On Nov. 22, 2016, workers at the ExxonMobil Baton Rouge, La. refinery were preparing isobutane equipment for maintenance.A spare isobutane pump needed to be placed into service. So, two operators set to work to replace the pump currently in operation.While removing a malfunction gearbox from a plug valve, the plug valve loosened and came apart, releasing 2,000 pounds of flammable white vapor cloud of isobutane into the atmosphere.The workers shouted to others in the area, warning them to evacuate. An energized welding machine located roughly 70 feet away ignited the vapor, according to surveillance video.The resulting fire seriously injured one ExxonMobil employee and three contractors working nearby. According to a report from the Chemical Safety Board (CSB), 15 Emergency responders isolated the release and extinguished the fire about 25 minutes after the initial ignition.As a result, the CSB conducted a full investigation, discovering “long-standing” reliability issues with gearboxes used to operate plug valves in the refinery’s alkylation unit.Refinery management did not provide alkylation unit workers performing this operations activity with a written procedure or training on safe gearbox removal from plug valves and its associated hazards, despite it being accepted practice.In addition, the CSB found that 15 of the 500 plug valves containing manually-operated gearboxes were an older design, which created potential for incorrect removal of the gearbox.The agency noted the following deficiencies which led to the isobutane release and fire, including:Failure to identify and address the older model plug valve design and gearbox reliability issuesLack of a human factors evaluation to identify the older model plug valves’ design and reliability issues as well as the potential hazards associated with operating and maintaining these valvesNo written procedures detailing the steps needed to remove different models of gearboxes from plug valves to manually open or close the valve safelyNot training workers to safely remove the various plug valve gearbox models in the alkylation unit and the hazards associated with this type of workAn organizational culture that accepted operators removing malfunctioning plug valve gearboxes despite the lack of detailed procedures and training for safe removal.The CSB provided key lessons for companies with chemical manufacturing facilities to follow, including evaluating human factors associated with operational difficulties that exist in your machinery, establishing detailed and accurate procedures for workers performing potentially hazardous work and providing training to ensure workers can perform all anticipated job tasks safely.After the incident and investigation, ExxonMobil informed the agency that they made the following changes regarding its susceptible plug valves in the Baton Rouge refinery alkylation unit:Refinery personnel surveyed the alkylation unit to identify susceptible plug valves, identifying 15 plug valves in the alkylation unit with gearbox support brackets attached to pressure-retaining components.Refinery personnel established a mitigation strategy to either: replace the older plug valve design with the newer design or eliminate the support bracket and install manual levers on the valve stem for plug valve operation. The Baton Rouge refinery implemented the strategy to address all the identified susceptible valves in the alkylation unit.Prior to plug valve modifications, refinery personnel installed warning signs on the susceptible valves to alert workers that bolts were used to secure the support brackets to pressure-retaining components.ExxonMobil communicated incident learnings to its other sites and made a presentation on the incident to the petroleum refining industry at an API conference in May 2017.Other ExxonMobil refineries were required to conduct surveys of their plug valves to identify both gear-operated plug valves with gearbox support brackets attached to pressure-retaining components and components other than gear operator support brackets that may be mounted to pressure-retaining components.

Exposure during polyurethane production can have serious health effects including asthma and lung issues. Because of this risk, OSHA and the American Chemistry Council (ACC) have teamed up to promote safety around the raw materials used during the production process.The two-year alliance will raise awareness of how workers are exposed to diisocyantes and isocyantes through web-based training.“OSHA’s new alliance with ACC will help ensure that employers and employees who work with the identified chemicals better understand the health hazards associated with these potentially hazardous chemicals, and the methods to control employee exposures,” said Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Loren Sweatt.Isocyanates are raw materials used to make polyurethane products such as insulation, car seats, foam mattresses, shoes and adhesives, according to OSHA. Exposure to isocyanates can cause irritation of the skin and mucous membranes, chest tightness and difficulty breathing  as well as more serious health effects such asthma and other lung problems.In addition to a web-based training program, the organizations will publish guidance on medical surveillance and clinical evaluation techniques for employers and workers using the chemicals. The agreement also calls for best practices seminars on health and safety procedures for OSHA, on-site consultation, and state plan staff.The ACC comprises the Center for the Polyurethanes Industry (CPI) as well as the diisocyanates and aliphatic diisocyanates panels. Members of these groups include manufacturers and distributors of chemicals and equipment used to make polyurethane, according to the organization.

Pre-qualifying contractors ensures a better overall safety process, according to a new report from the NSC.The report, which utilized data from the BROWZ contractor database, investigated if suppliers, contractors, and vendors recognized the value of participation in pre-qualification programs. “Contract workers are a vulnerable population – often performing higher risk jobs in worksites with little to no management supervision,” said Amy Harper, PhD, Journey to Safety Excellence & NSC workplace strategy director in a statement. “A best practice for employers is to have a formal contractor management program that helps “qualify” contractors to meet standards set by the hiring organization. It is encouraging to see this report confirm that these types of programs appear to help protect the contactors in our nation’s workforce.”The contractors in the study were found to have better average total recordable rates (TRR), days away, restricted or transferred (DART) rates and lost workday rates (LWR) within individual industries and all industries as a whole, according to the organization.The hypotheses which were examined included:Contractors in any two-digit industry code will have a better average TRR, DART and LWR than the industry as a whole.The Bureau of Labor Statistics population in any two-digit industry code will have a stronger annual rate of improvement in TRR, DART and LWR than contractors in the same two-digit industry code.Contractors will have better average TRR, DART and LWR than cross-industry averages.Contractors will not see greater improvement in TRR, DART and LWR the more years they have been part of the BROWZ universe as compared to the BLS.Contractors in group A (contractors outperforming industry) will have a smaller annual rate of improvement in TRR, DART and LWR than BROWZ contractors in group B (contractors underperforming industry).Detailed results of each hypothesis are outlined in the report which can be found on NSC’s website.