OSHA Inspection: UNION CARBIDE CHEMICALS & PLASTICS

Issued

Jun 30, 1992

Abate by

Jul 3, 1992

Penalty

Initial $7,000 · Current $7,000

General-duty citation text

Section 5(a)(1) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970:  The
employer did not furnish employment and a place of employment which
were free from recognized hazards that were causing or likely to cause
death or serious physical harm to employees in that employees were
exposed to fire/explosion and inhalation hazards causing multi injuries
and/or death:
a.   Powerhouse - Ketene Knockout Pot - Water and steam were
inadvertently introduced into the ketene knockout pot.
The water and steam being incompatible with the reactive
materials in the vessel, facilitated the start of an
uncontrolled exothermic reaction.   The following operating
conditions contributed to this hazard:
a)  in that the employer only calculated the size of the
emergency relief device for an external fire and did not
take into consideration the potential for an internal
reaction although some of the contents of the pot were
reactive to water.
b)  in that the ketene pot was not equipped with temperature
gauges, temperature alarms or pressure alarms to alert
employees of any dangerous conditions.
c)  in that the employer did not repair nor remove from
service the ketene knockout pot with a shell thickness of
3/16 of an inch which had an area approximately 6"x6"
that did not meet the 1/16 inch corrosion allowance which
was calculated and established by the manufacturers of the
vessel nor was it put in an appropriate inspection schedule.
d)  in that the safety relief device of the ketene knockout
pot was designed to /vent hazardous/flammable material
into the atmosphere where there were sources of ignition.
e)  in that the units Operational Safety Standards did not
address the hazardous reactions that could occur in the
Island Power House knockout pots if water was to get in
them.
Among other methods, one feasible and acceptable abatement
method to correct the hazard would be to:
a)  re evaluate the size and capacity of the emergency relief
systems for the ketene knockout pot using the methodology by
the AICHE's Design Institute for Emergency Relief System
(DIERS) with the credible worst case senario.
b)  install operable temperature gauges, temperature alarms
or pressure alarms to alert employees.
c)  follow the manufacturers calculated corrision allowances.
d)  vent the hazardous/flammable materials to a flare.
e)  address in the Operational Safety Standards for that
particular unit the hazardous reactions that could occur in the
Island Power House knockout pots if water were to be introduced
into them.

Issued

Jun 30, 1992

Abate by

Jul 3, 1992

Penalty

Initial $7,000 · Current $7,000

General-duty citation text

Section 5(a)(1) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970:  The
employer did not furnish employment and a place of employment which
were free from recognized hazards that were causing or likely to cause
death or serious physical harm to employees in that employees were
exposed to fire/explosion hazards causing multi injuries and/or death:
a.   Powerhouse - The liquid seals of the ketene knockout pot
and the absorber knockout pot which were made up of
fuel oil and were used in lieu of flame arrestors, were
not maintained according to the employees standard operating
procedures.  The ketene knockout pot had been blown dry
and put back in service while the absorber pot had only
3 gallons of fuel oil at the time of the accident.  The
following conditions contributed to the hazard;
a)  operators were not trained in the revised Standard
Operating Procedure dated June 28, 1991 which explained
and directed employees in the appropriate manner in which
they were to attain the fuel oil.
b)  the law level trips were not operable in that the
ketene pot was blown dry and put back in service while the
absorber pot only had 3 gallons of fuel oil according to
the employee's sampling after the accident.
c)  the employer did not implement a routine maintenance
program for the ketene and the absorber knockout pots
low level trips to insure their operability which was
critical in maintaining the appropriate liquid seal
consisting of fuel oil.
Among other methods, one feasible an acceptable abatement
method to correct the hazards would be to:
a)  train all powerhouse operators in the revised SOP dated
June 28, 1991 in the manner in which they are to attain
fuel oil,
b)  require powerhouse operators to purge the pots completely
dry each time they reacht he high level alarm (80) and then
establish the required 30liquid seal and;
c)  the employer could establish and implement a routine
maintenance program for the low level trips such as they
did with the high level trips to insure their operability
which is critical in maintaining the appropriate liquid seal
consisting of fuel oil.

Issued

Jun 30, 1992

Abate by

Aug 3, 1992

Penalty

Initial $2,500 · Current $2,500

Issued

Jun 30, 1992

Abate by

Aug 3, 1992

Penalty

Initial $5,000 · Current $5,000

Issued

Jun 30, 1992

Abate by

Jul 23, 1992

Penalty

Initial $5,000 · Current $5,000

Issued

Jun 30, 1992

Abate by

Jul 23, 1992

Issued

Jun 30, 1992

Abate by

Jul 23, 1992

Penalty

Initial $5,000 · Current $5,000

Issued

Jun 30, 1992

Abate by

Jul 23, 1992

Penalty

Initial $5,000 · Current $5,000

Issued

Jun 30, 1992

Abate by

Jul 23, 1992

Penalty

Initial $2,000 · Current $2,000

Issued

Jun 30, 1992

Abate by

Aug 3, 1992

Penalty

Initial $5,000 · Current $5,000

Issued

Jun 30, 1992

Abate by

Jul 23, 1992

Issued

Jun 30, 1992

Abate by

Jul 3, 1992

Penalty

Initial $2,500 · Current $2,500

Issued

Jun 30, 1992

Abate by

Jul 8, 1992

Penalty

Initial $50,000 · Current $50,000

Issued

Jun 30, 1992

Abate by

Jul 20, 1992

Penalty

Initial $31,500 · Current $31,500

Issued

Jun 30, 1992

Abate by

Jul 13, 1992

Penalty

Initial $17,500 · Current $17,500

Issued

Jun 30, 1992

Abate by

Jul 23, 1992

Issued

Jun 30, 1992

Abate by

Jul 23, 1992

Issued

Jun 30, 1992

Abate by

Jul 23, 1992

Issued

Jun 30, 1992

Abate by

Jul 23, 1992

Issued

Jun 30, 1992

Abate by

Jul 3, 1992