Tianjin Chemical Warehouse Explosions

Image Courtesy of the Guardian.com

When do chemical catastrophes occur and how do we prevent them?

The Tianjin chemical warehouse explosions that occurred on August 12th this year are a prime example of why process safety is so necessary to the chemicals industry today. With 173 dead and many more injured, you have to wonder, how did this happen? The answer to that question remains a mystery. On-site investigators were not able to determine the cause of the explosion, however I suspect that negligence, like for many situations, is the cause. To make matters worse, first responders attempted to extinguish the chemical fires with water. This was a major oversight on the part of the fire department considering the potential for pyrophoric chemicals to be stored on site. Other chemicals such as sodium cyanide and potassium nitrate present on large quantities pose serious health hazards to the surrounding community due to the risk of inhalation or water contamination.

It is known that China’s chemical industry has been rapidly expanding in the last 15 years and that the safety regulations that usually accompany this industry have lagged behind. This is not China’s first chemical explosion in 2015 and according to CNN it is a drop in the pan when compared to the total number of occupational deaths in China last year (68,061 deaths).

I think the only answer to a situation like this is tougher enforcement of safety regulations, accompanying fines and potential business closures. Businesses are profit-minded and will only consider the costs of their negligence when there is a tangible consequence to unsafe working conditions.

While not a chemical plant, I see many parallels to the Tianjin fires in my own residence hall.

Recently, there was a fire in my residence hall due to an irresponsible resident on the floor above mine. He had his candle burning at 5:30 AM that Thursday morning (before my Thermo quiz) and woke up from a nap to find that half of his room was in flames and that smoke was filling the space rapidly. Instead of doing the reasonable thing, shutting his door and window, exiting the room, and pulling the fire alarm, he opted to stay in the room and attempted to put out the fire himself. Not only did he fail to do the reasonable thing, but he also ended up making the fire worse when he tried to extinguish it with mouthwash instead of the fire extinguisher less than 30 feet away from his room; obviously not a chemical engineering student as the primary ingredient in mouthwash is the ever-flammable alcohol.

All this to say that the reason for this fire was the alignment of two or more unmitigated risk factors. I happen to know this resident personally and there were at least two contributions to the risk; this happened during the first round of midterms and he was getting very little sleep AND his natural disposition is to deal with problems himself and to not ask for help. So in his exhaustion from studying, he lights a soothing candle before dozing off and a fire ensues. What normally would have been a manageable accident became out of control as he chose to deal with the problem his own way, releasing plumes of smoke into the hallway and putting others at an even greater risk of injury.

I still think to myself today; what would have happened if there was one more unmitigated risk factor at play? What if the fire alarms weren’t working that morning? I live less than five feet away from him in a room directly beneath his. What could have happened to me?

This is why Columbia Housing doesn't allow candles in the residence hall, students are encouraged to get sleep during midterms, and everyone is informed of the proper procedures for dealing with fires. In my mind, scale is the only difference between fires in a residence hall and fires at a chemical plant.

References:

1. "Tianjin Explosion: China Sets Final Death Toll at 173, Ending Search for Survivors." The Guardian. 12 Sept. 2015. Web. 13 Dec. 2015.

2. "Tianjin Explosion Exposes Toxic Chemicals in China - CNN.com." CNN. Cable News Network, 17 Aug. 2015. Web. 13 Dec. 2015.

3. "3,000 Tonnes of Dangerous Chemicals Were Stored at Tianjin Explosion Site, Say Police." Hong Kong Free Press. 18 Aug. 2015. Web. 13 Dec. 2015.