8. Industrial Accidents WHAT ARE INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENTS? Industrial disasters or accidents, which are disasters caused by industrial companies, either by accident, negligence or incompetence. They are a form of industrial accident where great damage, injury or loss of life are caused. Other disasters can also be considered industrial disasters, if their causes are rooted in the products or processes of industry. For example, the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 was made more severe due to the heavy concentration of lumber industry, wood houses, fuel and other chemicals in a small area.
9. Industrial Accidents Impact & Elements at risk Science there is little or no warning of an industrial/chemical accidents, the loss incurred is very high. There is a huge loss to life, property, livelihood and environment. Hazardous materials in various forms can cause death, serious injury, and damage to buildings, homes and other properties. The areas close to an industrial setup are under immediate threat. People working in that industry or people residing in the neighboring areas are normally affected. There has been large number of incidents where the farmers have faced the brunt of crop loss because of the toxic gases released by the industries into the air or polluting the water.
11. Examples of Industrial Accidents:-2/7 September 21, 1921: Oppau explosion in Germany. Occurred when a tower silo storing 4,500 tones of a mixture of ammonium sulfate and ammonium nitrate fertilizer exploded at a BASF plant in Oppau, now part of Ludwigshafen, Germany, killing 500–600 people and injuring about 2,000 more. December 3, 1984: The Bhopal disaster in India is one of the largest industrial disaster on record. A faulty tank containing poisonous methyl isocyanate leaked at a Union Carbide plant. Estimates of its death toll range from 4,000 to 20,000. Chemical Industry Industrial Accidents
12. Examples of Industrial Accidents:-3/7 Construction Industry April 27, 1978: Willow Island disaster. A cooling tower for a power plant under construction in Willow Island, West Virginia collapsed, killing 51 construction workers. The cause was attributed to placing loads on recently poured concrete before it had cured sufficiently to withstand the loads. It is thought to be the largest construction accident in United States history Industrial Accidents
13. Examples of Industrial Accidents:-4/7 Defense Industry July 17, 1944: Port Chicago Disaster. A munitions explosion that killed 320 people occurred at the Port Chicago Naval Magazine in Port Chicago, California. August 9, 1965: Little Rock AFB in Searcy, Arkansas. 53 contract workers were killed during a fire at a Titan missile silo. The cause of the fire was determined to be a welding rod damaging a hydraulic hose allowing hydraulic vapors to leak and spread throughout silo, which were then ignited by an open flame source. Industrial Accidents
14. Examples of Industrial Accidents:-5/7 Energy Industry May 1962: The Centralia, Pennsylvania coal mine fire began, forcing the gradual evacuation of the Centralia borough. The fire continues to burn in the abandoned borough in 2010, 48 years later. March 1967: The Torrey Canyon oil supertanker was shipwrecked off the western coast of Cornwall, England, causing an environmental disaster. This was the first major oil spill at sea. Industrial Accidents
15. Examples of Industrial Accidents:-6/7 Manufacturing Industry May 13, 2000: Enschede fireworks disaster. A fire and explosion at a fireworks depot in Enschede, Netherlands leaves 22 people dead and 947 injured. About 1,500 homes are damaged or destroyed. The damage is estimated to be over US$ 300 million in insured losses. April 18, 2007: Qinghe Special Steel Corporation disaster. A ladle holding molten steel separated from the overhead iron rail, fell, tipped, and killed 32 workers, injuring another 6. Industrial Accidents
16. Examples of Industrial Accidents:-7/7 Mining Industry January 30, 2000: Baia Mare cyanide spill took place in Baia Mare, Romania. The accident, called the worst environmental disaster in Europe since Chernobyl, was a release of 100,000 tons of cyanide contaminated water by a Aurul mining company due to reservoir broke into the rivers Someş, Tisza and Danube. Although no human fatalities were reported, the leak killed up to 80% of aquatic life of some of the affected rivers. Industrial Accidents
18. Case study 1 The Bhopal disaster was one of the world's worst industrial catastrophes. It occurred on the night of December 2–3, 1984 at the Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL)pesticide plant in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India. The leakage caused many short term health effects in the surrounding areas. Apart from MIC, the gas cloud may have contained phosgene, hydrogen cyanide, carbon monoxide, hydrogen chloride,oxides of nitrogen, monomethyl amine (MMA) and carbon dioxide, either produced in the storage tank or in the atmosphere. In November 1984, most of the safety systems were not functioning. Many valves and lines were in poor condition. Tank 610 contained 42 tons of MIC, much more than safety rules allowed.[3] During the nights of 2–3 December, a large amount of water entered tank 610. Arunaway reaction started, which was accelerated by contaminants, high temperatures and other factors. The reaction generated a major increase in the temperature inside the tank to over 200 °C (400 °F). This forced the emergency venting of pressure from the MIC holding tank, releasing a large volume of toxic gases. The reaction was sped up by the presence of iron from corroding non-stainless steel pipelines. Industrial Accidents
19. Case study 2 IR. David Kaufman, a partner in the Litigation Section, successfully represented Honeywell, Inc., a defendant in litigation brought by workers who were injured and the estates of workers who were killed in the largest industrial accident in the history of Mississippi. In May 2002, an explosion occurred at the Rouse Polymeric rubber recycling facility in Vicksburg, resulting in a number of fatalities and multiple injuries to the workers. A number of lawsuits were brought in Warren County Circuit Court against several defendants, including Honeywell, Inc., seeking millions of dollars in damages for each injured worker and the estates of the workers killed in the accident. Mr. Kaufman aggressively pursued and obtained summary judgment from the Court on behalf of Honeywell; Honeywell was dismissed only nine months after being joined as a defendant while discovery was in its early stages. This is the second major explosion case that Mr. Kaufman successfully defended for a Brunini client. Mr. Kaufman previously was lead counsel for Mississippi Chemical Corporation in litigation arising out of the massive explosion of an ammonium nitrate manufacturing facility located in Sioux City, Iowa, the largest identified accident in the history of that state. Mr. Kaufman and his Brunini team not only successfully defended against the claims brought against their client, but they also recovered a multi-million dollar judgment against the manufacturers on Mississippi Chemical’s defamation claim Industrial Accidents
21. Hazard Mapping Inventories and maps of storage locations of toxins or hazardous substance along with the possible characteristics should be displayed and known to all. The community staying in the immediate vicinity should be aware of this hazard and its possible effects in case of an accident. The map should determine the area that may get affected in case an accident occurs. A safe route for evacuation in case of emergency should be marked on the map. Industrial Accidents
22. Land use planning Densely populated residential areas should be located at a distance from industrial areas. A buffer zone should separate the industrial and the residential zone. Better planning is required to handle the waste that is generated so that the environment is not affected. Safe disposal methods should be planned before setting up any industry. Waste disposal sites should be identified as part of the planning process. Industrial Accidents
23. Community preparedness The community should be aware of the hazardous installations and know how to combat the situation. The local community has to be informed about the response steps to be taken in case of an accident. Community members should monitor the pollution levels of the industry and participate in mock drills for evacuation. Industrial Accidents
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