Posted by AuntieMel on March 25, 2005, at 10:30:12
In reply to Re: Sad Day for the Oil Biz » AuntieMel, posted by Mark H. on March 24, 2005, at 10:43:49
Accidents like that do happen in refineries, but it is still hard.
I didn't know anyone in it, but for a while I wondered. Before I got my current job (the exploration side) I worked in petrochem doing bits of plant design. Usually people from the design stage help with the shutdowns.
To the uninitiated, hearing a plant is in shutdown sounds pretty benign. Shutdown and restart are actually the most dangerous times. They shut the plant down for maintenence, and also do any design change work they need to do, and then bring it back up. If *anything* wasn't done correctly the startup can go bad. And worse, instead of the usual few people in the control room there are possibly hundreds around that were involved in the maintenence.
It was the only thing on the news here wednesday afternoon and yesterday.
I don't live anywhere close to the area with the plants, but we saw it blow by blow on tv. It was amazing how many ambulances and choppers were ferrying the wounded. They would land, let off a patient and go right back.
Safety is so highly stressed in these areas that the accident rate is low. When one does happen, though, it is a sight to behold. Each plant has it's own fire department and EMTs, plus all the plants in the area are in a cooperative where they send there people in to help. Everyone (and I mean everyone) is drilled over and over on what to do in case of emergency. A group of us visited one once and got a full safety briefing - and escorts to watch out for us. No one has to think as what to do is second nature.
I think the reality of it hits, and the safety warnings are taken seriously, when they take your footprints.
Sorry for the ramble. I'm still digesting.
poster:AuntieMel
thread:465800
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/poli/20050122/msgs/475368.html