Fatigue Raised as Possible Factor in Kleen Energy Systems Explosion

photo : Dayton Daily News

A fire and explosion killed five people and injured several more on Sunday  at a gas-fired power plant under construction at Middletown, Connecticut.

According to initial reports, the blast occurred during testing at  facility, according to a statement by the mayor's office late on Sunday.

A natural gas leak caused the blast during the testing of the plant, which was 95% complete and was due to come on stream later this year, according to reports.

New reports are suggesting that fatigue may have been a major factor, with some workers reportedly working 12-hour shifts, 7-days per week for an extended period.

There is much guidance available on the risks associated with fatigue. The UK Health and Safety Executive publishes an excellent guide to fatigue and its risks. Although it is too early to say whether fatigue was truly a factor in this instance, it is known to have been a factor in other major instances, such as BP Texas City, and steps should always be taken to avoid chronic fatigue and the associated risks.

Failure to Understand Reactive Chemistry Hazards Leads to Fatal Accident

A fatal blast in 2007 at the T2 MCMT plant (a fuel additive) resulted from a fundamental lack of understanding of the reactive chemistry hazards - according to the investigation carried out by the US Chemicals Safety Board (CSB). In yet another excellent video, the CSB outlines the events that led up to the incident and explains the causes. The CSB investigation found that the company, T2, did not understand the reactive chemistry hazards, having scaled up their process from a bench scale. This meant that appropriate safeguards such as adequate relief systems, safety instrumented systems, back up cooling supplies were either inadequate or not in place and consequently staff training and operating procedures did not address this risk.

Two operators were killed instantly and two were killed by flying debris. 32 people in the vicinity were also injured. The plant was destroyed.

There is a wealth of published material on this subject, such as the guide produced by UK Health and Safety Executive. However figures show that in the US alone, 167 serious incidents of this type occurred between 1980 and 2001

Operating companies must understand and manage their risks. This type of tragic incident should not be happening in our industry.