Fluid transfer is a common industrial operation. However, the incorrect positioning of transfer circuit during such operations, also referred to as poor alignment, is the cause of many accidents. This study, based on 372 events in the ARIA database, presents[...]
Mobile acetylene cylinders are present in all sectors of activity owing to their common use on welding machines. Even if they look like risk free, these cylinders are real hazard potential ! Five major accidents in France since the beginning of[...]
How does a technically insignificant incident turn into a media frenzy? This new film, produced by the BARPI, explains the sequence of malfunctions that led to the release of a highly olfactory component. A timeline presents how the media crisis[...]
Whether white (rich in aerosols or water vapour), grey (a mixture of aerosols and solid particles) or black (large solid particles), the smoke released from fires presents several risks. Beyond death from intoxication, fumes are a potential health hazard owing[...]
A fire broke out at 10:15 am in a warehouse subject to authorization (item 1510 of the nomenclature of the French classified installations) at an external storage of wooden pallets. Employees are evacuated prior to the arrival of firefighters. The[...]
The summary of this accident has not yet been translated. In the meantime, please refer to the French summary : Vers 10 h, lors du nettoyage, par 2 sous-traitants, d'une cuve extérieure enterrée pouvant contenir 35 m³ d'acétate d'éthyle, une[...]
Before 8:00 a.m. one morning, a leak occurred on a non-return valve at a refinery's flue-gas desulphurisation unit. At 8:13 a.m. a hydrogen sulphide (H2S – a flammable, toxic and odorous gas in very low concentrations) detection alarm with a threshold[...]
The summary of this accident has not yet been translated. In the meantime, please refer to the French summary : Vers 7h20, une explosion de poussière survient au niveau d'un élévateur d'un silo portuaire, après chargement de pellets de bois[...]
A 60-m-high wind turbine snapped in two in the early morning during a storm. The upper 55 m of the turbine fell to the ground, scattering debris over a fairly large area and driving the rotor into the ground. Firefighters set[...]
Runaway reactions are a major source of industrial accidents. They can occur in a wide array of sectors, including chemicals, petrochemicals, food processing, plastics and rubber manufacturing, and metalworking and are primarily caused by a loss of process control. The[...]
