Plant Explosions: Why are people surprised when there are accidents?

Who is surprised?

Because thats the way Albemarle, Bayou Corne, Exxon, BP, Angus Chemical, etc want people to be. They always talk about being first on safety this or that. Just like MSM.

Anyone who has lived around them, had family members work at them, or worked at one themselves is never surprised.

My Pops worked at a chemical plant. Years ago, when I was in elementary school, he had worked off on a three day (he worked twelve hour swings). He was outside working on building us this badass playhouse when he heard something. He climbed down off the ladder, went inside, and told my Mom to turn on the tv to the news because, "the plant just blew up".

He was right. It was in the building right down from the one he worked in and was basically a "flash fire" that blew out all four walls. It happened exactly seven minutes after all the guys in that area went on break. No one was killed, only a few burns, I believe. That building was rebuilt and is now surrounded on three sides by an earthen berm.

Other accidents there did kill people, and my Pops wound up in the ER on more than one occasion. That was the risk of working in a chemical plant during the 70s/80s. It is at least better and much safer these days.

quote:

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The PSM regulations passed in 1992 is a big reason for the plants being safer now.

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Man, we lived through those early days, he got hired right out of high school in 1969. Pops and two uncles worked out there. My dad only spent a few years in the actual chemical plant before getting a job in a different part of the plant that was a whole lot safer. He went to the ER at least five times in three or four years, usually for exposure or something......never anything serious. He was on shift when a friend of his got burned really bad. It was like the wild west.