Safety enforcement officers to zoom in on companies' risk management plans
Jermyn Chow, Straits Times 21 Mar 09;
THE island's 150 chemical companies will come under the close scrutiny of the Manpower Ministry's safety enforcement officers after last month's industrial accident which killed four workers and injured one.
Yesterday, its workplace safety and health commissioner, Mr Ho Siong Hin, said that the checks, which start next month, will zoom in on companies' risk management plans to see if they are followed properly.
Mr Ho said in a statement that checks will also include whether companies themselves have reviewed those plans to make sure that they are robust enough.
To complement the enforcement checks, a safety forum will be held at the end of this month to go over what happened in that accident and others, with the aim of arming companies to protect workers' lives.
The forum will be conducted by the industry-led Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) Council.
In last month's accident, five workers were cleaning a heat-exchange unit at Chemic Industries in Tuas View Loop when a small quantity of nitric acid, used in the process of cleaning, leaked.
MOM's preliminary investigations found that a 'chemical reaction' could have generated heat and gases, which caused acid to spew from the flange joint of the heat-exchange unit.
At the same time, large amounts of toxic fumes were emitted.
The victims - four Indian nationals and a Malaysian - suffered severe burns to their faces and upper bodies. The Indian workers later died.
Chemic Industries had been hired by Alva-Laval Singapore to clean a heat-exchange unit.
Work there has ceased while investigations are ongoing.
Last month's industrial accident dented Singapore's efforts to lower the number of workplace deaths here.
The number of deaths for every 100,000 workers here fell from 4.9 in 2004 to 2.8 last year.
But Singapore is still some way from its 2018 goal of fewer than 1.8 deaths for every 100,000 workers.
The accident prompted the WSH Council to send out an e-mail alert earlier this month urging chemical companies to relook how they hire sub-contractors and how these smaller companies handle toxic substances.
WSH Council chairman Lee Tzu Yang said: 'Customer chemical companies should also ascertain if competent supervision is provided by their sub-contractors when carrying out the work.'
The safety council highlighted that companies should ensure that hazardous chemicals are handled properly by competent personnel who are well briefed and kitted up with protective gear.
To spread the safety message, the safety council is also working with the chemical industry bodies here to reach out to more than 500 companies under their purview, including the sub-contractors.
President of the Singapore Institution of Safety Officers, Mr Edwin Yap, cheered the Government's move to engage all chemical companies, big or small.
At the same time, he suggested that the authorities could relook and improve current work practices to avoid future slip-ups.
'The chemical industry is riskier than other industries, as one accident can potentially kill many people, so extra precautions when handling toxic chemicals may be needed.'
jermync@sph.com.sg
What happened
THE accident happened when five workers were cleaning a heat exchanger unit (pictured left, in background). The Manpower Ministry's preliminary findings are:
# Concentrated nitric acid was pumped into the heat exchanger to clean it.
# A chemical reaction was triggered inside the metal unit, which generated heat and gases.
# Pressure built up from within the unit, causing the toxic mixture to spew.
# Toxic fumes were also emitted.
# Four workers died and one was hurt.
Full stop-work order at Chemic
Today Online 21 Mar 09;
FOLLOWING a chemical spill last month that killed four workers and left one injured, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) will be inspecting workplaces that use hazardous chemicals, to ensure compliance with safety requirements.
This includes checks on whether companies have reviewed their risk assessments and safe work procedures for robustness.
In a statement on the preliminary findings after the accident at :Chemic Industries on Feb 27, MOM noted that Chemic Industries was engaged as a subcontractor byAlfa Laval Singapore to clean a heat exchanger owned by :Invista Singapore Fibres.
The workers were pumping nitric acid into the heat exchanger to remove some residual polymer. During this cleaning process, a chemical reaction could have occurred, generating heat and gases, and causing pressure to build up inside the heat exchanger.
As a result, the contents of the heat exchanger, which included a mixture of nitric acid, were forced out. Toxic fumes were emitted. :The mixture splashed onto the workers, causing chemical burns. :
Following the incident, MOM issued a full stop-work order at Chemic Industries. Work has not recommenced, said MOM on Friday, “as we are still conducting checks on all its work processes”.
Going forward, MOM detailed three points that workplaces should take note of. These involve the “highly hazardous” nature of nitric acid and similar chemicals, which call for “extreme care and measures”; the regulatory controls on such chemicals; and what constitutes safe use.
For instance, companies licensed to handle these chemicals must employ a competent person to take overall control and implement proper risk management — including ensuring that workers are well-briefed on the hazards and emergency response plan, before starting work.
