Never Give Safety A Day Off - Industrial Accidents

[Zealot]

Explosion at a manufacturing plant in Ohio, at least 14 injuries reported so far.

Sent from my SM-N981U using Tapatalk

[6souls]

https://www.mprnews.org/story/2023/0...-nuclear-plant
https://www.mprnews.org/story/2023/0...leak-continues





Nuclear plant in Monticello, MN leaked 400k gallons of tritiated water last November, but only alerted the public this week.

“The leak has been stopped and has not reached the Mississippi River or contaminated drinking water sources. There is no evidence at this time to indicate a risk to any drinking water wells in the vicinity of the plant,” the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency said in a statement.

Xcel reported the leak to government regulators on Nov. 22, the day it was confirmed, but Xcel Energy Regional President Chris Clark said it's unclear when the problem began.

"As we do a full root cause analysis, we'll have a better understanding of whether that was a few days, a few weeks, a month. But we just don't know that at this point," Clark said.

Clark said workers have pumped about 25 percent of the tritiated water out of the ground and are treating it on site. He said it’ll take about a year to remove the rest.

The steel pipe that leaked is about four inches in diameter and carries condensate water away from the steam turbine that drives the plant’s generators. Pat Flowers, Xcel’s manager of environmental services said the damaged pipe was in an inaccessible spot.

Xcel Energy says it will power down its Monticello nuclear power plant after monitoring equipment on Wednesday detected more radioactive tritium was leaking into groundwater.

In a statement on Thursday, the utility said the short term fix was “no longer capturing 100 percent of the leaking water. The new leakage — anticipated to be in the hundreds of gallons, a much smaller amount of water than previously leaked — will not materially increase the amount of tritium the company is working to recover and does not pose any risk to health or the environment.”

[archibaldcrane]

The radioactivity in the water is so low level that if you drank a cup of it straight from the leak it would give you the same amount of radiation as eating ~8 bananas.

After further dilution into the lake it's meaningless to human health.

[Athas]

Might be so, but I don't see how this lack of transparency to supposed to foster any trust in nuclear.

[Qalbert]

it was a bit of a damned if you do, damned if you don't. I'd have erred on the side of transparency, but you know people are going to blow it out of proportion regardless.

[NynJa]

The radioactivity in the water is so low level that if you drank a cup of it straight from the leak it would give you the same amount of radiation as eating ~8 bananas.

the cup:

[Spicyryan]

Might be so, but I don't see how this lack of transparency to supposed to foster any trust in nuclear.

When an event is more damaging to be known due to its lack of any health consequence. Than it is to be transparent due to overreaction. Then yeah, I can see not saying shit.

[6souls]

Might be so, but I don't see how this lack of transparency to supposed to foster any trust in nuclear.

This actually hurts them. They have an operating license with the city that is up for renewal in 2030, but talks are happening now. While Xcel informed the state in November, where it was determined the leak wasn't big enough to inform the public, they waited until February to inform the city.

[archibaldcrane]

the cup:

8 ounces you canuck

[NynJa]

smaller than that?

[Roranora]

like 250 mL in snow frog volume units

[6souls]

https://twitter.com/AP/status/1639625632228179970?s=20

[Spicyryan]

https://twitter.com/AP/status/1639625632228179970?s=20

My wife on the story: "Missing? What are they—candy now?"

What a card. What a battle axe.

[Qalbert]

[6souls]

https://whyy.org/articles/pa-bristol...-water-safety/

Chemical spill in the Delaware River outside of Philadelphia. City officials expect tap water to be safe to drink through at least Monday when the spill is expected to reach the treatment plant.

The Philadelphia Water Department is now encouraging residents to store tap water — instead of buying bottled water in stores — after hazardous materials spilled into the Delaware River. The recommendation comes after officials said Sunday afternoon that water in the city will remain safe to drink through Monday evening at 11:59 p.m.

It’s the latest in a series of updates after residents were advised just hours earlier to drink bottled water until further notice after an estimated 8,000 gallons of a latex-based solution spilled into Otter Creek from a plant in Bucks County. The plant makes acrylic resins, which are often used in paints to prevent corrosion, and weather-proof manufactured items like cars.

The spill occurred just before midnight on Friday, March 24, according to the Philadelphia Water Department and Office of Emergency Management.

Altuglas, a subsidiary of Trinseo PLC, confirmed to WHYY News a pipe rupture at their plant in Bristol led to a release that spilled the hazardous liquid into a storm sewer that flowed into Otter Creek, a tributary of the Delaware River.

The chemical leak contains the same chemicals that were in the Norfolk Southern train derailment.

[Meresgi]

The chemical leak contains the same chemicals that were in the Norfolk Southern train derailment.

So perfectly safe, I want a GOP rep on TV drinking it

[AoE]

The Dangerous Race to Put More Children to Work
https://twitter.com/nytopinion/statu...573797888?s=20

In February, the Department of Labor announced that it had discovered 102 teenagers working in hazardous conditions for a company that cleans meatpacking equipment at factories around the country, a violation of federal standards. The minors, ages 13 to 17, were working with dangerous chemicals and cleaning brisket saws and head splitters; three of them suffered injuries, including one with caustic burns.

Ten of those children worked in Arkansas, including six at a factory owned by the state’s second-largest private employer, Tyson Foods. Rather than taking immediate action to tighten standards and prevent further exploitation of children, Arkansas went the opposite direction. Earlier this month, Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, a Republican, signed legislation that would actually make it easier for companies to put children to work. The bill eliminated a requirement that children under 16 get a state work permit before being employed, a process that required them to verify their age and get the permission of a parent or guardian.

[Meresgi]

The Dangerous Race to Put More Children to Work
https://twitter.com/nytopinion/statu...573797888?s=20

If you all weren't working from home then maybe kids wouldn't need to go in to do the work! How are we going to keep pace with China if you're all not commuting into an office! Asia and Europe can commute just fine! What's your excuse?

[Spicyryan]

If you all weren't working from home then maybe kids wouldn't need to go in to do the work! How are we going to keep pace with China if you're all not commuting into an office! Asia and Europe can commute just fine! What's your excuse?

Lack of regard for freedom of movement in the ideology and construction of the nation. Viewing work as more than a means to subsistence. Caring about the well-being and development of the youth rather than their exploitation, etc.

You know, all unAmerican values.

[6souls]

https://abcnews.go.com/US/2000-india...ry?id=98513840
https://www.wlwt.com/article/richmon...order/43582038

Recycling plant in Richmond, IN caught fire Tuesday and the toxic fumes prompted the evacuation of 2k~ residents.

The fire was reported sometime after 2 p.m. local time Tuesday and has since been contained, Brown said. The fire is expected to burn for several days, Jones said, who also confirmed that they are conducting air monitoring.

Brown said Wednesday that the entire complex is either burned or still burning.

The plant, located near the Indiana-Ohio border, is owned in part by the city of Richmond and in part by a private citizen, according to Brown.

The building is the former Hoffco/Comet Industries plant, which produced lawn and garden products for 60 years before closing in 2009, according to a situation report from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.

The facility now processes recyclables, including plastics, according to Jones.

Brown said the property is about 14 acres and there is plastic everywhere. There are piles of plastic both inside and outside the buildings and semi-trailers filled with plastic. When asked how much is estimated to have burned, Brown said he estimates about 13 ½ acres of the property have burned.

An evacuation notice remains in effect Wednesday for a half-mile radius around the scene of the fire.

The emergency has closed businesses and streets just north of the center of town. Two school systems are closed, including Richmond Community Schools and Indiana University East.

Firefighters continue to put water on the fire. They say they have it contained on three sides. They’re hoping to keep it from spreading, but it’s not out.

The fire marshal said the air is toxic. The EPA has been more specific. Crews have taken samples of the air near the fire.

They’ve found carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds, benzene, chloride, hydrogen cyanide and mineral acids.

The fire can be smelled at least five miles away and the plume of smoke can be seen 35 miles away.