Document K4YnM94p2m9aKDwrww0xmEgN

Fftlrt7i N U.S.A. lS'$o) G. 0. Bevis SUDJECT: Vinyl Chloride Safety Association Bering - Atlanta, Georgia January Ip - February I, 1973 ____ From: T. Gerson Located at: llliopolis, Illinois Date: February 21, 1973 Dipt. { bD>l*rurt>fA<Ht Attached find an outline of information of an operations and safety nature developed in discussions at the subject meeting. No signif icant information was developed on topics number one, two, and six of the agenda. Nc discussions were held on items seven and eight cue to Iack of time. iVTG/ps R, Landon R. //.ercier D. Young H. A, reed S. :;,o i I V,, T, Gerson PVC Superintendent BOR 005769 Vinyl Chloride Safety Association Paae I I. MAJOR ACC I OEMTS/l NC1CENTS REPORTED l\ THE`PVC INDUSTRY TEU1ECG Blew up stainless steel slurry tank. Cause: .v.eka-sh i f t vertex breaker on bottom of agitator came loose, causing the acirater to whip. The agitator rubbed on the stainless stool collar and the teat generateo icnited the vaoors. The top 2/5 of for,k ano attached oioing were blown through the roof. The slurry tan!; next to it caught fire. There were no injuries. Corrective Actions Taken 1, I anker i nc ranks with nitrogen. 2. -eplacsd stairless steel collar with lead shield. 5, Chur acif-for erf when tank is empty. "i f * Tsnrcco currently breaks vacuum in the reactors with nitrogen,. Si;; to seven manufacturers operate slurtp tanks v/itn lids open (r.o action to control AtVC/air ratio). Four cc=rare tanks > ? tn lids bolted (no actions to control PWC/air ratio). Four operate with step bearings. Six _o seven people purging tanks with air. Ccv has LEL detector in outlet air reads I0-2C0 ppm. Air ir, slurry tanks reported as tested with explosimeter no reading liquid (Air Flow Unknown). u'iie'e Ter.reco has strieper - asked now many peoole had light end site riuaces on their tanks - indications are majority nave srrippers. Firestone recovers- in stripoer to 0.15- residual ,',-VC in slurry-ccnt-uI I_ n by regular laboratory analysis. :i companies report LEL + concsntrat ions in slurry tanks and . -ri.:ugo effluent but state that continuous purging cf slurry tanks -hro sir e.l im i nates A',VC trow cenrrifuce effluent ar.c at 5,CCC c f m e i mi rates LEL concentrations in- the tank. CCOQYEAx 1, The 20" quick openinc manhead (similar to submarine hatch) blew off reactor. Ignited '..VC - Burned for one half hour. Four men injured (none died) 2. Lest two initiator.(ACSP) storage buiIcings in two months. F,e=son unknown, Nctss: Nine ctners exoerienced initiator storage fires in oast year. Carbon dioxide not effective since catalyst supplies its own source of oxygen. Generally felt fighting with water to keep cool only effective tool. Bor 005770 Vinyl Chloride Safety Association Pape 2 GEM SAL TlriE 1. Four thousand gallons h\VC spill in building during total plant maintenance snufdavn (r.o electricity). Ca^.:e: ;7.s intenar.cu opened line to clean with steam which had not been properly valved ana ventea. More: Lire woo coupled with victaulic coupling, a valve indicator was on c aboard under storage funk. Had no power cr fire, wafer took six hours to evaporate MVC from fcuiId ino. 2. Ten thousand gallons RMVC spill in dike in tank farm, C-.:so: L-iao n "j. inch tnrsaded nipple and valve to deed off '.\VC wafer0 The line broke and operator could not shat tour inon valve on bottom c' rar,'.. Lost most of contents of Ip m gallon tank before man coaid cat Scc'f Fak and cheater to close valve. 1. Had fc/a! power failure for four hours in Paisaic, New jersey. T.o rupture :.ioc would nor plow due to pin hole in disc. i.led oleec around relief valve. ; any omerz nave vents aoove disc but, vent into building, 2. 7;; , .7 in:: 7,1. wafer tanks - rupture seams on two 10,000 gallon tanks. n: explosion. Goodrich has oxocrienced M.VC in tank wifn ignition, 5. : : -.wro valve on reactor opened luring pol ymer izat ion by operator error, install valve plug v. im hydraulic jack to prevent accidental cponr, inc valve difficult to ooen. F, on in iryor building blew up due to I.WZ in underground drain line. - : voh i n- fnrouoh cn reactor. Blew /'VC through PM.VC foam trap through - I* i ifo reactor rest, era in. Tre ,7. VC froze in underground drain line r. ..rough cry or room - no injuries. di; . ;:o c . v.7;.ck 7;cr;fpr inadvertently oo.ned Lenape rorge quick opening-manhead on newly : reactor. Pressure blew out o-ring venting contents into building. 7 7 nut 1.5 mm cations of water inlo building in L'y minutes. Fans move sir at 12 air cnanges per hour. Nobody was injured. BOR 005771 VinyI Chloride Safety Association 3aw 3 ,V,hX!CO - TiVC CCPANICS Two men died in slurry tank areas. One man a led froiT. lack of oxygen. Second man fell frcm tanx no autoos.' performed. ENGLAND Accumulation of Polyoeroxies in RVVC storage tank. Had been cut of service for two and cnc half months, Arm readied for service found orosn 1 i eu i a - '//nils putty like smelled if forrr.a Icehyae, (ns i.v;n iniured o / low r.-de rxolos ion. Note: Fireeror.c. keeps Eud caustic solution in bottom of RV.VC tank. Cmdr i ch r.nal'/sis re.'/// ices in v/ster from s\.'/C tank. Siverr.l checx oxvmn in van nr smer in all tanks. ii. special P/:-:e--;tati A, A. Allsnc'cs cf D:y.v presented a study on the same I in" of cMorintaed nydro cor sens as related tc C.m-.. Discussion related to inexpensive r Cthca to measure t..tci Freer.r 5-,: ="' z ' worker to determine compliance to oSHA eight hour exposures. re '/ill d! sm:fuf? cccy of wrk to each metroer company after rc- to 3 I XU P-"Tr---;Tf iNj-ctic;: .VOL i:: cL-.nt - EaRlv lc7C r.sc-cticn .as rer "!; c './-iffeo complaint by Union President. Insoector met !t '.n t - os - ' re review 101 log (accidents) and revie.'ed first /: rr a1 n I r, :. fir:- t.'ir. rescue sound (programs. '-.id s: - n.-ur com,loins session w i tn Un'on Arcs i dent and ten ; - :-,r /,"'. 7 i-- . -A. once of two days on ol^nt inspaction-looked for unsafe 3ctss mures. All i t r?.vc fount v.~m on list cf rro^f corr.ron violstmnr z si: to check action cn i re.ms I istcc first nay. : i cn - "Z70 in tomm f G ;r. (riant was in major .-iolation of -SII'C r,: 5 0 fl ;t d ( inspections (all resulting from con.plaints) for ` i rr.1- \-i r | ot i nos. ::or,s-: p.- "^<c ns after i r.cpcct i ens . ! V. -;' : :-ts i.nvolvinc manpower who have been overcome by MVC involve personnel id . me sms! !"> motur-er has inctalfe- spray heads to m> f 1 ,mly remove monomer (PE p 1 o r t) .s . i th ocor vr-nr i i at i cn. nothing in Din* forbidding the cleanin' : f tc'js off of c1othe? V' i th 1 c w c ( nanufacturers check for dissolved oxygen or p&r oxides routinely i n recover = tests and controls rr-s ideal MVC in slurry ire r stripper at C. 1 do iv y imum co-ire ranee for'vinyl cf loric? has recent 1 v t'P-r n chanced to 3,c -r . in . i r -ro-'ces v er- cade to the nerd for = cr i t i CO 1 rr r.s before an cmp lm ip'*' fi r" r mix ;/cu 1 d result. ho data available. BOR 005772