Accidents still haunt industry

November 1, 2007 By    

Product transfer safety has been a hot topic. As a result, a great deal of safety focus has been placed on improving equipment, procedures and training.

Jay Johnson
Jay Johnson

This is no time to take the incidents or the serious nature of the problem for granted. Serious accidents involving product transfer continue to haunt the propane industry.

Recent examples include:

  • Four people, including two propane industry personnel and two emergency responders, were killed Jan. 30 in Ghent, W.Va., when propane employees were in the process of transferring product from one tank to another.
  • Four people were injured Oct. 6 in a massive explosion at the historic Atlas Foundry in Tacoma, Wash., during a refilling operation. The driver died from injuries eight days later.

Other incidents involving product transfer include transport loading and unloading, bobtail loading and unloading, cylinder filling, forklift filling, tank evacuation in the field or at the plant and motor fuel filling.

Such incidents should be a wakeup call to those whistling through the graveyard on product transfer safety.

Hazmat drivers, terminal managers, employees in company cylinder fill rooms, independent refillers, forklift fillers and motor fuel fillers must be trained to focus on safety when it comes to preventing accidents related to product transfer.

Most incidents come down to a combination of external factors that must be acknowledged in the product-transfer process. One such factor is related to static electricity in conjunction with fugitive emissions or the source of a leak.

For example, a fire May 9 at Reliance Propane and Fuel Oil in Toledo, Ohio, burned one employee, destroyed at least two buildings and blew small propane tanks hundreds of feet into the air, forcing a three-hour evacuation of homes and businesses. The fire started where an employee was draining gas from propane tanks. An investigation showed that an electrical charge, possibly related to static electricity, ignited the explosion when the employee used a screwdriver to empty a tank.

While we don’t know a lot about static electricity, studies indicate that certain precautions can limit exposure to unexpected electrical sources.

Static-resistant clothing (typically a blend of 65 percent cotton and 35 percent polyester) and static-resistant shoe soles can significantly reduce static buildup.

Floor material also can be a factor and should be tested to measure conductivity. For example, cement may be treated with a coating to reduce or eliminate conductivity and static buildup.

Plastic seems to be a conductor, and special attention should be placed on garbage cans, discarded plastic wrappings and all plastic parts or equipment not properly grounded.

Managers must be trained on limiting outside employees, vendors and/or customers entering static-safe or product-transfer areas with safety exposures that require personal protection and proper training.

It’s about proper training and equipment function, awareness and constant focus whenever product transfer is taking place. Liquid is generally moving through hoses and valves at a high speed. Fugitive emissions, equipment failure or a buildup of propane reaching the right combination of fuel and air can explode with a source of ignition. Properly working emergency shutoff systems are essential; check them often.

As safety leaders we have to teach, train and sell propane safety to all stakeholders in the product-transfer chain of exposure. This includes all employees, customers and vendors who transfer product.

Only our constant vigilance can exorcise these product-transfer demons that haunt our industry from time to time. It’s an obligation to stay focused and do the right thing in the field and at the plant every day.


Jay Johnston (
www.TheSafetyLeader.com) is president of Jay Johnston & Associates Inc., specializing in safety audits, insurance consulting and unique speaking presentations for propane marketers. Jay can be reached at 952-935-5350 or Jay@thesafetyleader.com.

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