STEP CHANGE FOR SAFETY GLOBAL SHARING JUL 2013 - THE FIRST 100 STEPS | Page 23

INJURY – BODY S. No. 25 Date 13-Feb-2012 Occurrence 25 - Chemical tanker after completion of loading Phenol cargo in Houston received Nitrogen into the tanks from Shore for padding. Nitrogen was let in at low pressure. At this time crew did not ensure proper line clearing immediately following loading. Phenol has a freezing point of +40 deg C. Vessel shifted to the anchorage. Later while attempting to clear the line live steam was used. The crew member involved with the line clearing was donned in chemical suit, chemical goggles, chemical gloves, boots and visor. The cargo line plug was opened under the impression that Phenol was frozen within however due to use of live steam within the line pressure had built up which caused a minor spray of Phenol to which the crew member was exposed . The chief officer who was in the vicinity of this location was exposed to the fumes. Immediately crew members took the emergency shower followed by application of antidote Polyethylene Glycol. Crew members were sent to the hospital for chemical specific checks. The crew member had suffered minor phenol burns. They were examined in the hospital and found healthy and safe. Type Impact Primary Incident Personnel Severity Impact Secondary Significant Lessons learnt 1. Company procedures for line clearing was not followed. Company procedures for line up of low melting point cargoes were improved to prevent line clogging to a greater extend. 2.Company PPE requirement for Phenol cargo requires use of gas tight suit and SCBA for high risk operations. This was not followed. Company PPE levels were improved for better understanding of the crew by the use of a poster. 3. Risk Assessment was not carried out effectively prior the line clearing operation. Corrective actions :Specific conditions in cargo operations which require RA and office approval has been specified. 4. Office review of officer's experience in Phenol carriage is a must. 5. Company phenol handling procedure was further improved in line with the finding from this incident. Message to the Industry Phenol is a highly toxic, corrosive and a low melting point cargo. It is essential that crew and officers are well versed with precautions of handling this cargo. It is critical that ship staff strictly follow operational procedures. If the crew does not have sufficient experience a superintendent with suitable experience must attend the vessel to supervise the operation. Remarks Company must provide specific handling procedures for Phenol. These must be reviewed closely to provide clarity to the ship's crew in planning and executing critical operations safely for e.g. line clearing, sampling, gauging . Submitted by File upload [email protected]