At about 10 o'clock on May 7, 2024, four employees of Sihai Paper Co., Ltd. in Baoding City, Hebei Province were poisoned and fainted while cleaning the white water pool of the paper workshop. Four people are being treated in hospital, two of whom are in a coma (vital signs are stable), one is regained consciousness and one is conscious.
How the accident happened
After questioning the relevant personnel involved, the preliminary process of the accident is as follows (the specific investigation of the accident shall prevail):
The company has ceased production since March 24, 2024, and plans to resume production and work in the near future.
At 9 o'clock in the morning of May 7, Ji, the person in charge of production of the enterprise, arranged for four employees, Li, Yan, Li and Xue, to clean up the white pool.
At about 9:50, Xue entered the pump pit to open the bypass valve of the white water pool, temporarily discharged the sewage and residual slurry in the white water pool into the pump pit, and then started the drainage pump to pump to the sewage system. The other three people assisted in the work on the pump pit.
At around 10 o'clock, Xue suddenly fainted in the pump pit, and Li, Li, Li, and Yan entered the pump pit one after another to rescue and fainted in the pump pit.
At around 10:08, Ji found 4 people fainting in the pump pit and called 120 and 119 for rescue.
At around 10:23, fire rescue personnel and 120 medical personnel arrived at the scene one after another, rescued the poisoned people and sent them to the hospital for treatment.
Preliminary analysis of the direct cause of the accident
After on-site investigation and analysis, it was preliminarily determined that due to the recent increase in temperature, the residue and sewage in the white water pool during the shutdown of the enterprise were fermented for a period of time, producing toxic and harmful gases such as hydrogen sulfide. After the bypass valve of the white water pool was opened, the toxic and harmful gases diffused into the pump pit with the flow of sewage, causing Xue in the pump pit to be poisoned and fainted. The remaining 3 employees entered the pump pit for rescue without taking any safety precautions and were poisoned. The exact cause of the accident is under further investigation.
The main problems exposed by the accident
First, the main person in charge of Sihai Paper is negligent in the management of safety production work, and is not familiar with and understands the relevant safety regulations of limited space operations, and the implementation of risk control measures is not in place.
Second, Sihai Paper failed to revise the safety management system in a timely manner in accordance with the "Safety Regulations on Limited Space Operations of Industry and Trade Enterprises". The identification of safety risks was not comprehensive, and the risk of poisoning in the pump pit where the accident occurred was not identified. The handwriting on some of the confined space knowledge training test papers is inconsistent with the handwriting of actual people.
The third is that Sihai Paper did not implement the guardianship system for limited space operations, did not specify full-time or part-time guardians, and the operation approval form on the day of the incident did not match the actual on-site operation, and the guardian Li Mouzhu, who signed the approval form, said that he was not engaged in guardianship operations.
Fourth, the emergency drill of Sihai Paper is a mere formality, the emergency response ability of the operators is poor, and the consequences of the accident are expanded due to blind rescue.
Job tips
The first is to strengthen the safety management of confined space operations. Pulp and papermaking, printing and dyeing, leather and fur processing, feather (down) processing and other industrial and trade enterprises should draw inferences from one another, deeply learn the lessons of the accident, strictly implement the "Safety Regulations on Limited Space Operations of Industry and Trade Enterprises", implement the supervision system for limited space operations, strictly implement the requirements of "ventilation first, then testing, and then operation", and resolutely prevent and curb the occurrence of similar accidents.
The second is to strengthen the risk management of enterprises to stop production and resume work. Relevant seasonal and intermittent production of papermaking, printing and dyeing, leather and fur processing, feather (down) processing and other industrial and trade enterprises, before the shutdown of production, should promptly clean up the sewage and residues in the limited space such as pickling pools, distiller's lees pools, white water pools, pulp pools, tanks, etc., to avoid toxic and harmful gases caused by fermentation after a long period of time; Before resuming production and work, if it is necessary to carry out cleaning or inspection and maintenance involving confined space operations, the approval system and operating procedures for confined space operations should be strictly implemented.
The third is to improve the quality of expert guidance services. Institutions and experts undertaking guidance services should be proficient in the key points and requirements of on-site consultation, help enterprises accurately identify, assess and investigate security risks and hidden dangers, put forward targeted suggestions, and promote enterprises to effectively implement various risk control measures.
The limited space is small and poorly ventilated
Not conducive to gas diffusion
Seems to be "mediocre in appearance"
But it's an invisible killer
It's summer
Due to the increase in temperature, the humidity increases
Toxic and harmful gases are easy to volatilize and accumulate
If the operator is not in the case of protection
Entering a limited space with poor ventilation
It is very easy to be poisoned and suffocated
How to ensure the safety of confined space operations?
Keep in mind the "three-word formula"!
↓↓↓