News - October 2011

World news round-up

31st October 2011

Ammonia leak follows meat plant explosion

A meat plant explosion in Anglesey has resulted in two workers being taken to hospital, while ammonia has also leaked from the facility as a result. ...

31st October 2011

Power station explosion leads to oil leak fears

An explosion at a power station in Australia could have caused damage costing tens of millions of dollars to repair, with fears it may cause oil to ...

28th October 2011

Safer storage tanks called for following explosions

Storage tanks need to be made safer following a spate of explosions in the US, according to a report released by federal regulators this week. Some ...

28th October 2011

Investigation launched into Texas Tech explosion

An investigation has been launched into an explosion at Texas Tech University in the US that led to students and staff being evacuated from the ...

27th October 2011

Oil spill kills 300 fish

An oil spill at the Port of Portland has resulted in the deaths of around 300 fish, while an investigation into the incident has been launched. ...

27th October 2011

Chemical spray leads to factory evacuation

Workers were evacuated from a factory due to emergency procedures following a chemical spray, with three members of staff taken to hospital to be ...

27th October 2011

Burst pipe 'leaves 1,400 without gas'

Hazard identification methods may need to be examined after a pipeline burst in Manchester, leaving hundreds of local homes without access to gas. ...

26th October 2011

Gas leak 'capped' in Dorset

A gas leak in Dorset that led local residents to be evacuated from their homes as a result of emergency procedures has now been capped. Purbeck ...

26th October 2011

No workers hurt in oil upgrader explosion

An explosion at an oil upgrader in Venezuela did not result in injuries to any members of staff at the facility. A source at the plant told Reuters ...

25th October 2011

Gas line ruptured during testing

A major gas line in the US has ruptured during testing of the pipe. The Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) gas transmission line, which serves the ...

25th October 2011

Workers taken to hospital after factory explosion

A pair of members of staff at a factory in the US have been taken to hospital as a result of injuries sustained in an explosion at the location. ...

25th October 2011

New rules unveiled to reduce oil spill risks

A set of new regulations is being introduced to the oil industry in order to avoid a recurrence of incidents such as the BP Deepwater Horizon oil ...

24th October 2011

US restaurant destroyed in explosion

An explosion at a restaurant in the US has destroyed the building, although no people were hurt in the incident. It is thought that the noise from ...

24th October 2011

2,500 litres of oil leak from tanker

Thousands of litres of oil were spilled in an accident in the south of England, which led to the Environment Agency having to be called in to deal ...

21st October 2011

Oil leak vessel 'remains in precarious position'

The stricken MV Rena ship is still in a precarious position as workers try to pump tonnes of oil off the vessel, which is breaking up. Maritime New ...

21st October 2011

Staff evacuated from factory after dust explosion

Workers at a Scottish factory had to be evacuated as a result of emergency procedures following an explosion at the location. Staff at Bairds Malt in ...

20th October 2011

Oil pumping resumes at Rena leak

Officials are working hard to resume the pumping of oil from the stricken Rena tanker off the coast of New Zealand after a previous attempt to ...

20th October 2011

Metal thieves blamed for gas explosion

Metal thieves have been blamed by police in the north-west of England for a gas explosion at a block of flats in the region. According to the Runcorn ...

19th October 2011

Chinese coasts to be inspected for oil spill risks

Investigations are to take place on the Chinese coast to see if there is any damage caused by recent oil spills that reached the shores of the Asian ...

19th October 2011

School closed following chemical gas explosion

A school in Dubai is currently closed as a result of gas in the air following an explosion involving chemicals at a nearby warehouse. According to ...

18th October 2011

Worker still critically injured following refinery explosion

A Canadian worker who suffered burns in an explosion at an oil refinery remains in a critical condition almost two weeks after the incident at the ...

18th October 2011

Questions raised over emergency procedures after gas leak

A gas leak in Nevada City has led to questions being asked about the emergency procedures at the location. It is believed the incident occurred when ...

17th October 2011

Beach given all clear after oil spill

The oil spill from the MV Rena cargo ship has not caused damage to a New Zealand beach, which has received the green light to reopen following ...

17th October 2011

Gas explosion fears lead to rejection for recycling plant plans

Fears over gas explosions have led to plans for a new recycling plant in the Midlands to be cancelled. According to the Health and Safety Executive ...

14th October 2011

Safety checks 'were carried out' before food festival explosions

The organisers of the Manchester Food and Drink Festival have confirmed that safety checks were carried out on gas cylinders in Albert Square before ...

14th October 2011

Gas cylinder blamed for explosion

An explosion involving gas cylinders at a fast food shop in the Midlands caused extensive damage to the building, perhaps leading to questions about ...

13th October 2011

Fire risk assessment reveals problems at community centre

Some £20,000 of funds have been made available to fix issues at a community centre that were highlighted by a fire risk assessment at the ...

13th October 2011

Firms urged to carry out fire risk assessment

Companies have been told that they need to carry out a fire risk assessment. According to Lee Shears, community fire protection department group ...

12th October 2011

Process safety management 'must exceed OSHA guidelines'

Process safety management guidelines outlined by the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) must be exceeded, rather than just met, ...

12th October 2011

Fire risk assessment leads to removal of clutter from flats

A fire risk assessment at a block of flats in Greater Manchester has led to a number of elderly residents losing furniture as it was deemed a safety ...

11th October 2011

Hazard identification methods criticised at masonry contractor

Hazard identification methods not being up to scratch have led to a masonry contractor being fined a total of $164,120 (£105,000). The US ...

11th October 2011

HSE to offer asbestos advice

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has revealed it is set to offer advice regarding the handling of asbestos to hundreds of tradesmen. Thousands ...

10th October 2011

Oil refinery union to focus on process safety management

Process safety management is to be under the spotlight at an oil refinery union in the US. United Steelworkers International vice-president Gary ...

7th October 2011

Dealership completes hazard management course

A dealership has revealed it has passed a hazard identification and management course as it seeks to improve health and safety standards. Stewart ...

6th October 2011

Hazard identification methods under question after shops blaze

A blaze at a row of shops in Kidderminster has resulted in hazard identification methods being reviewed to make sure there is no risk of a similar ...

6th October 2011

Education courses to cover process safety management

Education courses relating to process safety management are being run by a university in the Middle East. Texas A&M University at Qatar has been ...

5th October 2011

Workers hospitalised after Surrey factory explosion

Process safety management may be investigated at a factory in Surrey after an explosion at the facility led to eight people being taken to hospital ...

4th October 2011

Programme designed to meet process safety management standards

Process safety management standards could be met through a new scheme that has been launched in order to aid contractors. According to a report by ...

3rd October 2011

School to be subject of fire risk assessment

A fire risk assessment is set to be conducted at a school in Scotland in order to check whether the building is safe or not. Officers have been ...