1.

Safety policy

2.

Applicable safety regulations

3.

Compliance status on safety regulations

4.

New safety regulation

5.

Incident and accident investigation

6.

Safety audit findings

7.

OHSAS 18001 surveillance findings

8.

Safety patrol finding

9.

Personal protective equipments

10. Eye protection

11. Hearing protection
12. Hand and foot injuries
13. Risk assessment for new plant facility
14. On-way traffic control in the plant site
15. Pressure vessel regular testing
16. Working around electricity
17. Emergency response procedure
18. Construction safety
19. Working in a confined space
20. Lockout and tag-out programs
21. Heat stress
22. Hazards identification or recognition
23. How to read Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS)
24. How to handle compressed gas safely
25. Hazardous material preservation and handling

26. Slips, trips and falls

27. Near miss incident reporting
28. Fire extinguisher usage
29. Safety precaution in case of fire
30. Maintenance of fire fighting equipments
31. Safety control for the transformer yard
32. Fire fighting placement and location indication
33. Self-inspection system
34. Chemical exposure control
35. Safety training program
36. Gas cylinder control and protection
37. Hazardous material symbol and label implementation
38. Loss control report issued by plant insurance company
39. Safety work permit system

15 REASONS WHY CHEMICAL PLANT SAFETY IS

IMPORTANT?
chemical plant potentially suffering from illness, injuries even death.
In fact, chemical plants are full of potential hazards and could cause accidents and disasters if they are not
treated properly. Hazards may come from hazardous chemicals, electrical, high temperature, high pressure,
unsafe acts and conditions, work at elevated area, etc. Hence, safety in a chemical plant holds an important
role.
There may be hundreds of reason why safety in chemical plant is vitally important. And the list below is
only a part of them. Indeed, I intend to remind about importance of safety and why we have to make safety
become the first consideration in mind.
1.

Safety protects workers, employers and all people in the plant including strangers from illness, injuries
or death.

2.

Ensuring survival of companys business.

3.

It prevents companys property and facility from damage.

4.

It enhances companys reputation.

5.

It teaches people in the plant how to work safely.

6.

It helps company to achieve its targets and objective.

7.

Keeping company away from law suits and penalties.

8.

It keeps workers to feel comport, happy and safe.

9.

Company will be avoided from unnecessary cost.

10. It keeps workers awareness alive.

11. Safety teaches everyone in the plant to pay attention to their workplaces and surrounding.
12. It keeps customers confidence to do business with the company.
13. Safety program is a cost-effective decision for the company.
14. Safety is able to reduce employees turn over and increase productivity.
15. Safety can prevent production process interruption and shut down.
I do understand that the list is too short to show you how important safety is. Your feedback and comment will
add value to the list. Please leave them in the comment form and I am willing to revise the list accordingly.It is
no doubt that workers who are working in

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT EYE

WASHER
Why Eye Washers Important
Eye washer is one of the most important safety equipments in the workplace. In the area where chemicals are
used, stored, loaded/unloaded and transported, eye washers are required since splash hazard potentially could
happen. They can prevent eyes from getting injured due to chemical splash.
According to CDC (Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention) in year 2000 there were 300,000 work-related
eye injuries in the United States. 70% of all eye injuries cases were mainly caused by contact with materials or
objects. Chemicals or chemical products exposures were responsible for 14% from those cases.
Even though every worker who works with various kinds of chemicals has used eye goggles and or face shield,
but there is still possible for the worker to get eye injury due to chemical exposures. And eye washer, in this
case, helps the eyes from getting damaged, i.e. by diluting chemical that comes into it with plenty of water,
before getting further medical treatment in hospital.
Things to Consider When Installing Eye Washers

There are several factors that you need to take into your consideration when you plan to install eye washers for
the workplace. In general, the bigger the work area the more eye washers will be required. And the more
complicated the work area the more eye washers need to be installed.
Read the following tips for better installation, operation and maintenance of eye washer in the workplace:
1.

Always refer to ANSI Z358-2009 as the main reference for eye washer general minimum performance
and use requirements.

2.

Eye washers should be accessible within 10 seconds from a hazardous area, where corrosive
chemicals present. However, please consider to make their location closer because injured person
needs more time to get to the location of eye washer.

3.

The unit shall be able to be activated in one second or less and can continue supply flushing fluid to
both eyes for at least 15 minutes.

4.

Dust cover has to be installed to prevent contamination.

5.

The location where eye washer is installed should be free form obstructions and at the same level with
the hazardous area. Door is considered to be an obstruction.

6.

Each level of hazardous area requires one eye washer station.

7.

Make the eye washer easy to recognize. Install a safety sign to make it easy to be identified and
visible. A map of eye washer station could be very helpful.

8.

ANSI requires that water supply for eye washer should be at 30-90 PSI.

9.

Shut off valve used for maintenance purpose should be prevented from being closed. Valve key or
lock-out tag-out can be used for this purpose.

10. Temperature of tepid water used for eye washer should be kept at 60-100 oF or 16-38oC.
11. Training is necessary to be provided for workers who are exposed to hazardous chemicals.
12. A weekly maintenance and testing is compulsory as per ANSI requirement.
13. Waste water from eye washer station should be treated properly according to applicable waste water
regulation in your area.
In addition, some people may use eye washer station for other purposes suppose for washing hands. This
seems to be no problem at all. But, please educate your workers not use eye washer for any other purpose
except only for eye flushing. Can you image what will happen when one worker with eye injury needs eye
washer while at the same time the eye washer is being used for other purposes?
Evaluation is also necessary to determine whether the existing eye washer stations are enough to cover all
hazardous areas with chemical splash hazards.

MANUFACTURING PLANT SAFETY CONTINUOUS

IMPROVEMENTS

Every chemical manufacturing plant needs to improve its safety continuously;

otherwise potential hazards will present real danger. But most people dont know where to start. There is no
idea come into their mind.
The list below may give you an idea when it is the time to start plant safety continuous improvement project.
Think simple and start with a small improvement project is better. If you have some improvement ideas,
arrange them based on their priorities.
1.

Every time you walk around plant site for safety patrol, record any safety finding you get.

2.

Regular safety inspection will give you more inputs for safety improvements.

3.

Look at your incident, accident and near miss records. Evaluate why they occur and propose
preventive actions as improvement ideas.

4.

Safety committee meeting is a perfect time to introduce safety improvement project.

5.

During hazard identification study, there will be some hidden hazards that come without proper hazard
controls. Take them as inputs.

6.

Risk assessment results may also come with a lot of improvement chances.

7.

Evaluate fire drill and emergency response exercise results. Look at the weaknesses and deficiencies.
Then, plan an improvement.

8.

Utilize your companys regulation compliance status report to look for safety improvement ideas.

9.

During plant overhaul period, you will see hidden hazards that you can not see when the plant is in
operation.

10. Keep good communication with people who involve in plant operations and maintenance works. They
may have valuable information related to safety matter.
11. Thanks to OHSAS 18001 auditors. They assess your safety management system and the
implementation. Audit findings will be submitted to you asking for corrective and preventive actions.
12. Whenever you read plant accident news, know the root cause and look at your safety system. If you
find the similar case, improve it as soon as possible.
Once you have got an improvement idea, make a plan and realize it as soon as possible. If the improvement
project requires high budget or high cost, provide temporary corrective actions to control the hazards. Because,
we do not know when they will turn into accident or even disaster.

TOP 5 BENEFITS YOU WILL GET FROM DOING

CONSISTENT SAFETY PATROL
Getting updated information about safety in the plant as early as possible is very essential. Most people will rely
on site operators report to get the updated safety information, because they think that operators go to plant site
regularly to check plant operation. It is not bad and no body will blame you if you do this too.
However, doing the same thing in a long period will make your awareness getting decreased. You are doing the
job just with instinct. You will feel nothing different since every day you do that job with the same procedure and
route.
Then, do you still expect more from this condition? Of course you have options to change how they take
operation data from site and doing site patrol at the same time. But, it takes time and you will get huge
difference if you ask someone who are rarely doing regular job for that. It is you.
According to my experiences, doing site patrol gives me more chance to get updated safety information and
generate more idea for safety improvement. And the most important thing is many unsafe condition and
potential risk I could find and prevent them from coming into reality.
Benefits of Doing Consistent Safety Patrol
I do not know how you manage your plant safety. Generally speaking, this may apply to your site too. Despite
of having regular operators monitoring plant operation at every certain hour, safety officers will patrol all the
plant site in order to identify as early as possible any safety deficiency and take necessary actions.
If you are not safety officer then you also have big chance to have contribution to the plant safety by doing
consistent safety patrol. Suppose you are a production member. You can do that job every day by spending 30
to 60 minutes a day. It is more than enough.
You will see that it is very helpful when you are able to do consistent safety patrol. Here are some benefits you
will get if you can spare some of your time for doing safety patrol:
1.

You will able to recognize unsafe condition earlier. You will be able to avoid that condition becomes
accident by eliminating that unsafe condition. And you will find that this condition may have happened
for a long time but operators do not recognize it till you find it!

2.

Many safety improvement ideas will come to your head while you are doing safety patrol. Do not
believe this till you do safety patrol. Thats happened on me.

3.

You will know how operators do their daily job whether they do it according to SOP or not. They ignore
safety rules or not. You will never know if you do not do this.

4.

You will also know that you have not provided SOP for some jobs even though these jobs have high
risk.

5.

You will also find that there are many small leakages from piping or equipments and any other
equipment problems, which may be ignored by operators because they see that condition every day.
You could save money only by doing this without any investment.

In Conclusion

Doing consistent safety patrol will give you many benefits. The basic principle is do that job differently with the
operators usually do. Survey all area in the plant site by having your own schedule and spare some time for
doing this consistently. Finally, you will see that you can give more contribution to plant safety by doing safety
patrol.

A MUST HAVE LIST OF SAFETY INSPECTION

CHECKLIST
Safety inspection is a regular safety job that is purposed to ensure that equipments, tools, work conditions,
work area, plant facilities and so on have already met minimum safety requirements. It is carried out in order to
detect any safety deficiencies as early as possible so that accident can be avoided.
Successful safety inspection requires reliable tool thats a checklist. Safety inspection checklist lists up
inspection items that need to be conformed. Such checklist is main reference for safety inspection job. With it,
safety inspection will obtain consistent results.
Generally, safety inspection checklist can be obtained from equipment manuals, operation manuals, safety
standards, expert advises and experiences. Ideally, you have all the required checklists. However, some of you
may not know what kinds of safety inspection checklists are required in your plant site.
If you are unsure whether you have already had such necessary checklist or not, or need to know what kind of
checklists you need to add, so keep reading this article. I will list up a must have list of safety inspection
checklists.
40 Safety Inspection Checklists You Must Have
Every plant will require different safety inspection checklists. It will depend on plant complexity, types of
equipments used, processes, hazard level and many other factors.
And here are the items that you must provide safety inspection checklist for each of them:
1.

Forklift pre-use checklist

2.

Fire extinguishers inspection

3.

Hydrostatic safety

4.

Confined space pre-entry checklist

5.

Safety permit pre-approval checklist

6.

Personal Protective Equipment

7.

Foam mobile unit

8.

Fire fighting facility

9.

Pre-welding or hot work

10. Safety training

11. Work process
12. Fire emergency
13. Means of exit
14. Lighting
15. Machine guard
16. Electrical
17. Tools and machine
18. Hazard symbol and label
19. Confined space
20. Floor and wall opening
21. Elevating devices
22. Sound level or noise
23. First aid
24. Housekeeping
25. Material handling and storage
26. Ladders and scaffolding
27. Temporary work structures
28. Loading and unloading
29. Building and foundation
30. Compressed gad cylinder
31. Pressure vessel
32. Lockout and tagout
33. Piping identification
34. Stairs and stairway

35. Walkways
36. Smoke detectors and fire alarm
37. Environment control
38. Hoist and cranes
39. Chain blocks
40. Gas detectors

CHEMICAL STORAGE TANKS SAFETY TIPS

The explosion on chemical storage tank at Packaging Corporation of America, Tomahawk,

Wisconsin, on July 29, 2008, which killed three people, has shown how chemical storage tanks could put
hazard into reality.
The above accident did not represent the entire potential hazards associated with the presence of chemical
storage tanks in a chemical plant. In addition, the condition become worst when chemical stored in the
chemical tanks are flammable, combustible, corrosive or even toxic.
Because chemical storage tanks present in all chemical plants, improvement of their safety is very important.
Thats why this article is written.
Safety tips that I will tell you in this article are extracted from the US Chemical Safety Board bulletin issued in
February 2010 entitled Seven Key Lessons to Prevent Worker Deaths During Hot Work In and Around Tanks,
and also from other resources.
1.

Chemical storage tanks are made of compatible material that will not react with stored chemical.

2.

Be careful when you decide to select tank fabricator or manufacturer. Check their products quality and
track record.

3.

Always refer to appropriate standards when you are going to design a chemical storage tank.

4.

Some of tank ruptures were caused by defective welds. Effective monitoring and checking including
welding test during tanks fabrication are vital.

5.

A safe distance between each tank is provided. It will prevent chain reaction when fire occurs at one
tank.

6.

There should be at least two level indicators installed on chemical storage tanks to avoid level
instrument failure. It had better to provide level glass or something like that for worker to check
manually.

7.

Do not forget to ensure there are also temperature indicators on the chemical storage tanks.
Decomposition reaction, which releases heat, can be easily detected.

8.

Instrument calibration is required to ensure correct reading. Set up regular schedule for it.

9.

Venting facilities are installed on the chemical storage tanks to accommodate over pressure or
vacuum.

10. Check regularly the venting facilities. Make sure that they are not blocked by dirt and work properly.
11. Ovoid overfilling tanks. It can be achieved by a combination of manual monitoring or indicating, high
level alarm and automatic shut off system.
12. Thickness and welding check may be necessary in some cases, suppose when contained chemical is
a highly corrosive. Refer to applicable standards and experts at the field.
13. When you plan to do hydrostatic pressure test or full water test, consider chemical storage tanks
condition and their lifetime. Pressure standard may be slightly lower than the first hydrostatic test.
14. If possible use alternative methods to avoid hot work in and around chemical storage tanks.
15. When hot work will be conducted in tank that contains flammable liquid or suspected to be contain
flammable liquid, ensure that all possible entrances or inlets have already been isolated. It is applied
not only for the tank itself but all connected piping and surrounding the tank. If necessary, drain out all
the flammable liquid from the tank and related piping.
16. Monitor flammable gas and vapor before and during the hot work. Usecombustible gas detector.
17. Use written permit before hot work can be started in the storage tank.
18. Ensure that all personnel involved in the hot work are trained well, including contractor workers.
19. Secondary containment such as dike is necessary. Dike will reduce the possibility of bigger safety and
environment problems when a chemical storage tank is ruptured.
20. Do not operate any storage tank more than allowable maximum operating level as it is designed to. If
you frequently perform such operation, then it is strongly recommended to install new storage tank to
avoid tank rupture.
21. Any drain valve installed on tanks should be equipped with valve locks, blind flanges or caps to avoid
accidental opening or valve failure.
22. Catastrophic chemical storage tank is a kind of emergency condition. So it requires you to establish an
emergency response plan.
Inadequate design, fabrication, construction, inspection and maintenance can lead to chemical storage tanks
failure. Apply these safety tips consistently. In addition, you can make them as safety inspection checklist for
the entire chemical storage tanks inside your chemical plant.

FORKLIFT SAFETY CHECKLIST

As one of the lifting equipment in plant site, forklift should receive adequate attention especially about
its safety. Various potential hazards are associated with forklift operation. Complete check before forklift
operation will ensure not only forklift driver safety, but also other employees and company assets.

A forklift safety checklist will help ensuring the forklift safety condition. It will
help you identify any problem and potential problem with forklift. Having forklift safety checklist is essential and
it shall be provided within your plant site.
Questions in the forklift safety checklist should be answered with Yes or No and complete with remark or
comment if the answer is No.
General information
1.

Name of workplace

2.

Division/Department/Section

3.

Forklift running location

4.

Identification of forklift

5.

Work description (brief)

Workplace conditions
1.

Is forklift operating area completely separated from walkers?

2.

Are there clear and enough safety signs which warn walkers against forklift?

3.

Are walker pathway and zebra crossings granted?

4.

Are workers completely prohibited to cross forklift pathway?

5.

Are mirrors presented at the entire blind spots?

6.

Are modifications to forklift operating area and any other workplace design informed to entire related
workers?

Forklift part check

1.

Does the forklift specification meet the operating requirement?

2.

Is forklift maximum load capacity clearly printed on the forklift body?

3.

Is clear forklift load chart provided?

4.

Is seatbelt provided?

5.

Does the forklift maximum speed controlled?

6.

Do horn, reversing beeper, proximity indicator and flashing light function properly?

7.

Is falling object protective structure of FOPS provided on the forklift?

8.

Are the forklift maintenance performed regularly?

9.

Are forklift maintenance and repair records maintained?

10. Is there enough fuel inside forklift?

11. Is forklift battery charged?
12. Are the forklift tires fully inflated?
13. Are the tires pressure enough and safe?
14. Are the tires in good conditions?
15. Do the forklift brakes work?
16. Is the steering work well?
17. Does the gear control work?
18. Are the left and right mirrors available and clear?
19. Do all indicators and gauges function properly?
20. Are there any liquid leaks from the forklift?
21. Are fuel, oil, hydraulic fluid and coolant levels enough?
22. Is portable fire extinguisher fitted on the forklift?
23. Is wearing hard hat a must for forklift operators?
24. Have other personal protective equipment such as eye goggles, ear plugs and safety shoes to be
worn?
Forklift Operators/Drivers
1.

Do forklift operators or drivers have forklift driving license or forklift certificate?

2.

Does the forklift driver understand the load chart?

3.

Are appropriate forklift training provided?

4.

Have forklift drivers been given forklift training?

5.

Do forklift drivers know exactly the workplace layout in the plant site?

6.

Do forklift drivers follow the pathways correctly?

7.

Are forklift drivers or operators in good health?

8.

Does the forklift driver know the maximum forklift speed?

Working system
1.

Are there speed limits for powered equipment on site?

2.

Are there appropriate traffic management plans at the plant site to prevent collision of forklifts with
people and other mobile equipment by separating them in time or space?

3.

Are all safety procedures related to forklift inspection, operation, clean up and maintenance
established, maintained and communicated to related workers?

4.

Does monitoring and supervision system for ensuring all safety procedures implementation work?

5.

Do work schedules remove completely the necessity for extreme forklift speed?

6.

Are uncertified forklift drivers allowed to operate forklift?

7.

Is loads checking always performed for stability to guarantee they are not dislocated from the forklift
during loading, traveling and unloading?

8.

Is load weight always checked before loading to avoid forklift overloaded?

9.

Is load always lowered prior to the forklift being in motion?

10. Is safe distance from the edge of ramps, docks, drains, gutters, floor openings and any other opening
and obstacles established to prevent forklift accident?
11. Are every ramp or dock edges safeguarded and visibly marked?
12. Is it allowed to lift workers using forklift to do certain job?
13. Is it allowed to use forklift for doing other jobs instead of lifting?
14. Is the procedure for the safe battery charging or fuel filling established?
Countermeasures and follow up are required before the forklift can be used; if there is at least one answer NO
to any of these above questions in forklift safety checklist. They have to be completed to ensure forklift safety.

TIPS FOR BETTER LAB SAFETY SUPPLIES

MANAGEMENT

Success in managing lab safety supplies will directly affect the performance of
safety in laboratory operation as a whole. Laboratory, which contains various hazardous chemicals, pressurized
gases, flammable gases and electrical energy, if not properly managed, could present harmful working
condition to workers.
Better lab safety supplies management will not only ensure the availability of safety supplies, but also could
ensure all workers who work inside the laboratory are protected from potential hazards.
Read the simple tips below for having better lab safety supplies management within your chemical plant.
1. Identify all your required lab safety supplies. List them up in a clear table with each standard specification.
2. Calculate your monthly consumption and set up a minimum stock. Use your consumption history to calculate
average monthly consumption. Please consider delivery time of each lab safety item when setting up minimum
stock quantity.
3. Prioritize to get local supplier. Purchase from local supplier will require shorter delivery time than import. It
can help you to have lower minimum stock.
4. Do not rely on single supplier. If it is the case, then you are making yourself in problem.
5. Design appropriate warehouse condition. It is to ensure that your lab safety supplies are in good condition
whenever you need to use them.
6. Update the lab safety supply stock regularly. Make every related workers know the updated data.
7. Evaluate your suppliers on a regular basis.
If you implement the tips above, you will not only be able to have a better lab safetysupplies management, but
at the same time you will get more competitive prices that potentially reduces your overall lab expenditures.

MOST NOTICEABLE LAB SAFETY EQUIPMENT

Lab safety equipment is an integrated part of the whole safety system equipments in every chemical plant.
Lab safety equipment is provided in order to avoid lab accidents, reduce hazard (chemical, physical and
biological) exposure and etc.

Various analytical works are carried out in laboratory everyday, which involve the use
many hazardous chemicals or hazmat. As the consequences, manypotential hazards are possible to happen in
the laboratory, such as chemical spills, worker exposure to toxic gases, explosion, fire and electric shock.
So thats why lab safety equipment plays an important role in accident prevention inside the laboratory. It can
save workers from death and injuries, and keep your accident statistic remain zero.
Then, what types of lab safety equipment do you have to provide? Here is the list.
Fire Lab Safety Equipment
There are many fire hazard sources inside the laboratory due to the existence offlammable liquid and
gases, combustible materials, and fire sources such as electric sparks, high temperature surfaces and
lighter. Fire accident can also happen through chemical reaction between two chemicals or more which can
also cause explosion.
Fire extinguishers may become the most important fire lab safety equipment that has to be provided in the
laboratory. Place only suitable type of fire extinguishers or multi purpose extinguishers.
Other fire lab safety equipments are emergency showers, which are designed to give first aid in case workers
catch fire.
Lab workers should wear fire-retardant capes to protect their body from flying sparks when they handle
flammable gases or liquids.
Personal Protective Equipment
Harmful chemical splash into eyes should be anticipated by installing emergency eye washer or stations. It is
described in MSDS that eyes have to be washed with water at least for 15 minutes after eye contamination with
harmful chemicals.
Lab safety goggles are the first defense against chemical splash. Lab safety goggles can protect lab workers
from such hazards.
Eye washer should be located in near workplace; free from dust and dirt, with room temperature, easy to
operate, easy to reach and kept clean.
Other personal protective equipments used in the laboratory are hand gloves, gas maskers and safety shoes.
Ventilation System

The next lab safety equipment is ventilation system. This type of lab safety equipment is required to keep the
quality of air inside the laboratory. Air in the laboratory can be contaminated with toxic gas, flammable gas,
flammable liquid vapors, etc. And these contaminants have to be removed from the laboratory continuously.
Air ventilation system is very essential to avoid fatal inhalation of toxic chemical or gases. Always refer to safety
standard like EPA and OSHA when you are buying or designing air ventilation system for the laboratory.
Lab Safety Cabinets
Biological lab safety cabinet is required for biological laboratory to avoid contamination of biological hazards.
However, it is uncommon for the laboratory in chemical plants.
The most common one is chemical safety cabinet. It is used for storing hazardous chemicals, i.e. laboratory
reagents, standard solution and the like in the laboratory. Chemical safety cabinet can be fire proof, explosion
proof or even leak proof. It is usually equipped with high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters installed at air
intake and air exhaust.

COMBUSTIBLE GAS DETECTORS OVERVIEW

Combustible gas detectors are ones of the basic safety equipments required when there is combustible gas
inside the plant site. Auto-ignition temperature and Lower Explosive Limit (LEL) describe the potential dangers
of combustible gases.
Auto-ignition temperature is the lowest temperature at which combustible gas could be ignited spontaneously
(self-sustained combustion), without the presence of source of ignition. Meanwhile, Lower Explosive Limit or
LEL is the lowest concentration of combustible gas in the air that will propagate flame when exposed to a
source of ignition.
There are two types of combustible gas detectors in market. The first type is electrocatalytic (catalytic bead),
which is also referred to passive type of gas detector. The second type is infrared detector, which uses infrared
absorption as detecting technology. It is the active type.
Electrocatalytic type is widely used in various industries and generally applied as single-point detectors for
combustible gases. The operating principle is based on oxidation reaction of combustible gas and oxygen from
the air on the heterogeneous catalytic element. Heat from the reaction heats the platinum coil embedded in the
catalyst and this change resistance of the coil. Then, it is measured and monitored.
There are two factors that affect the sensitivity of catalytic type gas detectors, i.e. blockage of the flame arrestor
by which combustible gas flows through and poisoning of the active bead. Besides, mechanical failure may be
possible caused by vibration. Vibration can break the platinum wire.
Benefits of electrocatalytic sensors are relatively low unit cost, simple and better accuracy compared with other
detection methods.
On the other hand, infrared type combustible gas detectors detect the presence of any combustible gas based
on infrared radiation absorption at a certain wavelengths.
Some key benefits of infrared type are free of maintenance because calibrated by the factory, can be used for
single-point and open path devices, can be located at inaccessible location in the plant site, no chemical
poisoning possibility, fail to safe technology, does not require oxygen to measure combustible gas

concentration, internal compensation virtually eliminates span drift and appropriate for continuous gas
environment.
When you need to choose which combustible gas detectors you should purchase, read the following tips. You
need a short research before making any selection. Here are tips.
1.

Determine clearly your specific requirements of combustible gas detectors.

2.

Select multiple or single combustible gas detectors. Some gas detectors can also detect other gases
instead of only combustible gases, such as sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, ammonia and so on.

3.

Check the detection range of combustible gases. It means check its percentage of Lower Explosive
Limit (LEL). The combustible gas detectors at least should be capable of detecting 10%~15% of the
lower LEL. Give this specification more attention, since this will give you more time for you to take
actions when gas leak is detected.

4.

Select which type of detecting sensors is appropriate for your needs.

5.

Get information about battery and sensors lifetime. This is especially important when you need to
replace them.

6.

Select which alarms are required to alert gas leakage. Sound or light, or may be both.

7.

Get the spare parts price of the combustible gas detectors, especially the sensors. Do not select a gas
detector when unit price of the combustible gas detectors is nearly same with sensors price.

8.

Select only combustible gas detectors that certified by common standards or the government.

9.

Purchase combustible gas detectors from trusted manufacturers only. Look for testimony from others.

The following combustible gas detectors are recommended for your chemical plant needs. See the features
which one can fulfill your requirements.

9 IMPORTANT FACTS ABOUT FIRE

EXTINGUISHER YOU SHOULD KNOW
Fire extinguisher is the first defense against fire. It holds a very important role in fire accident prevention. Every
fire accident is initiated by small fire at the beginning.
Due to its importance, so it is crucial for everyone in the plant site to know about nine facts about fire
extinguisher. By knowing those facts, it is hoped that people could improve their ways on how to manage the
whole aspects of fire extinguishers.
9 Facts about Fire Extinguisher
1.

All fire extinguishers are not same. Each type of fire can only be extinguished by certain type of fire
extinguishers. Never think that all fire extinguisher equals.

2.

Fire extinguisher is used for putting out or controlling small fire.

3.

Fire are classified into the following classifications:

a. Class A: burning lumber, paper, plastic, carbon, etc.
b. Class B: includes fire from flammable or combustible liquids like kerosene, fuel oil, gasoline, organic
solvents.
c. Class C: involves fire that comes from energized electrical equipments such as electric heater,
power tools, etc.
d. Class D: involves combustible metals, like titanium, magnesium, potassium and sodium.
e. Class K: involves kitchen fires

4.

Typical fire extinguishers and their uses are:

a. water extinguisher: for class A fire
b. dry chemical extinguisher: for class ABC and class BC fires.
c. Carbon dioxide extinguisher: for class B and C fires.
d. metal/sand extinguisher: for class D fire
e. water mist extinguisher: for class A fire with potential class C hazard

5.

Fire extinguisher should be located at the proper place in order to make it easy to reach and use.

6.

Marking for fire extinguisher location is very important to make it easy to recognize.

7.

A monthly inspection is required to ensure its condition. More often inspection is required for severe
environments. Inspection should include checking of inside pressure, nozzle, pin, tamper seal, dent,
rust, leak, chemical deposits and weight.

8.

Refill it immediately after use for full protection.

9.

Replace immediately damage fire extinguishers.

10. A complete map of fire extinguisher, which informs fire extinguishers location in the plant site and office
should be available and can be easily accessed by all person in your company
11. Even though a clear instruction is already available on every fire extinguisher, but actual training will
never be replaced. Training on how to use fire extinguisher is really important. And this program should
be regularly scheduled for every person in the company.
We have only several seconds to stop fire from growing and cause big fire accident. This accident prevention
could only be implemented by having reliable fire extinguisher and well-trained people who will operate the fire
extinguisher. What we have to do is mastering all the above facts about fire extinguishers

14 TIPS FOR EFFECTIVE FIRE EXTINGUISHERS

USAGE
Portable fire extinguishers stand as the first defense against small fire. Fire extinguishers could save the
whole plant site by putting out the small fire. And it takes only a few second to do such critical task.
Below here are 14 tips that we have to pay attention to in order to have an effectivefire extinguisher usage.
1.

The fire extinguisher must be selected according to type of potential fire.

2.

Never use portable extinguisher if the fire is getting bigger or spreading.

3.

Never use one type of extinguisher for all types of fire, otherwise fire will be getting bigger.

4.

The fire extinguisher must be large enough to extinguish the fire.

5.

The fire extinguisher must be located at the proper location in plant site.

6.

The fire extinguisher must be located on the escape way or exit.

7.

The fire extinguisher must not be located inside tank dike or near flammable material storage.

8.

There must be enough space between fire extinguisher and the protected area.

9.

The fire extinguisher must be easy to reach.

10. The extinguisher must always be fully charged.

11. The extinguisher must be ready to be used, without abnormal function of its part.
12. The workers have already been trained about fire extinguisher operation.
13. The workers must be strong enough to lift and operate the extinguisher.
14. Make a clear distinction among fire extinguisher types if they are located at the same area to avoid
misuse.

SIX STEPS ON FIRE EXTINGUISHERS

INSPECTION
Fire extinguishers need to be inspected regularly in order to make sure they are ready to be used at anytime.
Usually, fire extinguishers inspection is performed once a month. In this article, I would like to talk about 6 steps
in fire extinguisher inspection.
Step one.
Read the gauge. Look at the gauge and remember the needle position.
Step two.
Check the tags. The tags should show current and up to date inspection records.
Step three.
Check the hose condition whether it is already brittle or plugged.
Step four.
Check the mount of the fire extinguisher. Make sure it is already securely mounted.
Step five.
Invert the extinguisher tube for five times. Powder extinguisher tends to cake.

Step six.
Reread the gauge. If the gauge shows different needle position from the first check, replace the fire
extinguisher immediately.
Because inspection of the fire extinguishers is vitally important, it had better to make an inspection schedule.
Once again dont forget to make sure the fire extinguishers are ready to be used at anytime.
The video below will show you how to do the six steps above as well as how to operate the extinguisher by
using PASS procedure.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3G0a-MLneRs]

ELECTROSTATIC HAZARDS IN CHEMICAL PLANT

In this article, I will show you a case study about electrostatic hazards in chemical plant that can
cause explosion and fire.

Electrostatic or static electricity had triggered an explosion and fire at an Americhem Sales Corp.
building, in Midwest, US, two weeks ago. The electrostatic caused a catalytic spark during loading and
unloading trailers and ignited about 500 gallons of mineral spirits.
The above preliminary investigation of the accident was published on lansingstatejournal.com.
According to thefreedictionary.com, electrostatic or static electricity is created when two objects that are not
good electrical conductors are rubbed together, and electrons from one of the object rub off onto the other.
As an example, electrostatic could happen when catalyst (like nickel, platinum, etc) is charged (fed) from a
hopper wagon through pipe line into a reactor. Poor static electricity control will create catalytic spark, which
can ignite flammable gas or vapor inside the pipe line or the reactor.
Static Electricity Removal
Now, we have known a little about electrostatic hazards in chemical plant operation. The next question is how
do we control static electricity or do static electricity removal?
There are some possible techniques that we can use to control electrostatichazards. According to my own
experience, common electrostatic hazards control method is by wiring a ground circuit.
Electrostatic hazards control is very vital especially when flammable gas or vapor exists. Spark will ignite the
flammable gas or vapor immediately. Then explosion and or fire accident could happen.
Remember that static electricity accumulates in parts or areas where the charges can not flow or escape.