Question

As an EHS Manager for Aggie Refining Co, you’ve just been informed of a tragic contractor fatality on the HF alkylation unit of your refinery. What are your internal & external (e.g., OSHA) reporting responsibilities?

Answer 1

In recent years the petroleum refining industry has placed emphasis on the safety of the use of HF in petroleum refineries. Refineries use the HF acid in a manufacturing process called "alkylation," which is important in producing a high-quality gasoline and naptha. Hydrofluoric acid is hazardous and corrosive and, if accidently released Then it can form a concentarted vapour cloud that can be toxic until sufficiently dispersed.

So based on the hazards and importance associated with the HF alkylation unit, we will do the detailed study of the accident so we can learn a lesson to prevent such type of accident in future.

External Reporting - As a EHS MANAGER , i will inform OSHA about the incident within 8 hours.

Internal Reporting- I will issue an alert advisory to all the employee about the incident and issue some guidelines according to risk involved and damage to HF alkylation unit. A detailed incident investigation report prepared to learn the lessons so we can prevent such incident in future.