity in chemistry experiments, so that they can create a new learning experience in the classroom, said Jirasak Singmaneechai, president of Dow Chemical Thailand.
He said chemistry is one of Dow's key strengths and a foundation for science learning and development of products that are important to human life, and "that's why we have launched the 'Dow Chemistry Class' project as a part of our mission to improve science education in this country, as well as to inspire scientific thinking and analysis among Thai students".
"We have started a pilot project in Rayong province, where we have our key production base, and believe we can help boost the quality of science learning and stimulate Thai youth for their readiness in joining the Asian Economic Community in the year to come," he added.
With the aim of helping teachers better engage their students in science classes, the chemistry-class training has introduced the teachers to a new and safer experiment methodology - the "small-scale chemistry laboratory technique" - which offers more convenience and quicker results and can be applied to classroom activities.
A total of 41 teachers from 20 schools participated in this workshop to learn the principles of the new methodology and later got to perform a series of experiments, including those on the diffusion of gases, acid rain, and the electrochemical separation of copper and water.
---------------------------------------------
CHEMICAL WASTE CASE: SIX ARRESTED
http://www.brecorder.com/general-news/172/1179289/
Tags: Pakistan, industrial, release, death, waste
Police on Saturday registered a First Information Report (FIR) of the Dera Ismail Khan incident in which chemical waste coming out of Chasma Sugar Mills-2 allegedly claimed the lives of 10 people. Seven people, including the owner of the factory, have been charged with a crime. Only the owner of mills, according to police, is absconding.
The funeral of the deceased including five members of a family was held. Later, the affected families blocked the Indus Highway near Ranak to protest the incident. The water channel is less than two feet deep; it mainly contains chemical waste emanating from that factory. Most of the people of Paloon area of Ramak pass through this water channel on a daily basis for household chores and farming.
"Most of them died of suffocation caused by a lack of oxygen, and when these people were passing through this water channel they fell unconscious and subsequently died," Dr Jehangir, a resident who runs a clinic in the area said. According to him, about eight people were referred to the Tehsil Headquarters Hospital Purwa.
---------------------------------------------
MASSIVE FIRE IN AJMER'S CHEMICAL FACTORY, NO CASUALTY
http://www.pardaphash.com/news/massive-fire-in-ajmers-chemical-factory-no-casualty/758405.html
Tags: India, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical
Ajmer: A massive fire broke out in Ajmer's chemical factory, which left dozens of house on blaze.
The fire resulted a hefty loss of property, even after the fire vehicles immediately reached to douse the massive flame, as per reports.
The rescue team is still trying their best to douse the flames.
As per reports, "The authorities have not been able to find out the reason of the fire and there was no immediate report of any casualty.
---------------------------------------------
'CHEMICAL SUICIDES' A GROWING CONCERN FOR FIRE OFFICIALS
http://easton.wickedlocal.com/article/20140503/NEWS/140508487
Tags: us_MA, public, discovery, environmental, toxics
Bridgewater Deputy Fire Chief Thomas Levy saw several test tubes inside the suspicious car when officials were called to check on the vehicle Monday night.
He didn?t know what substances he?d encounter, so he donned his protective breathing gear as a precaution ? common practice for emergency responders who are called to a scene with unknown substances. Then, officials called a hazardous materials team and the state police bomb squad.
Officials later found the toxic chemical mercury in some of the tubes. Other tubes were being tested to determine the substances, officials said. Two men, from California and Colorado, were rushed to a local hospital with unknown injuries after the incident.
?You just never know,? Levy said Thursday. ?You plan for the worst, you train for the worst and you hope for the best.?
The Bridgewater incident is one example of the potential dangers ? and increasingly dangerous chemicals ? that emergency personnel can face when responding to a scene.
---------------------------------------------
FIRE IN BALCATTA POOL CHEMICAL FACTORY SPARKS HEALTH WARNING
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-05-04/blaze-rips-through-factory-in-balcatta-perth-wa/5428872
Tags: Australia, industrial, fire, response, pool_chemicals
The fire was reported just before 8:00pm at a pool chemical factory near Ledger Road and Stretton Place.
Residents in several of the northern suburbs were urged to remain inside with doors and windows closed as a pre-cautionary measure, in case toxic fumes were produced by the blaze.
More than 70 firefighters battled the blaze overnight, bringing it under control by 1:25am.
Main Roads has urged people to avoid the area and a number of nearby roads remained closed overnight.
The damage bill is not yet known.
Meanwhile, arson squad investigators will look into a fire at a residential unit in Neerabup, also in Perth's north.
---------------------------------------------
WATCHDOG REPORT: MOVING HAZMAT ON THE ROADS HAS FEW RULES IN NEW YORK
http://www.ithacajournal.com/article/20140502/NEWS01/305020059/Watchdog-Report-Moving-hazmat-roads-has-few-rules-New-York
Tags: us_NY, transportation, discovery, environmental, ammonia, gasoline, petroleum, sodium_hydroxide
Unnoticed until something goes wrong, dangerous chemicals course steadily through the state?s highways and down its secondary roads.
Shipments of ammonia, sodium hydroxide and gasoline pass through neighborhoods, around lakes and across streams and rivers.
In 34 states, there are comprehensive rules that tell haulers where those chemicals can and cannot travel.
INTERACTIVE MAP: Serious hazmat shipping incidents in N.Y.
But in the 57 counties outside of New York City, no rules are in place to guard the state?s population centers and waterways from hazardous materials carried on the roads. State lawmakers have foughtto fix the regulatory blind spot for years, but to no avail.
While the nation?s attention has turned to rail shipments of crude oil and other chemicals, a review of data for this report shows a higher probability of danger on the roads rather than the rails.
---------------------------------------------
CHEMICAL SAFETY BOARD RELEASES FINAL REPORT ON DEADLY REFINERY EXPLOSION IN ANACORTES
http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2023513335_tesorofinalxml.html
Tags: us_WA, industrial, follow-up, death, flammables
ANACORTES ? A final report on the 2010 Tesoro refinery explosion that killed seven employees was presented and approved by the Chemical Safety Board on Thursday night in Brodniak Hall at Anacortes High School.
The report noted that problems in the facility?s safety culture, industry standards and state and federal oversight of the industry helped lead to a catastrophic rupture of a heat exchanger at the refinery, which leaked and ignited hydrogen and naphtha, a flammable petroleum solvent.
A draft report detailing investigation findings and recommendations was released by the board in January.
---------------------------------------------
POLICE INVESTIGATING CHEMICAL POURED ON SLIDE AT LAS VEGAS PARK
http://www.8newsnow.com/story/25417598/police-investigating-chemical-poured-on-slide-at-las-vegas-park
Tags: us_NV, public, release, injury, unknown_chemical
LAS VEGAS -- Temperatures are expected to reach into the 90s this weekend and families are racing to the park for fun in the sun.
However, there is a warning for parents in the northwest part of the valley, after Metro Police responded to a call about a chemical dumped on a slide and a little boy who was injured.
According to police, officers responded to Centennial Hills Park at around 8 p.m. Wednesday. Police say someone had poured a chemical onto the slide and the empty bottle was found next to it. The report also said a child had a bad reaction to the chemical.
Parents reached out to 8 News NOW on social media to report the child suffered chemical burns, but is expected to be okay.
On Friday, kids were slipping down the two remaining open slides.
---------------------------------------------
MAKING CHEMISTRY INTRIGUING
http://articles.philly.com/2014-05-02/news/49581261_1_geehr-chemistry-chemical-heritage-foundation
Tags: us_PA, education, discovery, environmental
A child drops a silvery chunk of pure sodium into a flask of water. Almost immediately, the liquid starts to bubble. Sparks, flames, and clouds of gas fill the air.
No need to react with alarm, however. It all takes place on the screen of an iPad.
Lamenting the rarity of chemistry sets with serious, eyebrow-singeing chemicals these days, officials at the Chemical Heritage Foundation in Philadelphia commissioned a virtual equivalent. And it is smoking.
ChemCrafter has been downloaded more than 224,000 times from Apple's iTunes store since it went live April 6, most of them overseas, said Neil Gussman, spokesman for the foundation, based on Chestnut Street. The free app is designed as a game, with players able to accumulate points and acquire more supplies as they complete experiments.
Use your finger to select a test tube from a handsome wooden cabinet, dump the virtual contents into a beaker full of water or acid, and watch what happens. As in real life, sometimes nothing. Or something impressive.
---------------------------------------------
MARTIN COUNTY SCHOOL EVACUATED FOLLOWING CHEMICAL REACTION
http://www.wsaz.com/news/headlines/Martin-County-School-Evacuated-Follwing-Chemical-Reaction-257705471.html
Tags: us_KY, education, release, injury, solvent
INEZ, Ky. (WYMT) ? Dispatchers in Martin County say an employee at an elementary school in Martin County had to be airlifted to the hospital after being exposed to a chemical reaction.
The incident happened at Eden Elementary in Inez shortly before 12:30 Friday afternoon.
Dispatchers tell WSAZ.com, they sent an ambulance to the school after getting a call about a staff member getting sick and passing out.
Once the crew arrived at the school they learned the female employee had been exposed to vapors from the mixing of several chemicals.
Fire crews were then sent to the school and the school was evacuated.
Lee Gauze, who is Deputy Director of Emergency Management and the Inez Fire Chief, tells WSAZ.com that a custodian tried to clean up a solvent that had leaked from a bottle with another solvent. The combination created the chemical reaction.
Gauze also says the incident happened in a utility/janitor room, not in hallways or near the students.
The children were later sent home for the day while the school was being aired out, according to Gauze.
---------------------------------------------
HAZMAT SCARE AT THE WATER TREATMENT FACILITY
http://wjcl.com/2014/05/01/hazmat-scare-at-the-water-treatment-facility/
Tags: us_SC, industrial, release, response, chlorine, water_treatment
There was an Hazmat scare Thursday morning at the water treatment facility in Savannah.
Crews say the received a call early this morning about chlorine exposure at the plant.
The Hazmat team was called out due to the nature of the chemical.
When hazmat arrived, they determined there wasn?t a leak, but one person was exposed.
That person was then removed from the area and decontaminated.
Crews say they always respond promptly when hazardous chemicals are involved.
---------------------------------------------
FAISALABAD CHEMICAL WAREHOUSE FIRE DOUSED
http://www.geo.tv/article-146395-Faisalabad-chemical-warehouse-fire-doused-
Tags: Pakistan, industrial, fire, response, unknown_chemical
FAISALABAD: Fire brigade struggling for two hours finally managed to douse the fire that had broken out suddenly early in the morning in a chemical warehouse in factory area here, Geo News reported.
On information from the local people, rescue teams arriving at the scene managed to put off the fire after two hours of struggle, however, a part of the godown roof had meanwhile caved in, but no loss of life occurred.
Rescue sources attributed the fire to short circuit.
---------------------------------------------
CHEMICAL DISPOSAL WARNING AFTER RECYCLING CENTRE FIRE
http://www.pollutionsolutions-online.com/news/hazardous-waste/20/mersyside_waste_and_recycling_authority/_chemical_disposal_warning_after_recycling_centre_fire/29864/
Tags: United_Kingdom, public, fire, response, waste
A fire at a Merseyside recycling centre has prompted a warning to householders who want to dispose of hazardous chemicals.
These items were contained in a black bin bag and had been deposited in the container by an unknown member of the public. These chemicals are hazardous and can present a very serious risk to site staff and members of the public.Carl Beer, MRWA (Mersyside Recycling and Waste Authority) Chief Executive, said: ?Fortunately the fire was small and easily dealt with. However, this could have been much more serious and could have been avoided in the first place if simple guidelines had been followed.
---------------------------------------------
Previous post | Top of Page | Next post