News - December 2010

World news round-up

31st December 2010

North Carolina nuclear power plant to change fire precautions approach

A nuclear power plant in North Carolina is taking further fire precautions by switching to a new automated system that will detect a blaze. ...

30th December 2010

Transocean 'will not hand over Gulf oil spill documents'

The company that owns the oil rig that exploded and prompted the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is refusing to hand over documents to a US federal ...

29th December 2010

Inadequate risk assessment training 'contributed to Deepwater Horizon accident'

Poor risk assessment training and overly-complicated emergency systems contributed to the deaths of workers on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig in the ...

29th December 2010

Risk assessment revisions needed at Roche Colorado plant?

Improved risk assessment procedures may be required at one manufacturing plant in Boulder, Colorado, after staff were evacuated following a flammable ...

29th December 2010

Gujarat to get oil accident response centres

Environmental risk assessment in the Indian state of Gujarat is set to be improved by the introduction of a pair of emergency response centres ...

24th December 2010

First Philippine Industrial allays pipeline fire worries

Antoinio Mabasa of the First Philippine Industrial Corporation has moved to allay fears that an oil explosion similar to the one that recently ...

23rd December 2010

Workers killed by gas leak at Chinese manganese plant

Improved risk assessment may be needed at a manganese plant in China after a deadly toxic gas was released. Xinhua reports that three workers were ...

23rd December 2010

Enbridge revises oil spill figures

The amount of crude oil spilt when a pipeline ruptured near Marshall, Michigan earlier this year was greater than previously expected, owner Enbridge ...

22nd December 2010

US Court of Appeals overturns biofuel legislation argument

A review of risk assessment procedures at fuel production sites may be needed after an appeal from the oil industry regarding new rules over the ...

22nd December 2010

EC updates chemical accident rules

New rules aimed at reducing the major accidents involving chemicals may result in companies needing to introduce more stringent risk management ...

21st December 2010

US toxic chemical releases decline

Improved risk assessment may be one reason why the amount of toxic chemicals released in the US dropped in 2009. According to data from the ...

21st December 2010

PTTEP Australasia admits oil spill reached Indonesian water

The oil leak that resulted from an explosion a rig in the Montara field caused a leak that reached an Indonesia-owned area of the Timor Sea, the ...

21st December 2010

National Transportation Safety Board may hold San Bruno gas explosion hearing

Witnesses may be called to a hearing in early 2011 as federal investigators continue to look into the cause of a natural gas pipeline fire that ...

20th December 2010

Fire protection gear needed for central Mexico oil blast?

Fire protection equipment may have been used by rescue workers following a deadly explosion at an oil pipeline in central Mexico. At least 27 people ...

20th December 2010

Fire prevention keeps South Korea refinery operating?

Fire prevention may have helped keep an oil refinery in South Korea in operation, despite an explosion that caused one fatality. A blast occurred at ...

17th December 2010

Overturned chemical tanker 'was only half full'

An accident in which a chemical tanker overturned in south-west Austin, Texas, may have been caused by the fact that the vehicle was only half full. ...

17th December 2010

Metal dust 'may have caused West Virginia chemical explosion'

A fatal explosion at a chemical plant in New Cumberland, West Virginia, may have been caused by metal dust, the lead investigator into the incident ...

17th December 2010

Chevron sanctions Gulf of Mexico drilling project

Stringent emergency procedures are likely to be in place at a new drilling development in the Gulf of Mexico that has been sanctioned by Chevron. ...

16th December 2010

Toronto chemical firms to require consequence assessment?

Chemical firms with manufacturing facilities in the Manse Valley area of Scarborough, Toronto may need to conduct a consequence assessment after ...

16th December 2010

Firefighters respond to Burton upon Trent chemical spill

An enhanced fire prevention strategy may be needed at a chemical plant in Burton upon Trent, Derbyshire, after firefighters had to respond to a ...

16th December 2010

Deepwater Horizon Emergency procedures 'not focused on preventing major accidents'

Emergency procedures at the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig focused on the safety of workers rather than preventing major incidents, an investigator ...

15th December 2010

Risk assessment needed on ageing Gulf oil equipment?

Oil companies operating in the Gulf of Mexico may need to carry out a risk assessment on their equipment, after it was suggested that ageing ...

15th December 2010

Emergency procedure failure cited as reason for Pennsylvania chemical spill

Failures in implementing emergency procedures have been cited as a reason for a fatal chemical leak that occurred at a plant in Pennsylvania, South ...

14th December 2010

Investigation into West Virginia metal facility explosion gets underway

Investigators from the US Chemical Safety Board have begun an enquiry into a fatal accident at a titanium and zirconium processing site in West ...

14th December 2010

Louisiana oil refineries 'see ten accidents per week'

Oil refineries in the US state of Louisiana may need to step up their hazard identification and risk assessment protocols in order to reduce their ...

13th December 2010

Firefighters respond to BP plant blaze

Improved fire risk assessment may be needed at a BP plant in Scotland, where over 30 firefighters had to attend a blaze over the weekend. The ...

10th December 2010

Risk assessment behind BP's Libya drilling delay?

More stringent risk assessment may be behind BP's decision to delay plans to carry out deepwater drilling off the coast of Libya. The Financial ...

10th December 2010

France agrochemical sector to need further consequence assessment?

More stringent consequence assessment may be required in France's agrochemical sector, which is expected to expand over the next two years. ...

9th December 2010

BPA presence on banknotes due to poor risk assessment?

Poor risk assessment may be to blame for the large amount of a harmful chemical that is found on many banknotes in the US. This is according to new ...

8th December 2010

Improved risk assessment needed for US oil and gas industry?

Extensive safety changes - such as improved risk assessment - must be made to the oil and gas industry, a lead investigator into the BP Gulf of ...

8th December 2010

Canadian Coast Guard 'has neglected oil spill risk assessment'

The Canadian Coast Guard has not carried out a national risk assessment relating to oil spills from ships for a decade, a new report has revealed. A ...

7th December 2010

Gulf of Mexico spill investigation nearly over

An investigation to find the parties responsible for the Gulf of Mexico oil spill is drawing to a close in the US. A federal panel is set to get ...

7th December 2010

Hazard identification to be examined in North Sea leak investigation?

The extent to which sufficient hazard identification was undertaken may be covered in an investigation currently taking place regarding a hydrocarbon ...

6th December 2010

Hazard identification 'required at Haifa Bay sites'

Further hazard identification and fire precautions may be needed at sites storing hazardous materials in Israel, after the government admitted it is ...

3rd December 2010

Denmark postpones HCB shipment arrival

Further hazard identification checks are to be carried out before Denmark allows a shipment of toxic chemical waste coming from Australia to arrive ...

2nd December 2010

Environmental aspects influence US on Gulf of Mexico drilling decision

Concerns over the environmental aspects associated with offshore drilling have resulted in the US government stating it will not allow the expansion ...

1st December 2010

Environmental risk assessment to help prevent repeat of Deepwater Horizon spill?

An improved environmental risk assessment may be one step companies can take to avoid a repeat of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill that occurred ...