News - February 2011

World news round-up

28th February 2011

Safety critical systems 'prevented severe building damage'

Safety critical systems were able to prevent a US factory that caught light from severe damage, fire crews have reported. The Evansville facility was ...

25th February 2011

Dispersion modelling indicates potential dangers of natural gas production

Dispersion modelling has been used to work out the possible harm caused by carbon disulfide pollution from natural gas production in the US. The ...

25th February 2011

Fire protection needed as paper factory gutted

Fire protection measures swung into action at a paper mill in India this week when a fire swept through the premises, seriously damaging one of the ...

24th February 2011

Emergency procedures in place as textiles factory burns

Emergency procedures were put in place after fire broke out at a textiles factory in Birmingham yesterday (February 23rd). Around 60 emergency ...

24th February 2011

Critical task analysis in place as poisoned Apple workers compensated?

Critical task analysis could throw light on ways to keep staff safe, as it emerges workers making Apple touch screens in Taiwan have been compensated ...

23rd February 2011

Emergency procedures follow chemical fire in Worcestershire

Emergency procedures were put in place after a facility containing chemicals set alight in Worcestershire yesterday (February 22nd), with multiple ...

23rd February 2011

Critical task analysis carried out at packaging plant fire?

Critical task analysis might be carried out following a serious fire at a packaging plant in Michigan, US, on Tuesday (February 22nd). A ...

22nd February 2011

Environmental risk assessment needed as car wreckers burns?

Environmental risk assessment could be in order after a fire at a used automobile facility was gutted by flames yesterday (February 21st). Fire ...

22nd February 2011

COMAH chief: Vapour cloud explosion caused Buncefield blast

A vapour cloud explosion was behind the blast that ripped through the Buncefield Oil Storage Depot five years ago, causing more than $1.6 billion ...

21st February 2011

Fire precautions taken as plastics facility burns

Fire precautions were taken after a plastic recycling factory in India caught fire today (February 21st). Staff were on site at the time and ...

21st February 2011

Frequency assessment needed as Turkey suffers fourth catastrophe in a month?

Frequency assessment might be important for industrial firms in Turkey, as an explosion at a natural gas site brings the number of fatal incidents to ...

18th February 2011

Human reliability assessment needed as staff try to tackle factory blaze?

A human reliability assessment could help owners ensure safety standards are optimised, as a member of staff attempted to put out a fire in a former ...

18th February 2011

Fire protection needed as Wimblington factory burns

Fire protection is essential for those tackling a blaze at an industrial facility located near March in Cambridgeshire. Hazard identification may not ...

18th February 2011

Consequence modelling essential as PG&E doubles gas explosion cost estimate?

Consequence modelling may be useful for firms working in the gas industry, as US company PG&E Corporation yesterday (February 17th) doubled the ...

17th February 2011

Critical task analysis carried out as welding sparks blaze?

Critical task analysis could be in order for the owners of a cargo ship, as welders carrying out repair work accidentally sparked a fire that killed ...

17th February 2011

Safety critical systems used as Toyota factory ignites?

Safety critical systems may have been brought into action on Tuesday (February 15th), as a car-making factory reportedly caught light. Owned by ...

17th February 2011

Emergency procedures fight fire in Delhi factory

Emergency procedures swung into action after a factory in Delhi, India, caught fire earlier this week. No one was injured when the PVC-making ...

16th February 2011

New human factor studies 'will allow accurate risk assessment'

New human factors studies carried out jointly by the Energy Institute, Lloyd's Register and the UK Health and Safety Executive will allow ...

16th February 2011

Fire precautions taken in Wolverhampton factory blaze

Fire precautions were put in place when a factory in Wolverhampton filled with flames earlier this week, although no one was hurt in the incident. ...

15th February 2011

Environmental aspects contribute to lethal gas explosion?

Environmental aspects could have contributed to a gas explosion in the US last week that killed five people and caused extensive damage. Authorities ...

14th February 2011

Safety critical systems 'crudely violated' at Russian warehouse fire

Safety critical systems were ignored or inadequate at a warehouse in the Russian city of Perm, where 16 people have died and one is still missing. ...

14th February 2011

REACH compliance equivalent useful as India Chemical plant shut down?

REACH compliance-style regulations might be welcomed by authorities in India, as they have been forced to shut down a chemical plant after fire ...

11th February 2011

Emergency procedures adopted following toxic leak

Emergency procedures were put in place today (February 11th) after an incident at an industrial estate in Clitheroe, Lancashire, released clouds of ...

11th February 2011

Hazard identification evacuated prison before gas explosion

Hazard identification allowed authorities to evacuate a prison around 15 minutes before an explosion occurred, following reports of a strong smell of ...

10th February 2011

Environmental risk assessment essential as on site materials stoke factory fire

The importance of environmental risk assessment has been underlined by a fatal fire in Malaysia, where emergency crews say materials stored in the ...

10th February 2011

SIL determination needed after fire guts Bangladeshi shoe factory?

SIL determination might help owners ensure they provide a safe working environment, after fire broke out at a shoe factory in Old Dhaka, Bangladesh. ...

9th February 2011

Fire precautions taken as natural gas and chemical factory burns

Fire precautions were put in place after a blaze started at a natural gas and chemical factory in Texas. Emergency workers cleared a two-mile radius ...

9th February 2011

Human reliability assessment to follow chemical explosion?

A human reliability assessment may be carried out at a factory in Florida, after a man mixing chemicals caused an explosion and was seriously ...

9th February 2011

Could consequence modelling avoid $100,000 fine?

Consequence modelling may be important for firms hoping to avoid fines, as two companies in the US may be forced to pay more than $100,000 ...

9th February 2011

Hazard identification essential as phosphorous tanks explode?

Hazard identification could help firefighters tackling a blaze at a factory in Maldon that broke out yesterday (February 8th), as six crews were ...

8th February 2011

Fire precautions "worked efficiently" despite smoke devastation

Fire precaution systems that warned occupants when a factory blaze started in North Wales operated efficiently, but could not prevent severe smoke ...

8th February 2011

Fire prevention fails as 9 crews battle factory blaze

Fire prevention measures have apparently failed at a factory in Whittlesey, Cambridgeshire, as teams have been working through the night to bring a ...

7th February 2011

Vapour cloud explosion sparked lethal chemical blast in India?

A vapour cloud explosion may have been behind a fatal blast at a clothing factory in India where at least 12 people died after fire tore through the ...

4th February 2011

Fire protection used at North Yorkshire chemical leak?

Fire protection equipment may be being used by response teams who tackled a chemical leak on an industrial estate in North Yorkshire yesterday ...

4th February 2011

Rhine reopens following chemical tanker accident

A risk assessment may have been carried out before the decision was made to fully reopen the River Rhine three weeks after it was closed following a ...

3rd February 2011

Fire risk assessment needed after emergency workers sustain burns?

A fire risk assessment could have helped prevent injuries sustained by four fire brigade workers while they were tackling a blaze in the Indian ...

2nd February 2011

Research into safer chemical manufacturing set to begin

Research into making chemical manufacturing processes inherently safer in the US - potentially by improving hazard identification - is set to get ...

1st February 2011

Emergency procedures training at Goodyear site 'was lacking'

Inadequate training on how to follow emergency procedures has been identified as one failing at a Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company site in Houston, ...

1st February 2011

'New approach needed' to analysing chemical disasters

A new approach to analysing the reasons behind disasters such as the Gulf of Mexico oil spill and Bhopal chemical accident in India is required, ...