USA: Investigation Into Fatal Water Treatment Plant Blast
The US Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) is conducting an investigation into an explosion which took place on 11th January 2006 at a Daytona Beach, Florida, wastewater treatment plant. The facility is government-owned, which in the USA means that work activity is not overseen by any government entity and is not subject to any outside safety inspection or regulations.
Two maintenance workers died and a third was severely burned in the blast, which occurred as a cutting torch was being used near a tank of methanol, a highly flammable chemical commonly known as wood alcohol. The workers were making repairs to a metal roof damaged by the hurricanes last year. The CSB found evidence of a deflagration (a moderate-size explosion) inside the tank of methanol, which resulted in the failure of pipes leading to the tank. This in turn led to the total release of liquid methanol. It is believed that the precise ignition source was a spark from the cutting torch in use nearby.
South Africa: Toxic Waste Spill Pollutes River
On 8th December 2005, a large discharge of the environmental pollutant and carcinogenic toxin Chromium-6, or hexavalent chromium, was released into the Crocodile River at the site of African Chrome Pty Ltd in the Brits industrial park, a plant which was abandoned in 1999. Eight weeks later the government announced an investigation into the incident. A Water Affairs statement warned of a pollution plume that may have contaminated shallow ground water aquifers between Brits and the Roodekopjes Dam. The Crocodile River crosses many kilometres of land in Gauteng and the North West and its water is used by irrigation farmers on crops of maize, citrus, sub-tropical fruit and soya. Chromium-6 is a toxin which is especially dangerous when inhaled, and also hazardous when ingested or absorbed by humans and animals.
The Industrial Development Corporation (IDC), which funded African Chrome, was conducting a clean-up and rehabilitation of the site. A night watchman accidentally switched on pumps which discharged water contaminated with Cr-6 into the municipal sewage system. He had been trying to turn on the floodlights at the water treatment plant at African Chrome.
Official readings indicated that water with a concentration of 41 mg of Cr-6 per litre, much more than the acceptable limit of 0.05 mg, was discharged into the Crocodile River from the municipal wastewater treatment plant, and a Water Affairs statement warned the public not to use borehole or ground water between Brits and the Roodekopjes Dam.
USA: OSHA Cites Company For Major Workplace Safety Violations
On 12th January 2006, the US Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) cited John J. Steuby Co. of St Louis, Missouri, for more than 50 alleged safety and health violations and proposed penalties totalling $788,000. The company manufactures machined metal products for the automotive, appliance, bearing, ordinance, hydraulic, plumbing-hardware and commercial-fittings industries.
Following an employee complaint, OSHA inspected the plant in July 2005 and found many safety violations relating to machinery hazards. During the inspection, OSHA discovered that there had been numerous serious machine operation injuries, including seven finger amputations.
The employer had not addressed machine-guarding issues, despite its history of injuries and warnings from employees' insurance companies about the unsafe condition of its machines.
Numerous hazardous grinders were also found and the company had failed to perform lockout/tagout procedures to prevent machinery from starting up during maintenance or repair. The OSHA inspector saw workers servicing machinery by putting their arms into the equipment without locking or tagging out the power source.
Cooling oil and water was allowed to build up on the floors, creating slippery conditions where employees walked by unguarded, operating machinery and where other employees drove forklifts.
The company also failed to provide audiometric testing; made inappropriate use of high pressure air for cleaning; and failed to train employees in lockout/tagout application, or the safe operation of powered industrial trucks, or chemical hazards.
The company had been inspected ten times since 1993 and eight of those inspections resulted in citations for a total of 42 serious, repeat and other-than-serious violations, identical in nature to the present charges.
Afghanistan: Fatal Coal Mine Explosion
On 14th January 2006, one worker was killed and 70 were injured in a coal mine explosion in the eastern Afghan province of Khost. Local authorities blamed "enemies of the country" for causing the blast, a term used to describe Taliban militants, but it seems more likely to have been a methane gas explosion. Taliban militants, who intend to continue their holy war until the withdrawal of all foreign troops from the country, have intensified their attacks since last year, in which more than 1,500 people have lost their lives.
Kenya: 11 Killed In Building Collapse
On 23rd January 2006, a five-storey building under construction in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi collapsed on top of scores of people, leaving at least 11 dead. There were more than 200 people in or around the building when it fell. Among the early casualties were 67 people admitted to Kenyatta General Hospital with chest, leg and abdominal injuries. Several people were believed to have been trapped in the basement.
Eye witnesses reported that the lower floors of the building had been filled with construction workers, and that work had been going on to add additional floors to the top of the building. Some of the concrete may still have been wet at the time of the collapse, when at least 50 masons and 50 other workers were inside the building.
USA: US Companies Agree To Ban PFOA
Use of the toxic chemical perfluoro-octanoic acid (PFOA) is to be banned by eight American chemical industry companies in a voluntary pact designed by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The signatories include Du Pont, 3M Co., Ciba and Clariant Corp. PFOA is used in fluoropolymer manufacture and is a key processing agent in making non-stick and stain-resistant materials. It is incorporated into such consumer products as pizza boxes, non-stick cooking pans and microwave-popcorn bags.
The substance has been linked to cancer and birth defects in animals and is present in the blood of nearly all American citizens, including pregnant women. It has also been found in the blood of marine organisms and Arctic polar bears.
The pact states that methods will be developed to ensure that PFOA will not be released into the environment from finished products or manufacturing plants. The companies will have to reduce manufacturing emissions of PFOA by 95% by no later than 2010. They will also have to reduce trace amounts of the compound in consumer products by 95% during the same period and virtually eliminate them by 2015.
The move came one month after Du Pont reached a $16.5 million settlement with the EPA over the company's suppression of information about substantial risk of injury to human health and to the environment posed by PFOA manufacture.
Nigeria: AGIP Confirms Nine Dead In Oil Base Attack
Agip, a division of the Italian oil and gas group Eni, confirmed in late January 2006 that nine people were killed when gunmen attacked its base in Port Harcourt in the southern Nigerian state of Rivers. An armed gang exchanged fire with the local security forces and made their way to a banking facility located on the base. After a brief occupation of the premises, the gang left the base. A number of people were injured during the incident. None of the casualties were Italian nationals. Eni said it had temporarily evacuated staff and contractors from the area of the base affected by the incident and 'the situation was currently under control'.
Canada: Potash Miners Trapped By Fire
On 29th January 2006, 70 miners were trapped when fire broke out in a potash mine in Esterhazy, about 150 miles north-east of Regina, Saskatchewan. The mine is owned by the American company, Mosaic. All 70 men sought refuge in sealed emergency underground havens, equipped with water, food, beds and blankets as well as oxygen supplies to last at least 36 hours. On the following day, 32 men were brought out whilst the fire was being extinguished. The remainder were rescued some hours later after smoke and toxic fumes had been vented from the mine. The cause of the fire was not reported.
Poland: Building Collapse Kills 65
During the last weekend in January 2006, a trade hall built seven years ago collapsed in the city of Katowice in south-western Poland during an international event for pigeon enthusiasts. Over 200 people are believed to have been in the building; 65 were confirmed dead and 160 injured in the collapse. The building was of steel girder frame construction and roofed with sheet metal. A central section of the roof collapsed at 17.30 local time and a second collapse came more than an hour later, during rescue operations. Heavy lifting equipment was brought in, but it was thought that any trapped survivors would have perished in the extreme low temperatures experienced in Poland at the time (as low as -200C).
The accident seems similar to the catastrophic structural collapse of the 30-year-old Bad Reichenhall skating rink in Bavaria earlier in January (see the Winter 2005 E-Newsletter). The weight of snow on the roof of the building may have been only a contributory factor; more important factors are likely to be the strain imposed on the structural joints of the buildings caused by prolonged exceptionally low temperature (brittle failure and materials behaviour under temperature differentials) and whether the designers and builders made allowance for such foreseeable environmental fluctuations. (Even failure of a single metal angle could create a weak point that triggers structural collapse.)
Singapore: New Workplace Safety And Health Legislation Introduced
In late January 2006, the Singapore Parliament passed their new Workplace Safety and Health Bill, to come into force in March 2006. The legislation imposes harsher penalties for health and safety violations. The maximum fine for companies guilty of safety offences rises to Singapore $500,000 (£172,700) from the previous $200,000 (£69,000). The maximum safety fine for individuals remains at Singapore $200,000, but the maximum jail term has been increased from 12 to 24 months.
The Bill introduces a more extensive liability regime, which includes the main contractor, subcontractors, developers, employees, manufacturers and suppliers, and third-party maintenance contractors. As in the EU, senior management and directors, who may not have direct supervision of workers, are now subject to the law.
The Singapore Government aims to halve the present occupational fatality rate of 4.9 deaths per 100,000 workers by 2015. The current fatality rate is more than five times that in the UK.
International: European Campaign For Safety And Health At Work 2006
The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work is running a campaign throughout 2006 to draw attention to the risks to young workers, which will include the European Health and Safety Week in October. The incidence of accidents at work is 50% higher among those aged 18 to 24 than that of older workers. Preventative measures advocated by the Agency include risk awareness education for children, adding health and safety to professional and vocational training and employers taking account of young workers' physical and mental immaturity in training and supervision at work. The campaign will promote risk awareness as preparation for working life and quality work in safe and healthy workplaces, as well as supporting the European Youth Pact for employment and education and exchange of information.
The "Right Start" campaign involves:
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Promoting risk awareness in children and young people.
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Promoting the preparation of young people for the health and safety aspects of working life.
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Promoting quality work for youngsters - safe and healthy workplaces and practices.
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Supporting networking and information exchange among stakeholders.
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Supporting the European Youth Pact for employment and education and training.
The Agency is developing a resources and information web page, with news about the campaign as it develops.
Europe: Challenge To New Directive On Pollution At Sea
In September 2005, a new EU directive came into effect, which introduces criminal sanctions for pollution from ships. The new law must be implemented in member states by March 2007. The international convention on pollution at sea already covers liability for intentional or reckless pollution but the new EU law goes further, introducing a state of mind called "serious negligence". A ship's master guilty of this could be prosecuted and given a jail sentence.
The new law is being challenged in the European Court of Justice by a coalition of shipping organisations, who are seeking a judicial review. They fear that ships' owners, officers, crew members and even salvage companies could face prosecution for accidental pollution.
Egypt: Red Sea Ferry Disaster
On 3rd February 2006, the Egyptian-owned ferry "Al Salam Boccaccio 98" sank at night in the Red Sea with more than 1,400 people on board. Three hundred and eighty-eight were rescued and the remainder drowned or were eaten by sharks. The vessel was sailing from the Saudi port of Duba to Safaga in Egypt. The passengers were mostly Egyptian labourers or those returning from pilgrimages to Mecca.
Survivors reported that a fire had broken out at sea on the car deck. It appears that the crew pumped water on board to extinguish the fire, but the open design of the cargo deck would have meant that fire-fighters were unaware that the water was flooding the ship. One engine failed and the vessel developed a list, which eventually caused it to roll over and sink. There were insufficient lifeboats for the number of passengers on board.
The ship was an 11,800 tonne roll-on, roll-off (ro-ro) ferry built in Italy in 1970. It did not conform to new stability safety standards introduced in Europe following the "Herald of Free Enterprise" capsize off Zeebrugge harbour in 1987, and the sinking of the "Estonia" in the Baltic in 1994. In both those cases, water entered the car decks and capsized the ferries.
The "Al Salam" had also been modified by the addition of four extra decks, increasing its passenger capacity from 500 to 1,400, which would have further reduced the vessel's stability. It flew a Panamanian flag.
The following day an overcrowded ferry sank in heavy seas in the narrow strait between Kupang and Rote Island in East Nusa Tenggara province, Indonesia, some 2,000 km east of Jakarta. The ferry had a capacity of 400 people; 55 are known to have drowned.
USA: Investigation Into Fatal Chemical Explosion
The US Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) is investigating a fatal explosion at the Synthron Inc. facility in Morganton, North Carolina, which fatally burned one worker and injured about a dozen others. The catastrophic explosion, which destroyed the plant and caused heavy damage to adjacent buildings, was related to the process inside a 1,500-gallon batch reactor at the plant, which contained butyl acrylate, along with the flammable solvents toluene and cyclohexane. Workers had also added a chemical initiator to cause the butyl acrylate to polymerise, a reaction that produces significant amounts of heat. The reaction is also accelerated by higher temperatures. Such reactions can go out of control, or run away, if heat cannot be removed quickly enough. Five of the 167 serious reactive chemical incidents examined in a 2002 CSB hazard investigation report involved either butyl acrylate or related acrylic monomers.
At Synthron, the temperature of the reactor was controlled by a water-cooled condenser, as well as jacket that could receive steam or cooling water. Witness evidence is consistent with the theory that control of the reaction was lost, resulting in a pressure increase and the release of flammable vapour from the reactor. Most employees evacuated the building before the explosion, but a number were burned or injured when the blast occurred. Some who were outside were thrown as far as 20 feet. The investigation will concentrate on establishing the exact configuration of the equipment, determine what kind of pressure relief system was in place, and characterise the damage caused by the blast.
China: Chemical Spill Pollutes River
A chemical spill at the Shaanxi Jintai Chlorine and Alkaline Chemical Company Ltd plant in Mianzhi County, Shaanxi Province, north China, released some two million litres of alkaline wastewater into the Wuding River on 4th February 2006. The Wuding is a tributary of the Yellow River. The incident took place when three of the plant's four processing tanks collapsed.
The company failed to report the incident to local environmental protection officials, who were alerted by calls from Mianzhi residents the following day. Unspecified emergency measures were taken to clean up the spill; there were no reports of the extent of the damage.
Under new regulations enacted earlier in February, serious accidents must be reported directly to the Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) or to the State Council within an hour of their occurring. SEPA said there had been 45 reports of environmental accidents between 13th November 2005 and 1st February 2006, six of them serious.
Ireland: German Drugs Company Fined For Pollution
On 14th February 2006, the German-based pharmaceutical company, Schwarz Pharma Limited, was found guilty of 11 separate breaches of its Integrated Pollution Control (IPC) licence at Ennis Circuit Court, County Clare. The court was told that emissions to the air from its Shannon plant in August 2004 were up to 35 times the limits set out in its licence, and some emissions contained suspected carcinogens. The court imposed fines totalling ?110,000, in addition to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) costs of ?42,000.
The company was also charged with allowing organic solvent emissions to the atmosphere through an unauthorised vent, not allowed by its IPC licence, and was also found guilty of failing to notify the EPA of these emissions. Schwarz Pharma Ltd also pleaded guilty to a further four charges in relation to poor on-site environmental management practices which had the potential to cause pollution.
The prosecution was taken following EPA air monitoring and an audit by EPA inspectors in August 2004.
China: Official Crackdown On Safety Licences
On 15th February 2006, the Chinese State Administration of Work Safety announced that it had ordered 35,842 companies that failed to obtain safety operating licences by the end of 2005 to be closed, warning that it would ensure compliance by cutting off power and supplies. The companies to be closed included 8,053 non-coal mines, 2,500 dangerous chemical companies, 350 fireworks makers, 24,923 construction companies and 16 explosives manufacturers.
The measures came amid growing worries over a continuous stream of industrial accidents in China. Similar closures have been ordered for thousands of coal mines, where some 6,000 workers die annually in mining incidents. Local officials often fail to enforce such orders, and it was unclear how the central government intended to ensure they were followed.
Iran: Tehran Oil Refinery Damaged By Fire
A fire of unknown causation destroyed parts of the oil refinery in Tehran on 18th February 2006, despite existing security measures. The fire was attributed to a leak in one of the master cylinders of the facility, but suspicion of sabotage exists. A large number of fire engines with hundreds of fire-fighters and security forces members went to the area in order to block access and extinguish the blaze. Three days earlier a road tanker was involved in an unexplained accident on the Karaj-Ghazvin highway, which resulted in roadblocks and a heavy traffic jam.
Mexico: Coal Miners Trapped By Underground Blast
On 18th February 2006, 65 workers were trapped two kilometres underground after a gas explosion in a coal mine in a remote and semi-desert region in the northern part of Coahuila state, which borders the US state of Texas. The trapped men had little emergency oxygen and no light or food. Rescue efforts were hampered by the presence of toxic gases, and five days later little progress had been made. After seven days all the miners were presumed dead.
Coahuila state contains about 95% of Mexico's coal reserves. The mine is owned by Grupo Mexico, the world's third-largest copper mining company, which also works other mineral deposits.
There have been mining disasters in Coahuila before, the worst being in 1969, when more than 153 miners were killed in a coal mine at the village of Barroteran.
Europe: EU Considers Ban On Mercury
The European Union may soon ban new thermometers which contain mercury in order to minimise the risk that the toxic heavy metal poses to humans, ecosystems and wildlife once it enters the waste stream. The EU Commission wants to ban the marketing of mercury in new fever and room thermometers, barometers and blood pressure gauges due to its serious threat to health.
Use in thermometers accounts for around 30 of the 33 tonnes of mercury used in measuring and control devices across the EU every year. Direct exposure from a broken thermometer is dangerous, causing damage to the lungs, kidneys and brain when inhaled.
The proposed ban will be debated by EU ministers and the European Parliament. However, specialist applications, in particular medical measuring devices, will not be covered by the ban since adequate substitutes are not always available.
Russia: 61 Die In Market Building Collapse
On 23rd February 2006, in the third major winter incident of its type, a steel girder frame market building with sheet-metal roofing collapsed in Moscow, apparently under the weight of snow.
The roof of the 2,000 sq metre Basmanny market in the eastern Bauman district, one of the busiest in the capital, collapsed in the early hours of the morning of a national holiday, killing 61 people and injuring at least 32 others. It was thought that there were up to 150 people in the building at the time.
Rescuers blasted hot air onto the wreckage in a bid to keep anyone trapped underneath warm in the subzero temperature. Heavy cranes were brought in to remove the mass of concrete slabs.
The market was built in the 1970s and the architect was quoted as stating that the roof was not designed to bear heavy snow. Investigators were considering three possible causes: a build-up of snow, lack of maintenance, or design faults in the building.
The director of the market was charged with "homicide by negligence".
Europe: British Plea To Increase Greenhouse Gas Emissions Rejected
In February 2006, the UK Government was denied leave by the European Commission to raise the amount of pollution it can create under the EU emissions trading scheme, the key instrument for fighting climate change and meeting commitments under the Kyoto environment treaty. Last year the UK Government sought to increase the amount of carbon dioxide British industry was allowed to emit from 2005 to 2007 by 20 million tonnes.
The Commission refused but the EU Court of First Instance ruled that changes could be made. The Commission then argued that the UK amendment was submitted too late for the deadline of 30th September 2004, and the court had ruled that it had to consider changes only so long as they were submitted on time. Since the UK amendment was notified after the deadline, the Commission passed the decision rejecting the amended plan on the grounds of late submission.
In March 2006, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) announced that UK emissions of carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas blamed for global climate change, rose 0.25% in 2005 to 153 million tonnes, the third consecutive annual increase. The provisional estimate came after ministers said that the UK would miss its own target to slash CO2 emissions by a fifth by 2010 from 1990 levels. Britain is still on course to meet its greenhouse gas reduction goals under the Kyoto Protocol. The surge in gas prices last year encouraged utilities to burn cheaper but dirtier coal in power stations, despite extra costs related to complying with Europe's emissions trading scheme. The data confirmed that the UK is struggling to meet its domestic CO2 reduction goals; emissions in 2005 were about 5.5% below 1990 levels. Emissions of a basket of six greenhouse gases in 2005 were provisionally estimated to have been 14.5% below 1990 levels. Under Kyoto, the UK is committed to cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 12.5% from 1990 levels by 2008-2012.
USA: Drum-Maker Contracts Anthrax
In the first 'naturally' occurring case of the disease in 30 years, a professional drummer and drum-maker living in New York collapsed after contracting inhaled anthrax. The man had a workshop in a converted warehouse building in Brooklyn, where he used animal hides to make drums for his dance troupe and for other musicians. The building was sealed off and a search made under controlled epidemiological conditions, without revealing the source of the infection. It was believed that the man's illness began in December 2005 when he returned from a two-week trip to the Ivory Coast, where he obtained four untreated goat skins to bring home with him, as later confirmed by Customs at Kennedy International Airport.
Although outbreaks of anthrax still occur in the US in areas that lack livestock immunisation programmes, the last accidental case of inhalation anthrax in America occurred in 1976, according to the Federal Disease Center.
Nigeria: Nine Oil Workers Abducted By Militants
On 18th February 2006, Nigerian militants abducted nine foreign oil workers (three Americans, a Briton, two Egyptians, two Thais and one Filipino) employed by a subcontractor of Royal Dutch Shell in the turbulent southern part of the country. The workers were kidnapped from a barge operated by US oil services company Willbros. About 40 armed men in speed-boats approached the barge, operating in the Forcados River, 50 kilometres west of the city of Warri.
The same militants had attacked four oil industry facilities, including a pipeline and a loading platform at the Forcados export terminal, in retaliation for earlier air strikes by the military in the Gbaramatu area of Delta state.
The militants announced that they would use their hostages as human shields in subsequent attacks on other installations, in an attempt to cut the oil export capacity of Nigeria by 30%. They also threatened to target oil tankers.
All the hostages were released unharmed during March. It is unclear whether oil companies and their contractors have any effective risk assessment policy covering employees in such dangerous areas.
China: Coal Mine Explosion Kills 15
A coal mine explosion in eastern China killed 15 miners and injured 12 others. The blast occurred on 23rd February 2006 at a colliery owned by the Zaozhuang Mining Group Co. in Shandong Province. The injured were taken to hospital for treatment and an investigation was initiated. The notorious Chinese mining industry is characterised by a common indifference to safety rules and lack of required equipment.
Bangladesh: 54 Dead In Textile Mill Fire
On 23rd February 2006, at least 54 workers, mostly women, were killed and more than 100 injured when fire broke out at the KTS Textile Mills factory premises in the south-eastern port city of Chittagong. Soldiers were brought in to take over rescue work from fire-fighters after the fire reduced the building to rubble. At least 500 night-shift workers were inside the mill when the fire started. The incident was described as the country's worst ever factory fire. Most of the survivors jumped from windows because the main gate to the factory was locked. The fire is believed to have been caused by an electrical short circuit and spread quickly through the building because of stacks of yarn piled up on the floors. There was a secondary contribution when a boiler explosion escalated the blaze.
Textiles make up around 85% of Bangladesh exports, contributing some $6 billion to the national economy annually. The industry has been plagued by accidents due to poor safety standards. In 2000, at least 48 workers died when a locked fire exit left them trapped in a burning factory near the capital, Dhaka. In April 2005 more than 60 people died when an illegally-constructed garment factory collapsed.
USA: Controversy Over New Chromium Exposure Limit
On 27th February 2006, the US Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued new workplace rules on the carcinogenic metal hexavalent chromium (Cr6+) and substances containing it. The new permissible exposure level (PEL) limits worker exposure to no more than five micrograms per cubic metre of air as an eight-hour time-weighted average, a large reduction from the old standard of 52 mg/m3, which was recommended in 1943 by the American National Standards Institute to prevent perforations caused by chromium in workers' nasal cavities; but the new limit is also set at a level five times higher than what had been proposed by the agency two years ago. According to data issued by OSHA, the five microgram standard would be estimated to result in ten to 45 additional cancers over a lifetime for every 1,000 workers exposed, compared to 2.1 to 9.1 additional cancers per 1,000 workers under a one microgram standard.
Hexavalent chromium is used in chrome plating, stainless steel welding and the production of chromate pigments and dyes. In the USA an estimated 558,000 workers, from welders and steelworkers to jewellers, are exposed to airborne particles.
The acceptability of the new standard has been questioned by such bodies as the Public Citizens' Health Research Group, and researchers at the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services. In contrast, the chemical and engineering industry lobbies have described the new standard as too tough to meet cost-effectively.
China: Workplace Fatalities Show Little Improvement
According to a news release by the government State-Owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission dated 28th February 2006, workplace accidents in the 169 central state-owned enterprises (SOEs) in China accounted for 207 fatalities and 158 serious injuries in 2005. The accidents were mainly associated with those industries dealing with construction, hazardous chemicals, transportation and mining.
Workplace safety in China has seen some improvement but the country remains a very dangerous place for ordinary employees. In total around 127,000 people were killed at work last year, down 7.1% from the previous year. Most of the accidents were caused by improper management and safety bodies have urged the central SOEs to improve their management and establish long-term managerial systems on work safety.
Saudi Arabia: Baggage Handler Trapped In Aircraft Hold
An exhausted baggage handler working at Jedda airport at the beginning of March 2005 fell asleep while loading luggage onto a Turkish Airlines plane and became trapped in the aircraft's hold. He awoke only after the plane had taken off for Turkey and the temperature in the hold dropped sharply. He was able to alert the crew by banging on the walls of the hold. They began to heat the area but nevertheless the victim suffered pneumonia and was hospitalised for several days following the three-hour flight.
India: Closure Of Chemical Company Ordered
On 6th March 2006, the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) ordered the closure of Tagros Chemicals India Ltd on charges of violating the norms of the TNPCB in the SIPCOT complex in Cuddalore. Electrical power supply to the firm was also withdrawn. The TNPCB had granted permission for the production of pesticides, including alpha methrin, cyper methrin and per methrin. The company had a licence for a generation capacity of 30 tonnes of the pesticide per month (or 1,000 kg per day). However, in violation of provisions, the company had been developing and producing two new pesticides (hexaconazole and delta methrin) clandestinely at the plant without the knowledge of the TNPCB. The plant was also producing more permitted pesticide than the prescribed capacity.
It was also found that a contractor to the plant had transported spent hydrochloric acid from the works and dumped it illegally on arable land in Poondiyankuppam, as a result of which the fertility of the land had been severely affected.
Peru: Three Injured In Gas Pipeline Accident
An 800-kilometre pipeline carrying liquefied natural gas from the Camisea Basin (which has some 8.7 trillion cubic feet of gas reserves) was ruptured in an incident that caused a fire which injured three people - the fifth such incident involving the pipeline in less than two years of operations. The pipeline operator, Transportadora de Gas del Peru, said the latest rupture occurred in El Abra de Kepashiato, in Cuzco Province. The company, which shut down the pipeline after the accident, said that around 750 cubic metres (26,433 cubic feet) of gas leaked out, all of which was consumed by the fire.
The people injured were local occupants of land through which the damaged section of pipeline runs. The controversial Camisea pipeline extends from a nomadic Indian reserve through some of the most pristine Amazon forest regions of Peru to one of the most important marine reserves in all of Latin America and the Caribbean. The Peruvian government recently issued a report listing cases of illness and pollution of rivers and streams in Indian communities linked to the pipeline project.
Ireland: Waterford Construction Site Closed Due To Safety Violations
On 24th January 2006, the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) successfully obtained a High Court order to close a construction site in County Waterford because of serious concerns in relation to unsafe work practices. An order was granted under the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 against the two persons responsible for a housing development project at The Brewery, Dungarvan. The issue involved the renovation of a number of single-storey terraced local authority houses. During a routine inspection of the construction site in January 2006, particular concerns were raised by inspectors in relation to the dangers of working at heights, including partially erected scaffolding on part of the building, no scaffolding at all on the gable ends of the building, no toeboards, men working on incomplete platforms, incomplete handrails and scaffolding erected on uneven ground and no safe means of access. The presence of a 240-volt electricity extension lead, creating a risk of electrocution, was also observed. The Court also heard that given the lack of safety management on the site and the failure of the site controller to engage with the HSA, the latter had no confidence in the man's ability or willingness to ensure the health and safety of persons on the site for which he had ultimate control as the person contracted for the completion of the project.
International: OSHA Guidance On Shipyard Fire Protection
The US Occupational Safety and Health Administration has made available online its standard on shipyard fire protection at OSHA Shipyard Fire Protection Standard together with a newly developed set of Frequently Asked Questions at OSHA Shipyard Fire Protection FAQs.
The standard provides increased protection for shipyard employment workers from the hazards of fire on vessels and vessel sections and at land-side facilities. The standard reflects new technologies and current national consensus standards. It also gathers all fire-related safety practices for shipyard employment into a single document
Shipyard workers are exposed to a high risk of injury and death from fires and explosions during ship repair, shipbuilding, shipbreaking and related work activities, as well as fire-fighting activities. Many of the basic tasks involved in shipyard employment, such as welding, grinding and cutting metal with torches, provide an ignition source for fires. There are also many combustible materials on vessels and in shipyards, including flammable fuels, cargo, wood structures, building materials, and litter. When cutting torches are used in enclosed or confined spaces, accidentally oxygen-enriched atmospheres can cause normally fire-resistant materials to readily burn. When fires do occur, employees are often working in confined or enclosed spaces that may make escape difficult or impossible. Fires in such confined or enclosed spaces can also result in atmospheres of combustible gases, toxic fumes, or oxygen-depleted air. Shipyard employees are therefore at risk from fires, explosions, toxic gases, and fumes that can result in burns, death, and asphyxiation from a lack of oxygen.
Employees are also at special risk when fighting fires in shipyards, including from compressed gas cylinders, flammable liquid processes and storage, high-voltage electric switches and transformers, and high-density combustible materials storage. Structures at shipyards can range from single-storey office buildings to warehouses to massive fabrication shops. Fires can also be encountered in tunnel sections, rail cars, vessel components, and similar units under construction, repair, or demolition at the shipyard site.
Fire-fighting onboard vessels is very different from structural fire-fighting, as there may be little or no ability to ventilate the heat, smoke and gases produced by a fire. One of the first steps that may be taken is to shut down ventilation systems to close off the fire's progression and starve it of oxygen. Hose lines are used to cool down surrounding metal decks and bulkheads. Strategic options for vessel fires are very limited and nearly always require an aggressive interior attack.
USA: Large Oil Spill Pollutes Alaska's North Slope
Prudhoe Bay is the largest oil field in the USA and usually pumps around 470,000 barrels of crude a day via the Trans-Alaska pipeline over the Brooks Mountain Range to a tanker terminal in Valdez on Prince William Sound.
An oil spill discovered by BP operators on 2nd March 2006 in the Alaskan North Slope region had released an estimated 267,000 gallons (one million litres) of crude before the leak was detected. It involved a quarter-inch hole in the 34-inch diameter above-ground GC-2 transit pipeline, caused by internal corrosion. Shutdown of the pipeline curtailed output on the field by approximately 100,000 barrels of crude a day.
A 60-man clean-up crew worked in adverse weather conditions around the clock and recovered nearly 53,000 gallons of liquids, including contaminated ice and snow. A special metal sleeve was bolted to the damaged line and later welded.
Although the spill, the largest yet recorded on the North Slope, was detected manually and plugged, it had covered around two acres (one hectare) of the snow-covered tundra in a sparsely populated region on the Alaskan north coast, some 1,040 km (650 miles) north of the state's biggest city, Anchorage. The automatic leak detection system employed by BP Exploration (Alaska) Inc., which is designed to detect leaks of 1% or greater, does not appear to have been triggered.
The US Environmental Protection Agency announced on 6th April that it was conducting a criminal investigation into BP Plc management of pipelines in Alaska's North Slope. The investigation had already been under way for several months before this latest spill and is concentrating on corrosion issues on ruptured pipelines to determine if BP has committed any violations of the federal Clean Water Act, which carries both criminal and civil penalties for violations.
Prince William Sound, near Anchorage, was the scene of an environmental disaster in March 1989 when the Exxon Valdez tanker ran aground, contaminating around 1,300 miles (2,080 km) of coastline. That spill killed an estimated 250,000 seabirds, 2,800 sea otters, 300 seals, 250 bald eagles, up to 22 Orca or killer whales, and an unknown number of salmon and herring.
Russia: Tunnel Collapse On Moscow Metro
On 19th March 2006, a section of tunnel collapsed onto a Moscow metro train. The incident occurred on a section of subway between Sokol and Voikovskaya stations in north-west Moscow as a train was travelling towards the city centre. A concrete slab from the tunnel's supporting structure is thought to have pierced the third carriage of the train, although there were no casualties among the passengers, who were safely evacuated. It was suggested that the collapse was caused by workers at street level driving a pillar into the ground to set up an advertising billboard. The workers had not been authorised to do the job, according to the Moscow City public prosecutor's department.
India: Asbestos Mining To Be Resumed
The Indian government imposed a ban on new and renewed asbestos mining licences in June 1993, but it has recently asked the Indian Bureau of Mines (IBM) to work out necessary safeguards to resume and expand asbestos mining. The IBM undertook a feasibility study and recommended that the ban could be lifted if workplace asbestos exposures were controlled. The IBM was then instructed to work out the necessary safeguards and measures in consultation with the Central Pollution Control Board, subject to which chrysotile asbestos mining would again be permitted.
The Canadian government-backed asbestos industry lobby group, the Chrysotile Institute, which claims that chrysotile asbestos presents no health risk, has been conducting a public relations campaign to resurrect the global asbestos trade, despite the position taken by the major occupational health bodies, safety organisations, the International Labour Organisation and the International Agency for Research on Cancer.
Pakistan: Illegal Disposal Of Asbestos-Contaminated British Warship
The British warship, "Sir Geraint", which saw action during the Falklands War, was sold as hazardous scrap by the Ministry of Defence to Babcock Support Services in January 2005, on the condition that the vessel would not be sent to India or Pakistan for dismantling. Babcock is believed to have included the same provision when it sold the vessel to Regency Projects, a concern specialising in buying ships and selling them to breakers overseas. However, the vessel is currently being broken up at the Gadani shipyard in Balochistan, in breach of the Basel Convention on the Control of the Transboundary Movement of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal, to which the United Kingdom is a signatory.
The Convention came into force in 1992 and was designed to reduce hazardous waste movement between nations and to specifically prevent developed countries from dumping such materials to less developed countries. Nevertheless, the "Sir Geraint" was allowed to sail from the UK despite suspicions that it would be sent to a third world scrap-yard. It is known that Pakistani shipyard workers are inadequately protected against asbestos and other harmful substances, representing another violation of the Basel Convention, which provides that developing countries must be assisted in environmentally sound management of the hazardous and other wastes they generate.
The UK Environment Agency, the body charged with monitoring where ships are scrapped, had reason to suspect that the vessel was on its way to the subcontinent but allowed it to leave British waters after having received assurances that it was a fully functioning vessel, would be kept in service and would not be dismantled. When the ship reached Pakistan, it was sold to Bismilla Maritime Breakers, where the dismantling process began.
The incident has raised questions over the level of co-operation between several British government agencies, and over the enforcement leverage of the Environment Agency.
Japan: Fire Incident In Nuclear Plant
On 22nd March 2006, a fire broke out in a waste incinerator at the Kansai Electric Power Co. nuclear plant in Oi, around 350 km west of Tokyo. Fire-fighters wearing protective suits took nearly two hours to reach the blaze because of thick smoke, and another two hours to put out the flames at the facility. According to the authorities, sensors inside and around the plant showed no signs of a radiation leak and all four pressurised water reactors operating normally. The location of the incinerator was between the No. 3 and No. 4 reactors; the source of ignition was in an area where ash from incinerated low level waste was packed into steel barrels. Two workers who were inspecting the waste facility were taken to hospital after inhaling smoke, but they were not in a critical condition and were not exposed to radiation.
Japan's 55 nuclear reactors supply about one-third of the country's electricity but they are not highly regarded in terms of their safety standards. In 2004, five workers were killed when a corroded pipe at a reactor in western Japan ruptured and sprayed plant workers with boiling water and steam. No radiation escaped from that reactor, which has since resumed operations. In 1999, a radiation leak at a fuel-reprocessing plant north-east of Tokyo killed two workers and triggered the evacuation of thousands of residents. That accident was caused by two workers who tried to save time by mixing excessive amounts of uranium in buckets instead of using special mechanised tanks.
The government intends to build 11 new plants and raise electricity output generated by nuclear power to nearly 40% of the national supply by 2010.
Indonesia: Freeport Mining Warned By Government
On 23rd March 2006, the Ministry of Environment of the Indonesian government warned the USA mining company, Freeport, owner of the giant Grasberg gold and copper mine in Papua Province, of impending legal action against it following a landslide at the mine which killed three people. Several other people were injured in the incident, in which tonnes of mud crashed through a cafeteria in the mine complex. All the victims were Indonesian workers.
The deaths triggered riots among local people, during which four policemen and a soldier were killed after being beaten by a mob. The Grasberg mine has long been the focus of protests against Freeport, and security at the mine is controlled by the Indonesian police and military.
The government warning to Freeport was sparked by an environmental audit carried out on behalf of the Indonesian administration, which is concerned that the company must do more to protect the environment. A matter of particular anxiety is the management of the millions of tonnes of waste produced by the Grasberg mine, one of the largest in the world. The mounds of waste tailings are unstable and liable to trigger landslides or flooding.
The government recently settled a similar suit against the mining firm, Newmont, which was blamed for pollution at its mine on Sulawesi Island; the company agreed to pay US$30 million to fund environmental monitoring and community projects.
International: BP Reports 27 Workplace Fatalities For 2005
The BP annual report reveals that the company suffered 27 workforce fatalities in the course of its operations during 2005, the worst safety record since 1999 when there were 30 fatalities. Fifteen of the deaths in 2005, as well as many injuries, resulted from an explosion and fire at the Texas City refinery. There were 12 other workforce fatalities in BP's operations, ten of which were transport-related. The report also states that during 2005 there were 305 reported days away from work injury cases, of which 120 resulted from the Texas City incident. This compares with 230 cases in 2004 and 461 in 1999. An additional 1,139 reported injuries in 2005 required medical treatment, apart from minor cuts and bruises. Combining all the injuries and fatalities, the total recordable injury frequency was 0.53 in 2005 (per 200,000 hours worked), compared with 0.53 in 2004 and 1.42 in 1999.
At 31st December 2005, BP had 96,200 employees, compared with 102,900 at the end of 2004.
Singapore: Worker Killed In Scaffold Collapse At Singapore Airport
In late March 2006, a work-stop order was served at Singapore Airport Logistics Park by the Manpower Ministry, following the collapse of an eight-metre-wide scaffold section, on which there were nine construction workers. The latter fell eight metres to the ground, one losing his life. The accident took place at the Bousted Projects site. The Manpower Ministry had warned earlier that scaffolding presents a significant accident risk, accounting for 20% of construction accidents in Singapore last year.
China: Well Gas Leak Emergency
On 18th March 2006, a major gas leak was detected from the Luojia No. 2 gas well in Gaoqiao Town, Kaixian County, in the south-western municipality of Chongqing. More than 11,500 residents living within one kilometre of the well were evacuated and workers ignited the escaping gas to avoid the possibility of a build-up and explosion.
A ten-metre flame burned at the mouth of the well and five to six water columns burst along a 100-metre section of the bank of the Gaoqiao River in the town. No hydrogen sulphide was detected in the air or water within a three-kilometre radius of the well.
The well belongs to the China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) Sichuan Provincial Petroleum Administration. The well site is within the vicinity of the Luojia No. 16H gas well, where a fatal gas blowout killed 243 people on 23rd December 2003.
Materials and equipment were prepared and the capping of the well commenced as soon as the CNPC and the State Administration of Work Safety gave the plan the go-ahead, as it was necessary to monitor closely pressure changes in the adjacent Luojia No.1 gas well. The leaking well was eventually sealed after the third attempt on 31st March.
Canada: Food Manufacturer Fined Over Machinery Guarding Accident
On 28th March 2006, Santa Maria Foods Corporation was fined $75,000 at Ontario Court of Justice, Toronto, following a workplace accident at its former premises in Rexdale, where a worker sustained multiple injuries in a machine accident in June 2004.
The worker was inspecting a pasta-shaping machine from which the safety guard had been removed. He lost his balance and slipped on a step at the machine. The man's arm fell into the hopper and his sleeve became caught in a moving bar, which drew his arm into a pinch point, resulting in multiple arm and rib fractures and a broken jaw.
A Ministry of Labour investigation found that the machine was operating when the worker inspected it and that when he removed the guard, automatic deactivation failed to occur as it should have done.
The company pleaded guilty to failing to ensure a nip hazard on the machine was equipped with and guarded by a guard or other device to prevent access to the pinch point as required by S.25 of the Regulations for Industrial Establishments , and contrary to S. 25(1)(a) of the Act.
USA: How Not To Communicate The Safety Message
In 1998 there was a fire and series of explosions at a munitions reclamation plant owned by the Sierra Chemical Company in Mustang, Nevada, which killed four workers and injured six. Most of the workers at the plant spoke only Spanish, but the plant's operational procedures and policies were available only in English. The US Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) carried out an investigation into the incident and published a report, meant to be used by chemical facilities, trade associations, labour groups, training organisations, and other interested parties in order to study the pertinent safety information, lessons learned, and recommendations from the investigation. However, the CSB report was also published in English and it was not until 29th March 2006, seven years later, that they announced that they have produced a Spanish language investigation on the subject.
Bahrain: 58 Die In Overloaded Ferry Disaster
On 31st March 2006, the ferry "Al-Dana", a 26-metre wood and fibreglass dhow recently modified with a second extra deck and with a licence capacity of 100, capsized with 137 people on board, drowning 58 passengers. The vessel, which had not been given a licence to sail, was on a pleasure cruise at night when it overturned in calm seas less than a mile off the coast near one of the bridges linking Manama with al-Muharraq island. Around 68 survivors were rescued and taken to the Salmaniya Medical Centre in Manama, the Bahrain capital. US helicopters and divers joined the rescue operation launched by Bahrain's Coast Guard. The passengers on board the vessel included Indians, Britons, South Africans, Singaporeans, Pakistanis, Filipinos, Irish, German and Gulf Arab nationals, who were all employees celebrating the completion of a construction project in Bahrain. The authorities in both Bahrain and Dubai ordered the suspension of all tourist boat cruises whilst safety regulations are reviewed. The captain of the vessel was later arrested and charged with manslaughter.
Australia: Trucking Company Fined For Fatal Fatigue Smash
In the Shepparton County Court, a Canberra trucking company, Allbulk Landscape Supplies, was fined Au$130,000 after pleading guilty to one count of failing to maintain a safe working environment and one count of failing to ensure that non-employees were not exposed to health and safety risks.
The prosecution followed a fatal road crash in October 2001 in which one of the company's employees, who had been driving for 17 hours and smoking marijuana, ploughed his truck into a row of stationary vehicles on the Murray Valley Highway, killing four occupants of one car.
The court found that the company did not have a proper system in place to ensure that its drivers did not exceed legal driving limits and drive when fatigued. The fines imposed were for the workplace breaches, not for the horrific consequences of those breaches. The driver was gaoled for 6½ years after pleading guilty to four charges of culpable driving.
USA: CSB Report On The Sterigenics International Ethylene Oxide Explosions
On 30th March 2006, the US Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) released a final report and a ten-minute online video describing events leading to an ethylene oxide explosion in August 2004 at Sterigenics International Inc. in Ontario, California. Sterigenics uses ethylene oxide to sterilise medical products after they are placed in large stainless steel chambers. The explosion shattered the windows of the control room which overlooked the operation, injuring four workers. When the sterilising process is in normal operation the highly explosive gas is properly removed from the chamber; however, on the day of the accident, personnel bypassed a critical stage of gas removal, resulting in a powerful explosion when the ethylene oxide was ignited by a pollution control device called a catalytic oxidiser. The CSB note that catalytic oxidisers are commonly used for air pollution control but have been the source of many explosions. They report that the lack of engineering controls, lack of process hazard understanding, and use of untreated window glass in the control room were among the causes leading to the explosion and injuries at Sterigenics International Inc. They urge process facilities to use multiple layers of protection, including gas monitoring equipment that can warn of explosive mixtures in chambers.
The video discusses lessons learned from the accident, including the importance of strengthening or eliminating control room windows and the need for regular training on process hazards for personnel authorised to override automatic systems.
Greece: Employees Of British Firm Guilty Of Gross Negligence
Three employees of the British holiday firm, Sunsail, were found guilty of gross negligence at the Court of Misdemeanours on the island of Lefkada in March 2006, following an accident in June 2003 when an 11-year-old girl drowned. She was staying at the resort of Paleros with her mother and elder sister and had been out on a catamaran with two 14-year-old friends, both experienced sailors, when it capsized and she became trapped underneath. Efforts to free her by safety boat staff were impeded by her being entangled in wire. They were found not guilty of negligence.
The hotel manager and the resort water sports manager were found by the judge to have failed to take sufficient care to ensure the three girls were supervised by an adult. An assistant manager responsible for safety that day should have been on a boat keeping a closer eye on the holidaymakers. All three managers received 18-month prison sentences, suspended for three years. Sunsail has lodged an appeal against the verdict.
The Royal Yachting Association has since revised its conditions for training centres. Forty-four "entrapment and entanglement accidents" were logged during 2003 and 2004, 18 of which were viewed as "very serious, with crew or helm being trapped under water for a period".
Malta: Air Pollution By Particulates
A recent study by Alfred Vella and Renato Camilleri, Fine Dust Emissions from Soft Stone Quarrying in Malta, published in the scientific journal Xjenza finds that harmful fine dust particles produced by soft stone quarries in Malta amount to at least 1,200 tonnes a year, equivalent to a two-litre bottle full of PM10 particulate matter for every person living in Malta annually. Such fine dust particles are a major component of air pollution, which threatens both health and the environment. When inhaled, the particles evade the respiratory system's natural defences and lodge deep in the lungs.
The fine dust emission rate from the 67 active soft stone quarries stood at 11,500 milligrammes per square metre a day. The international guideline ranges between 100-300 milligrammes per square metre a day - meaning that, at best, the emission measured was 38 times more than the highest international recommended level.
Vietnam: Miners Die In Coal Mine Explosion
On 2nd April 2006, there was an explosion and ingress of water at the Mong Duong Coal Company mine, 125 miles north-east of Hanoi, which caused the deaths of four miners; another 17 miners were later brought out alive by rescue teams. The Vietnamese police are investigating to see if illegal shallow mining may have been a factor in the accident. The Vietnam Coal and Mineral Group stated that the combination of an accumulation of toxic gas and pockets of water would have presented an extremely hazardous work situation.
International: Mobile Phone Use And Brain Tumour Risk
One of the difficulties in making a personal judgment on contentious issues has always been assessing the motivation of whoever underwrites the cost of research which demonstrates that something is, or is not, harmful. Several reports have been published on the relative safety of mobile phones and their use. A study published last year concluded that there was no danger, but pointed out that long-term use may have more serious side effects. A more recent UK academic study cleared mobile phones for general use, but did find a preponderance of tumours on the side of the head most used for calls.
A Swedish paper published in April 2006 by researchers at the Swedish National Institute for Working Life (Lennart Hardell, Michael Carlberg and Kjell Hansson Mild, 2006, Pooled analysis of two case-control studies on use of cellular and cordless telephones and the risk for malignant brain tumours diagnosed in 1997-2003 , Int Arch Occup Environ Health, DOI 10.1007/s00420-006-0088-5) involved a study of 2,200 mobile phone users (both digital and cellular phones, as well as cordless landline handsets) and found an increased risk of brain tumours in mobile handset users. The study found a 240% increased risk of a malignant tumour on the side of the head where the phone is used, and the earlier the patient started using a mobile phone, the higher the chances of a serious illness.
The authors state that the pooled analysis showed consistently increased risk for malignant brain tumours using a greater than ten years latency period. An especially high odds ratio was found for high-grade astrocytoma (a type of brain tumour). The odds ratio increased with cumulative lifetime number of hours of use of analogue and digital cellular telephones and cordless phones. In multivariate analyses, increased risk was found for all three phone types.
These findings contradict a number of earlier studies, and the US Food and Drug Administration announced on 7th April 2006 that it would undertake a review of wireless phone safety.
USA: Scaffolding Collapse Kills Three
On 3rd April 2006, three people, including persons passing by, were killed in Boston when a construction platform weighing nine tonnes and its associated scaffolding system collapsed and fell 13 storeys to the ground. The scaffolding was being dismantled from the Emerson College building on Boylston Street, adjoining Boston Common, where Boston Masonry were subcontracted to Macomber Builders for the project. The scaffold, lift system and construction platform were made by Fraco, a company in Montreal, Canada.
In view of earlier accidents with the same scaffolding system, it was suggested that workers were not properly trained on how to remove the equipment. The worksite was shut down on orders from the city until Macomber submits a new safety plan.
Singapore: Three Killed In Shipyard Crane Collapse
On 4th April 2006, a ringer crane with a 300-tonne lifting capacity was hoisting a 190-tonne steel fabrication when the 100-metre long boom collapsed, the falling material killing three workers and injuring three others who were in the vicinity. The three dead were a Singaporean, an Indian national and a Chinese national, all of whom were subcontracted workers of SembCorp Marine, who own the PPL Shipyard in Pandan Road. Several oxyacetylene cylinders also caught fire in the incident.
The Singapore Civil Defence Force sent in fire-fighters and an ambulance crew and carried out a search and rescue operation.
SembCorp Marine is the world's second-largest offshore oil-rig builder and a subsidiary of conglomerate SembCorp Industries.
This is believed to be the first shipyard accident reported to the Singapore Manpower Ministry since their Workplace Safety and Health Act took effect on 1st March 2006. Under the new law, individual stakeholders from employers to occupiers involved in an accident can be fined and even gaoled in order to make them more accountable for the safety and health of employees.
The Manpower Ministry issued a stop work order on all lifting activities in the shipyard and is investigating the cause of the accident.
Norway: Health, Safety And Environment In Petroleum Activities
In a Norwegian Government publication, White Paper No. 12 (2005-2006), Health, Environment and Safety in the Petroleum Activities , presented on 7th April 2006, the Government discusses the main development trends and challenges in petroleum activities on the Norwegian shelf and land facilities which the Petroleum Safety Authority Norway (PSA) is responsible for following up.
With the stated ambition for Norwegian petroleum activities to lead the world in terms of health, safety and the environment, they note that petroleum activities maintain a generally high level of safety, although these areas have the potential for major accidents, which can entail the risk of personal injuries as well as occupational illness and pollution of the environment.
They report considerable annual variations in the risk of major accidents in the period after 2000, but with no clear trend. The number of incidents has been small, but the potential consequences associated with a few of these incidents were so great that they conclude there has been no decline in the overall level of risk. They note that improvement of the risk level in certain areas appears to have a clear link to industry and the government authority focus upon them, which is not a satisfactory situation. Therefore all parties involved are asked to help to ensure a continuous and strong focus on integrated health, safety and environment work in the industry. The PSA intends to focus particularly on reducing the risk of gas leaks, well incidents, ships on collision course and damage to load-bearing structures.
The human and socioeconomic consequences of occupational illness and injuries in petroleum activities are substantial, and so the industry must maintain constant focus on preventing employees from being exposed to working conditions and various types of strains that lead to early expulsion from these jobs. The authorities propose to increase their efforts in issues including working hours and chemical exposure.
USA: Steelworks Explosion Injures Three Workers
On 9th April 2006, there were three large explosions at the steel-making facility of AK Steel at Middletown in Butler County, Ohio. The explosions were the result of molten iron ore in the blast furnace getting into the incorrect wash, creating a superheated steam explosion which launched bits of highly flammable hot slag over a 25-metre radius, igniting anything it came into contact with, and sending a mushroom cloud 30 metres into the air. Fortunately only three of 30 workers in the area were injured, but 15 to 20 small fires were ignited, damaging the roof of a building, two trailers, a dump truck and a pickup truck.
It is not clear whether safety management was compromised by the fact that at the time the company had locked out 2,700 hourly paid union workers during a contract dispute, replacing them with a smaller number of inexperienced salaried employees and casual workers.
India: Trade Fair Tent Fire Kills 50 People
More than 2,000 people were attending the Brand India consumer electronics fair in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, around 80 km north-east of Delhi, when an electrical short circuit caused a fire to break out in the early evening of 10th April 2006. The fair was being held in an enclosure of three large air-conditioned exhibition tents with just one exit each. The tents had plastic roofs supported by iron rods. There were no fire-fighting systems installed. Some 50 people are known to have died in the blaze, which swept through all three tents; a further 115 were hospitalised.
Fire tender trucks did not arrive on the scene until an hour after the disaster and those present had to deal with the situation on their own.
Police filed charges against the organisers of the trade fair, and local residents demanded action against local administrative officials for their negligent response to the tragedy.
Spain: Two Metro Workers Killed In Madrid
At around 03.00 am local time on 10th April 2006, two night-work cable maintenance workers in the Madrid Metro died and two others were injured when they were hit by a driverless runaway train at the Puerta del Ángel station. The incident happened when a cargo wagon without a driver rolled out of a city subway station and collided with the maintenance car some two kilometres down the tracks.
The subway system was closed to passenger traffic when the accident occurred. Metro Madrid was investigating the cause of the accident.
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