Tag: Safety

The El Teniente mine, located in the O'Higgins region, suffered a collapse on 31 July. The collapse in the Andesita sector of the mine is understood to have been as a result of seismic activity that registered 4.2 on the Richter scale. It remains unknown whether the seismic activity was caused by the mining operations or natural activity, according to industry sources. Underground operations are to be halted for an unknown period of time while the open air sector, which represents around 10% of the total production, will remain open, according to industry participants.

An explosion at the FrieslandCampina site in Borculo in July 2025 this year was reportedly caused by an error in the discharge of hydrochloric acid. The explosion released a mix of chlorine gas and nitrogen oxides. A truck driver reported to the wrong unloading point at the dairy company in Gelderland on 4th. Both the driver and a factory employee failed to properly check the cargo’s paperwork, resulting in the hydrochloric acid being unloaded into a nitric acid tank. Furthermore, an incorrect coupling was used during the unloading process, the company reported after its own investigation. An orange cloud containing chlorine gas and nitrogen dioxide was released and spread throughout the surrounding area. Around 21:00, the site was evacuated and the fire department was alerted. At 22:13, the tank exploded. The tank lid was later found in a meadow near the factory.

The following case study describes a serious incident and the consequences of erroneously mixing nitric acid with hydrochloric acid. In Part 1 we report on the incident and the causes that led up to the event. In part 2 the impact, recommendations and lessons learned will be discussed.

Becht’s Risk Based Work Selection (RBWS) process is a structured, data-driven method that uses risk and benefit-to-cost analysis to optimise turnaround and maintenance work in industrial facilities, resulting in significant cost savings and improved reliability.

Russian and Ukrainian news outlets have reported that there has been a drone attack on the Nevinnomyssk Azot chemical plant in Russia’s Stavropol district. The attack took place on the night of June 14th. Ukraine’s Centre for Counteracting Disinformation said that the fertilizer plant “is a critical element of the Russian military-industrial complex. It produces […]

There has been a release of nitrogen oxides from Austin Powder’s Red Diamond plant in Ohio. The company says that the decomposition of nitric acid caused the incident due to elevated temperatures inside a 5,000-gallon storage tank. This led to a visible release of nitrogen oxide gas, which was vented through the plant’s built-in safety […]

Matrix PDM Engineering discusses the importance of management and control of sulphur dust during the forming and handling of sulphur throughout the entire solid sulphur lifecycle while maintaining commercially acceptable product that contains less than 2.0% overall moisture.

In other news, AMETEK says that its 993X series of analysers, encompassing the 993X and 9933, are now ATEX and IECEx Zones 1 and 2, and ETL (North America) Class I Division 2 compliant for use in hazardous locations with ambient temperature up to +60ºC. Built with IP66 rated enclosures, the 993X analysers can be installed outdoors, or in minimally temperature-controlled enclosures, reducing both capital and operating costs.

OCP Nutricrops has received a certification that its customised phosphate fertilizers, developed specifically for the European market, meet the EU’s stringent low cadmium content requirements. The certified fertilizers contain less than 20 milligrams of cadmium per kilogram of phosphorus pentoxide (P2 O5 ), far below the European Union’s regulatory ceiling of 60 mg/kg. OCP Nutricrops says that it plans to expand this low-cadmium benchmark across all its fertilizer products worldwide by the end of 2025. Reducing cadmium in agricultural fertilizers is considered a public health priority across Europe. This initiative is closely aligned with EU goals to mitigate food-related health risks and safeguard ecosystems from harmful contaminants.

As well as a recent US Chemical Safety Board report on an ammonia release incident, the past year has seen considerable focus on safety of ammonia at sea, in preparation for its possible use as a clean burning maritime fuel.