Industrial companies involved in operations in confined spaces must remain alert to such accidents

On August 16, 2024, a poisoning accident occurred at a food processing company, resulting in one death and five injuries. The direct cause of the accident: After the company stopped production, the pickle pool where the accident occurred was finally cleaned and had been left there for more than two months. The remaining sauerkraut and pickling brine underwent long-term anaerobic fermentation, generating toxic and harmful gases such as hydrogen sulfide. The workers entered the pool to clean up the sauerkraut residue without ventilation, testing, or wearing safety protective equipment. After two people were poisoned and fainted, subsequent rescuers blindly rescued without taking effective protective measures, leading to the expansion of the accident. . The specific cause of the accident is under further investigation.

Coincidentally, at about 21:30 on July 28, 2024, a major poisoning and suffocation accident occurred in a food company, resulting in three deaths.The direct cause of the accident: The recent hot weather and the long-term closure of the sewage pool caused the organic matter in the wastewater to be decomposed by biological bacteria, generating a large amount of toxic and harmful gases such as hydrogen sulfide. Before the sewage pool cleaning operation, ventilation and testing were not carried out, and the workers did not wear protective equipment. After one person fainted, the other two people entered the pool to rescue without taking any safety protection measures, resulting in increased casualties.

Based on the above accident information, accidents occur from time to time in industrial and trade enterprises operating in limited spaces, often leading to tragedies. The main reasons include: the relevant personnel have weak safety awareness and fail to operate according to safety regulations; ventilation and testing are not carried out; safety investment is insufficient and relevant protective equipment is not in place; workers do not wear gas detection equipment, etc. These factors together have led to serious consequences, which require urgent attention and effective measures to improve them.

In order to ensure the safety of confined space operations and prevent and reduce production safety accidents, relevant laws and regulations have long been formulated by many country around the world. For example, Industrial and trade enterprises shall be equipped with gas detection and alarm instruments, mechanical ventilation equipment, respiratory protective equipment, full-body safety belts and other protective equipment and emergency rescue equipment that comply with national standards or industry standards based on the characteristics of limited space hazards, and Carry out regular maintenance, maintenance and regular testing of relevant supplies and equipment to ensure normal use. Operations in limited spaces must strictly abide by the requirements of “ventilate first, then inspect, and then operate”. If there is an explosion risk, measures should be taken to eliminate or control it, and relevant electrical facilities and equipment, lighting fixtures, emergency rescue equipment, etc. should comply with explosion-proof safety requirements.

Before operation, safety briefings for workers should be organized, and supervisory personnel should inspect risk management and control measures such as ventilation, detection, and necessary isolation, removal, and replacement one by one to confirm that protective equipment can be used normally and that the work site is equipped with necessary emergency rescue equipment. equipment to ensure that all operating conditions meet safety requirements. For industrial and trade enterprises with professional rescue teams, emergency rescue personnel should be prepared for emergency rescue to ensure timely and effective handling of emergencies.

In terms of prevention, relevant enterprises and operators should standardize their operations, carry portable gas detectors from CAATM, and leave immediately if the detector alarms. Portable gas detector from CAATM is safe, reliable, and trustworthy, capable of detecting hundreds of toxic or flammable gases.