No Way Down: Chemical Release at Wacker Polysilicon

[@Ussr0312]

We gather again for the semi-annual USCSB subscribers meeting

[@shaggie1133]

Yessir we do. We are the faithful of the USCSB

[@performa9523]

Present!

[@exactingbirdy]

i love it when they upload. get to watch stuff explode

[@jaredstafford3354]

Here

[@hawkeye454]

All present and accounted for....we have a quorum

[@mikethompson148]

USCSB Lesson #1408: If you show up to work with jeans, gloves, and safety glasses, and everyone is in head-to-toe Soviet era hazmat suits, maybe just sit that one out.

[@_ArsNova]

What exactly makes a rubber chemical protective suit "Soviet-era"?

[@contentedbuddha]

​@@_ArsNovaYou know, like the "Bio-robots" in Chernobyl

[@Irilia_neko]

Congrator Aren't formed to think about that (they actually aren't formed at all. Because this costs money)

[@Fatallydisorganized]

@@_ArsNova During the Cold War the preferred material and construction for Hazmat suits was to use a solid impermeable rubber suit. American, and by extension a lot of Western Europe, used semi-permeable fabrics with a special activated charcoal interlayer to stop gasses and such from reaching the skin while still allowing moderate breathability making them much more comfortable to wear for extended periods.

[@alaric_]

@@_ArsNova I believe the main idea is the style, not THE SUIT itself. Soviet-style is something like a heavy, thick-rubber, cumbersome and designed to withstand small nuclear explosion as they couldn't afford to build single-use suits. Meanwhile west built suits that held together once. Well engineered but the Soviet-style is more intimidating and projects air of "maybe i should sit this one out" attitude when wearing 'casual friday'-clothes.

[@57thorns]

That was not verbal instructions, that was a game of telephone.

[@steverogers8163]

I bet you anything the final instruction was "anything between 15 to 40 lbs is okay".

[@QwazyWabbit]

Verbal instructions is always a game of telephone.

[@FullLengthInterstates]

too much institutional knowledge is transmitted verbally, we would have much better outcomes if people were trained to reference the written source.

[@mandi8345]

veritas inflections are pawlwise a flamed homophone purple monkey dishwasher.

[@banihex]

It just kept going!!

[@playgroundchooser]

This channel always reminds me of the phrase "If you think it's expensive to do it the correct way, wait till you see how much it costs to do it the wrong way."

[@hello12229]

Upper Management: “that’s what insurance is for!”

[@veiledAutonym]

The lawsuits and fines are still usually less than the profits they get from cutting corners. They see that as a price of business.

[@TheCarson116]

The shortened form of that that I've seen people say (including some on CSB videos in fact I think): "If you think health and safety is expensive, try an accident"

[@habeeb1t]

Unfortunately the price for many of these incidents is people's lives.

[@TheCarson116]

@@habeeb1t Yeah, & that's a price that too many companies are all too willing to pay for their screwups.

[@BradKwfc]

Whoever at the USCSB thought they should make a KZbin channel, you deserve a raise!

[@JoeRogansForehead]

They are probably high up by now this channel is pretty old. The animators are the best

[@wes8533]

A raise, a knighthood, the eternal praise of all mankind, and an Olive Garden gift card for infinity dollars.

[@elave16]

Second that!

[@grimbiscuits]

Ah, the David Attenborough of chemical safety incidents.

[@YouDontKnowMeSoYouDontKnowJack]

I hope they're making sure his voice will be perfectly replicated by AI in the future. I can't imagine these videos without it.

[@johncamp7679]

Perfectly said.

[@thecheezybleezy7036]

This channel is the jewl within the sea of coal

[@hylobateslar4151]

​@@YouDontKnowMeSoYouDontKnowJackthat would be a poor soulless imitation. I think finding a new voice would be better.

[@almc8445]

@@hylobateslar4151Man’s not heard the latest in voice replication - I can guarantee you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference

[@pretzelgtr]

props to the guy who was helping and trying to shield less equipped colleague

[@nickwilde2569]

Wasn't even his colleague, they worked at different companies

[@sparcnut]

​​​@@nickwilde2569On that particular day, they were colleagues regardless of which company paid their wages.

[@markh.6687]

Also, a Pen Gulf victim was put under the emergency shower by Jake Marshall employees to try protecting them from the hydrogen chloride gas, which turns into hydrochloric acid when it mixes with moisture in the eyes, nasal membranes, and lungs. The water from the shower would have helped shield the victim, as well as dilute any acid formed on clothes and skin, if the flow rate was high enough. See p. 23 of the report.

[@thomaswodarek1257]

@@markh.6687 So what I'm hearing here is that, at least some of the Jake Marshall employees were well versed in chemical incident response, potentially to the point of understanding the specific chemical interactions involved. They may have been ill prepared for the task at hand, but they were very prepared if anything went wrong.

[@veiledAutonym]

@@sparcnut every worker has far more in common with workers at another company than they do with their own bosses.

[@serkandevel7828]

I never clicked on a video from a gov agency this fast

[@billy4lifeify]

i'm not even subscribed to them, but the universe knew what i wanted

[@YouDontKnowMeSoYouDontKnowJack]

​@@billy4lifeify Welcome to the society. We are few, but we are loyal, and we all completely lose it when we see a new video has dropped. 😅

[@ssslimey]

Amen friend

[@somethingsomething404]

@@YouDontKnowMeSoYouDontKnowJackit’s not often!! It’s like Christmas😂

[@manitoba-op4jx]

my favorite government agency

[@ibuprofenPill]

I was middle management at a chemical company in Texas similar to Wacker. I can tell you as an insider, upper-level management weighs the cost of safety against what it would cost in lawsuit settlements should someone lose their life or get seriously injured. They come up with a number. If the cost of safety exceeds that number, they don’t enforce safety rules as closely. If anything like this ever happens, everything is blamed on middle management. IOW: me. When I was there, I saw a lot of corner-cutting on safety so I quit. On the way out, I warned my crew about the lax safety standards. Word got around and a dozen employees quit. The company found out about it and sued me. Had it not been for pro bono work by a public interest law firm, I would have been screwed. The outcome was 1) they would completely review safety standards and practices. 2) I would not go public and 3) they paid legal fees to the firm that defended me. Personally, I received nothing but a nice dinner from my attorneys. Oh well, all’s well that ends well I suppose. I left Texas.

[@deadbolt91765]

You did in fact just go public - just left out the name of the company :) Thank you for your service.

[@bazzatron9482]

Wow, there needs to be prison time associated with this.

[@DasEtwas]

awesome!!

[@UncleKennysPlace]

I worked for an aerospace firm that calculated risks for certain operational scenarios. I'm happy to say that we never, ever, ever, ever cut corners or fudged reports to get by. Sometimes we had to redesign a part that technically met gov't standards, but not our engineering standards, at the cost of many millions of dollars.

[@iamgutwrench]

There is a code for it. Api 580 and 581 risk based inspection. I laugh every time I'm in a safety meeting, and I hear the phrase "there is no price on a human life." Bs. Yes, there is. That's why I knew how hard the jab was being pushed was bs. Companies weigh everything by risk vs reward. If you can't be sued, there is no risk.

[@teslainvestah5003]

USCSB, you should know that the animations you've made have already affected safety at my job. I reported that piles of glittering metal dust underneath a hard-to-reach conveyor could be a fire hazard, and they were cleaned up. I'm just a material handler, I tape up boxes. The only reason I knew that metal dust is flammable is because I watch this channel for edutainment. I was never going to read an investigation summary on an industrial accident that happened anywhere other than my town. Your animations reached someone who otherwise would have been unreachable.

[@StephGr]

Beware of combustible dust!

[@geologestein726]

Awesome to hear, really shows the value of their videos

[@sunrisejackdaw1779]

Very good.

[@emaglott]

The videos are compelling and help to make hazards more visible. Thank you @uscsb

[@mit4c]

one of the best uses of taxpayer money

[@AlohaChips]

One of the few times you use hold out fanned cash towards the gov without hesitating!

[@topphatt1312]

People are always like "Oh ThE gOveRnMenT iS sO bAd ThEy RuN tHe DMV AnD iT's So BaD" but clearly they've never seen this channel.

[@FayeVert]

I would support a CSB Patreon SO HARD

[@Xinthose]

They even have their own background music.

[@_nintendogamecube_]

​@@FayeVert Sadly I don't think they can legally do that because they are a government agency.

[@jb1996BLOP]

Narrator: "They were not provided torque specs" Me:"Well that's definitely what happened"

[@RandomWrongDeletion]

Me: “Those fools, rookie mistake.”

[@AGueroAFuera]

"Just tighten the shit out of it with that impact over there."

[@jb1996BLOP]

@@AGueroAFuera many ugga-duggas were applied

[@samuelheddle]

avgn : what were they THINKING

[@reverberer]

You must be new here... The gentleman that narrates these videos is not simply called Narrator. The gentleman's name is Sheldon and he is a man of Legend

[@IxDeepOne]

I leave work at a petrochemical facility only for a CSB video to drop. What a day to be alive

[@SEEYAIAYE]

Watch out for red arrows above your head

[@exactingbirdy]

watch out for simplified diagrams

[@RandomWrongDeletion]

Never forget your PPE

[@AGueroAFuera]

God bless you made it another one and didn't get sick from the food truck either

[@LexYeen]

You're braver than any cop. 🤘

[@Fanatic4500]

"Management ignored workers concerns" is such a frustrating reoccurring element to these types of accidents. Always an unfortunate reminder about why we need regulatory agencies that have enough teeth to hold companies and individuals accountable.

[@andrewhooper7603]

When you see where something could go wrong, leave a paper trail.

[@BeefIngot]

Without consequences and overwatch these managers are fine with risking lives to save inconsequential amounts of time.

[@AsmodeusMictian]

@@BeefIngot The results are usually featured here, too. Along with a death count. Funny how we're constantly hearing from "interest groups" (paid shills.) about how these rules are 'unnecessary' and 'burdensome' because they mean that some demon in a suit can't go on an extra vacation that year or worse not be able to pay off that Senator that helps them skirt the law and causes chaos whenever necessary. We're barely one step away from a Fascist* state at this point, and they want to elect the head of the Corporatocracy back into the White House. If you think it's bad now, oh just wait. He's got a plan so that our lives never again have to interfere with that CEO's vacation ever again. *Fascism is easy to sum up. It's "of the business, by the business, and FOR the business" instead of "of the PEOPLE, by the PEOPLE, and for the PEOPLE."

[@ThomasRuecker]

I think it's one of the "bingo card" fields in Plainly Difficult videos 😬

[@CatMom-uw9jl]

@@BeefIngotBecause it’s never their lives. They don’t go to prison for it, and they take their inflated paychecks and move on.

[@anwyl42]

I think it's a nice touch having an acknowledgement of the person who died there.

[@delta4phoenix4]

I may be German, I may work in IT, but these videos still teach me a lot about watching out for dangers, and the importance of procedure. Thank you for making these videos available to everyone!

[@rdwatson]

These videos are ultimately about how complex systems fail. That is very applicable to IT systems as well.

[@myownsite]

These are the most German videos available in English.

[@TheCarson116]

Funnily enough Wacker themselves (or more specifically the original company, Wacker Chemie AG, as "Wacker Polysilicon" is a division of theirs) are German. I'm sure Germany (& probably Europe as a whole) takes workplace safety _much_ more seriously than the US though (especially with the ISO signage system extensively used throughout the EU), which is just sad since the US _could_ take it as seriously as that too (& thus help prevent deaths, injuries, & property damage, among other things), but for various reasons they don't.

[@HiwasseeRiver]

@@TheCarson116 It looks like the incident had zero technical leadership. I expect more out of a German or and American chemical firm (I've worked at both)

[@thompkins6796]

It proves that any industry will only benefit from establishing written policies, assessing risk, and anticipating total system failure. At my work, I don’t have to worry about acid clouds, but I do have to worry about how we continue operating without the internet.

[@Ea-Nasir_Copper_Co]

But seriously; what a horrible, preventable accident. RIP Mr. Aguilar.

[@angelicabrewer3711]

May he rest in peace

[@Molon_Labe1776]

F

[@diode30]

I'm a maintenance manager at a chemical plant. I would not be comfortable setting a contractor loose on an exotic piece of equipment like this. I would handle this in house or if it really was required that contractors do the work, I would be standing over them like a hawk until the critical parts were complete. Its crazy watching these videos seeing how these companies just let contractors loose in their plants.

[@neilkurzman4907]

Contractors are cheaper than employees. The refinery they’re closing in California. They announced that 300 employees would be laid off and 600 contractors.

[@WineScrounger]

“They’re only tightening bolts, how hard can it be?” A few moments lateur ~~ ☝️

[@IdiotDoomSpiral69]

Everybody wants to be as cheap as possible and have as little liability as possible, and they still expect the same work as a qualified, well-paid expert

[@Der8cho]

Because most maintenance managers are corporate yes men. Whatever corporate wants to protect their bonuses.

[@Stealth86651]

I worked at retail with plants, I couldn't even trust the landscapers to pick the right plants. *Always* give written instructions if catastrophic failure is unacceptable. The few minutes typing/writing up the instructions has saved me literal months of fixing mistakes and such.

[@measlyfurball37]

The exact day that this video came out, my site had an incident with a contractor incorrectly torqueing a bolt on a pipe. Thankfully, it was only pressurized air in the pipe at my site, but the man still almost lost four of his fingers- saved only by the timely intervention of an advanced trauma surgeon. I'm really grateful that there's organizations like USCSB to investigate accidents and suggest regulatory action. And I'm glad that the general public is starting to take a greater interest in safety due to these videos.

[@volvo09]

Holy sh1t, escaping air blew his fingers apart? Wow!

[@Tk3997]

@@volvo09 I mean an explosion is really just air too, if you stop to think about it for a second.

[@BestSpatula]

Whoever is writing the narration for these videos isn’t getting paid enough. The explanations are incredibly well done, making the safety failures and background leading to the accident easy for anyone to grasp without oversimplifying.

[@ve8482]

MY TAX MONEY PAYS FOR THIS. HELL YES

[@chrisbolland5634]

First time I've ever agreed to that sentiment outside of aerospace stuff.

[@_ArsNova]

@@chrisbolland5634 National parks?

[@tim3172]

@@chrisbolland5634 I don't know... I like firefighting services, roads, libraries, breathing clean air, drinking clean water, the basic pillars of societies, etc.

[@floridasavannah]

@@chrisbolland5634 I once told one of my professors about the program in the treasury Department that will take defaced currency, try to see how much there is, and then send you back your money and legitimately could not believe the government would help out people like that

[@DaHitch]

I am also happy your tax money pays for this.

[@whatsupwithafrica]

@8:00 "No, yeah we totally communicated the torque requirements to the apprentice.... it's his fault"

[@matthewcantrell5289]

That tracks. Jman- Torque the bolts to 40ftlbs Apprentice-all of them? Jman- you’ll figure it out.

[@Ali-e5h1b]

Those are the same people who would call me a moron, without common sense, or having a problem with authority. Do what they said, not what the law states... It's probably because half of the managers can't read a production drawing to save their own life. Let them do the job, and if they get it wrong... Well, they should know what will happen.

[@PatriotxAsset]

I call B.S. on that!

[@MajikalCowpoke]

Obligatory IWasA. That’s exactly how it went down. In this story if you pay attention the JMan saw the App run and went 💀💩 which is why he’s now the “hero” that shielded the other employee

[@VladMcCain]

"if it's not written down, it didn't happen"

[@whatzituya55]

2 videos in 3 months? We are blessed

[@dj_laundry_list]

"Yeah we should have more accidents so we can get more awesome videos like this" - no one

[@whatzituya55]

@@dj_laundry_list I said WE are blessed, not the workers. And you'd be surprised

[@notmuch_23]

but the workers that were part of the events that bring us these videos are cursed...

[@TheRedRaven_]

@@dj_laundry_list With the amount of safety incidents we have annually, they almost have unlimited content to farm. It’s likely the quality of the videos that takes them so long to upload.

[@thecheezybleezy7036]

​@whatzituya55 if every incident was reported properly the uscb would have 10 videos a week

[@sage5296]

The fact that there were reports FIFTY YEARS AGO that suggested getting these sorts of safety codes into law and nothing has been done...

[@yoshistar100]

The power of lobbyists

[@TheFirstIcon]

Getting the final layer of swiss cheese in place is always the hardest. Training your employees to always verify bolt torques with the drawing is way less expensive than adding extra staircases to every process stack. Even if a company is really committed, they will probably address the first 4 or 5 causes in the chain and call it a day.

[@fredlarsen3707]

Started a new job at a new place for general machine operator, during orientation they asked the standard question of "what gets you excited on KZbin?". Many people have the usual hobbies or general likes, I kinda chuckled and said this channel. I'm now a safety guy at my new job with a 15% increase in pay because I'm "safety oriented ". Because I quote "nobody would ever willingly give up that information to another person otherwise "

[@mbvoelker8448]

Good for you!

[@tylerpeterson4726]

I know a guy who works at an industrial gas facility. He's an area manager and I told him about the CSB videos and he was pretty interested in showing his crew what the CSB does. Hopefully that crew will be safer for these videos. Edit: thank you to all the investigators and the board members who dedicate their professional life to digging up the lessons these disasters should teach us.

[@MrChadsimoneaux]

Most of the people who work in those places mock safety, sleep thru presentations and general see anyone interested in such things as weak. But that said, I got out in one piece. They might not.

[@03056932]

I'm surprised they aren't mandatory watching in that field. Criminal such high quality pieces aren't getting seen by those who would benefit.

[@Paul-uj8bk]

The "spring" pictured between the blue flanges is actually a bellows-style expansion joint. You can't actually see through it, but I can understand how the animator was confused.

[@BetaDude40]

I was really confused about what that was, I was trying to imagine why this rigid industrial tower needed suspension lol

[@chri-k]

I was also confused how that was supposed to work

[@sebastiannielsen]

I actually tought it was part of the heat exchange system. Like spring-like piping that allows air to pass through so it cools down.

[@MidBoss]

My guess was that those are used to connect pipes that are not perfectly aligned or to allow some movement. Is that correct?

[@chri-k]

@@MidBoss You can see that the pipes are not aligned

[@earlwarren59]

I work in oil and gas, binge watching old (and the rare new) CSB videos after work while on the road is good times. It does make me think a tad more about safety.. much more than any safety training has done. Adding a few photos of the documented damage after the animation would be great. Like the old school videos. Keep it up!

[@1978garfield]

That is one small criticism I have of the newer videos. The older videos, I suspect out of necessity, had more real life footage and photos in them. I understand the desire to show off the amazing computer graphics but real pics of the damage would help to drive home the lesson.

[@ssslimey]

Safe journeys in your work.

[@arielioffe1810]

@@1978garfieldI think aome of these accidents have less obvious damage-a releace of HCl wouldn’t necessarily cause striking damage to the surrounding machinery (I don’t think).

[@earlwarren59]

@@arielioffe1810 the broken graphite flange would have been a neat visual aid

[@USCSB]

Thank you for the feedback and your support of the CSB.

[@wes8533]

Everyone should go show some love to Abbott Animation they’re the people who do the animations for our beloved USCSB videos.

[@info_fox]

Soon as you said Graphite, I already knew what happened.

[@YanickaQuilt]

Wondering why graphite was used. I don't know enough to make an educated guess

[@ratdude747]

​@@YanickaQuiltthermal properties and chemical (acid) resistance if I were to guess. HCl is nasty stuff.

[@josephfolkemer]

@@YanickaQuiltmy guess is the HCL at high temperature in the exchanger would eat through many other standard heat-exchanger materials. Once it was cooled, steel pipe was fine.

[@khx73]

@@josephfolkemer The danger comes when HCL comes into contact with moisture. A very small unseen leak will corrode the metal severely as the wisp of HCL gas mixed with moisture in the air. I've seen a 3/4" valve chewed nearly in half from a very slow leak....and packing blow right out of another with 400psi behind it... and that's in a process with maybe 300ppm of HCL gas in the mix, not straight HCL. Scary stuff.

[@transvestosaurus878]

No you didn't, because it's not there!

[@tomhunter91]

Torquing flanges down while high pressure highly hazardous chemicals are in the piping is crazy.

[@contentedbuddha]

You're saying workers health is more important than shareholders earnings? 😮

[@dnebdal]

Also, for this to happen the equipment must have been pressurized while not properly torqued down, right? Maybe that's fine, but it does sound a bit odd.

[@khx73]

Live torquing is done all the time safely. Their procedures and policies failed them in this case.

[@paulmoloney5569]

@@dnebdal Not at all, it's actually its common practice, where i work we have to go back and retorque a lot of equipment when it comes back online. take a boiler for instance, you have a cold torque setting which is done in the shop for a sight glass and when it's up temperature 400c at 6000 Kpa you need to retorque it to avoid possible leaks. No difference for cold service equipment, when you get under -20c the metal contracts leading to leaks so retorquing is required. i work in a refinery and these are must watch its sad to say the root causes are always human error up and down the chain of command.

[@jakebrodskype]

...compared to what? Compared to draining and restarting the system? A lot of things can go wrong that way too. It seems to me that people should be able to ensure that everything is properly torqued. The problem here was the game of broken telephone where verbal instructions had to pass through THREE people to get to the apprentice torquing the bolts.

[@Darkhunter190able]

The guy shielding the woman from the release may have saved their life....

[@abebuckingham8198]

Oh they absolutely saved her life. Hydrogen chloride is incredibly dangerous. It's what hydrochloric acid is made of. The chemical burns can destroy you.

[@MrTehkaiser]

Woulda been nice for her to have been issued chemical rated PPE. Pathetic company leadership. Typical capitalist thinking. Bunch of business do nothings providing no value and harming innocent people.

[@roguishpaladin]

Her not giving in to impulse and trying to climb down also probably saved her life.

[@Mk5mod0]

And found himself a wife if they are both single.

[@SocialDownclimber]

True but she is going to need a heck of a skincare routine. I hope she gets a huge payout from the company.

[@trespire]

Another point that should be addressed IMO, are sharp edges, corners, clutter or any other hazzards that could catch on clothing or personel safety equipment. Work areas, especially those that pose risk, should be engineered to be clean and orderly as possible. That should include removal of unused electrical cable, neatly dressing existing electrical wiring, cleaning inspecting and rust proofing of pipework. Good lighting of all areas, including those hidden corners. Outstanding work by the CSB as always.

[@historyteacher5821]

My first introduction to a real "safety culture" was working on the Trans-Alaska Pipeline; Field Hazard Assessments (FHA's) (performed by supervisors who planned the job), Job Hazard Assessments (JHA's) (performed by those tasked with performing the work), Hot Work Permits, written procedures, and Simultaneous Operations (SIMOPS) meetings were the norm. I learned a great deal working in that environment, and I strive to inculcate that same safety culture at my new job. Videos like this go a long way to explaining to employees who have never worked in these types of environments what kinds of hazards they may be surrounded by, but absolutely oblivious to. Any one of those contract workers had undoubtedly heard that they have 'stop the job authority'. Yet, none of them opted to exercise it in this situation - why not? "Those guys over there are wearing head-to-toe hazmat suits for their job, and they're like 25 ft away, and we've got basic PPE on." OR, "We've got to wear these stupid hazmat suits, and those guys, less than 30ft away, aren't wearing ANY of this stuff?!"= STOP THE JOB I understand why the USCSB would focus on the steps that employers and regulatory agencies might have taken to ensure the employees were never put into an unsafe circumstance in the first place, but I believe that failing to point out the right of the employees to stop the job when the facility managers and supervisors fail in these circumstances tends to reinforces the mindset that "safety is someone else's job". It is my expectation that my employees stop the job if they believe there is something unsafe about the situation, and I pray that they have the willingness to do so when they encounter it.

[@davidjohnson5635]

That’s a really good point. We need to voice that right too so that we normalize it for management as well. All too often it’s perceived as the greenhorn is bothered about stuff, by both management and coworkers. If we can get the conversation to focus on it better to be cautious then dead we might turn around some of this stuff

[@SocialDownclimber]

Safety culture is really so important, you have that 100% right! And it is up to everyone to reproduce that safety culture, especially those in positions of authority.

[@DylanClarkSallee]

This is a really insightful comment.

[@lgbtthefeministgamer4039]

what happens if they exercise that authority?

[@SocialDownclimber]

​@@lgbtthefeministgamer4039 If they exercise their authority to subvert safety culture, then their employees will have serious accidents that cause harm or death, if their industry has hazards of that severity. If they exercise their authority to institute and support a safety culture, they will have fewer serious and fatal incidents. That's what happens.

[@angelofthegrove9574]

Time for my usual two-part reaction to a USCSB upload notification: Yay, a USCSB video! 😄 ...... Oh no, a USCSB video. 😰

[@billyjjames]

😂

[@Billionth_Kevin]

For that reason, I really appreciate they cut straight to number of people who got hurt. Its not meant to be dramatic and keep you wondering

[@YS420X]

Lol came here for this. Glad to have a new video to watch but sad it had to be made in the first place.

[@MandolinMagi]

100% Great vids on horrifying accidents

[@alirezamoradi1422]

Your videos have introduced me to your reports which are GOLD MINE for a process engineer...

[@someperson7]

Torquing to spec has got to be one of the most overlooked practices in nearly every industry in the US. Torque wrenches are expensive compared to regular wrenches. Even in industries that really ought to know better. Like revalving propane cylinders/tanks.

[@Skunkhunt_42]

Still may need to be rechecked while in operation at elevated pressures or temps (lower temps too)

[@rubezahlmountainworks7974]

I think the issue is that graphite non metal parts aren't labeled. The torque required would be more or less self-evident.

[@blackbird_actual]

@someperson7 Most maintenance organizations within facilities have torque wrenches - it's just that getting them to find the required torque spec and actually use it instead of relying on "yeah, that feels about right" can be difficult - especially in a production environment under time pressure. The best way to solve that issue, especially in larger organizations, is through proper planning of maintenance work - finding and staging any special tools like a torque wrench in advance, providing the required torque spec on the work order, maybe even having another person verify and sign off that the torquing procedure was properly completed if it's a particularly critical or hazardous job, like what this video shows.

[@someperson7]

@@blackbird_actual Yeah you'd think. Propane company who shall remain nameless I can tell you for a fact never tightened a thing to spec in four years and zero people had torque wrenches. Plastic injection molding company had torque wrenches but when they dug it up all of the experienced people decided that the bolts didn't feel right enough with the torque wrench and the wrench must be out of calibration or the spec was wrong. No one ever got calibration instruments or replaced the torque wrenches. Those bolts were holding up multi-ton molds. Meanwhile we were ripping bolts out of the platnen left right and center. Blown a hole, use a helicoil insert until next time. Even mechanics and builders who ought to know better won't be bothered. It's just not embedded into the culture. A lot of companies have guys who just learned on the job and they know what works... Mostly. So they just keep on going the way they've always been working until something bad happens.

[@JamesJamersonIsAGod]

I agree. This and on top of that knowing the limitations of using a torque measurement on a fastener for determining preload/clamping force in an assembly. It’s the second worst way after just tightening by feel, but it is MUCH more practical and cheaper than alternatives (angle/torque measurement, preload indicating fasteners and washers, ultrasonic, strain gauges whatever). Even the OEMs overlook this all the time, the only way around it is very strict process controls which everyone always gets lax on after a while because tightening bolts and SHCS seems like such trivial work. Little different rust inhibitor oil on that shipment of fasteners? Bam your over yielding bolts on pressure vessels. New operator? Bam, your over torquing 30% as he drags the wrench past it’s set point. Change in mating thread machining operation? Bam under setting preload value due to garbage rough threads. Hope all of that was accounted for when the product was designed!

[@acceptablecasualty5319]

Whoever made those Animations did an incredible job. The textures, VFX (especially the gas) and lighting are all top-notch.

[@roymarshall_]

They even made things look realistically rusty!

[@gatsbye53]

They even included the Torque Wrench brand!

[@Neojhun]

Apparently a company called Abbott Animations.

[@camerongorman89]

As a journeyman pipefitter, I greatly appreciate all of your videos. I have my apprentices watch these videos so get the accustomed to the dangers that we face each and everyday.

[@connorknightly]

Thank you , USCSB

[@a-randomfloof]

36 likes AND A HEART FROM USCSB but no replies? How???

[@imjody]

I used to be an apprentice Industrial Pipefitter. Love this channel so much. I've delt with wrenches that are taller than I am, and I'm 6 feet tall. These wrenches can get mind-blowingly massive, lol. I was injured twice, but nothing serious. Once, a massive end cap weighing a good 300 pounds, landed on my foot. Thankfully, it didn't end up bending the steel toes inwards on my boots. Another time, a group of us just got done with a meeting, I turned around and took a step and ended up falling into a hole due to one of the floor grates having been opened. Sprain my ankle or something, since my toes turned purple/red for a day or two, but I just continued working and my toes are fine now many years later. Stay safe out there, folks! So many ways to get injured; or worse out there.

[@KingPP-rw8kt]

It’s so sad that something really bad needs to happen to get such an great video like this.

[@orioledtd]

There would be no Air Disasters series if we didn’t have enough to fill up all of those episodes. People just keep finding new ways to screw up stuff.

[@veiledAutonym]

The real sad part is they don't nearly cover all of the accidents that occur country wide in the time it takes them to make a video

[@TitaniumTurbine]

@@orioledtd The world would be a darker place without Air Disasters/Mayday/Air Crash Investigations (or the 10 other international production names it has).

[@pwheeler1994]

Why did this get recommended to me? Why am I continuing to watch it? Why is it one of the best videos I've seen in awhile?

[@RozzDarkly]

Look at the age of some of the channels that are actually commenting bro. Spoiler alert. We're old af now 😂

[@acktopaf4606]

If you heard at 6:36 there are regulations by both OSHA and the EPA which were ignored. If only these government agencies existed for some reason and weren't just there to cramp big business's style am I right?

[@samirahaslet8227]

He also stated, minimum ppe. Too bad people dont care more about their own well being, complacency is a choice. Mistakes were made for sure all around. Prayers for the families.

[@ChrisHasak]

In 3 minutes, the maintenance technician managed to tear a hole in his acid suit, knock his respirator off in the middle of a cloud of acid, and fall off a 70 ft tower. Really shows you the value of staying calm and thinking things through in situations like this...

[@SixOhFive]

Yes

[@Tekker2234]

The maintenance tech didn't fall off the tower. They were trapped by the stairwell until the release had stopped. The one who fell was one of the other workers that had been installing insulation. It does still underscore the value of staying calm. That's often a tough thing to do in emergencies, especially if you are inexperienced.

[@jerodast]

I wouldn't discount the sheer lack of visibility, you could easily snag on something even moving somewhat cautiously. ...I agree the respirator might've been more preventable, although if you had to duck under something to move about, that could just happen too.

[@misseselise3864]

bro was cooked before he got to work. dude was on borrowed time

[@coreym162]

I was thinking the same thing.

[@_ArsNova]

Fun fact: The "bald eagle" call you hear in the USCSB intro is actually a red-tailed hawk.

[@sweetwater2128]

fake

[@Innerbrave]

Yes I agree that seems like the hawk call

[@Nelo390]

real

[@LexYeen]

yup, classic Hollywood trivia. bald eagles are photogenic but they sound hilarious. 😂

[@cardrivingdude]

100%.

[@AGueroAFuera]

I love you USCSB, I'd love a career in this to help prevent these accidents

[@Tekker2234]

Reach out to them and ask them what they are looking for. Then see if you can get whatever qualifications they need. It's probably a lot easier than you think.

[@FayeVert]

You're going to need to study a lot of chemistry, engineering, and industrial hygiene.

[@FayeVert]

@@Tekker2234 well, no...the government hiring process can be long and drawn out. Most of the CSB investigators are Process Engineers, so that would be one field to seek a degree in. Industrial hygiene and occupational safety would be related areas of study.

[@Tekker2234]

@@FayeVert didn't know that, thank you for clarifying!

[@davidjohnson5635]

@@FayeVerteh I wouldn’t say that you necessarily have to be a process engineer directly to be able to be involved in making a difference. There are plenty of admin roles as well as creative roles and educational. Someone had to press upload on these videos after all! So yes if you want to become a process engineer to directly be responsible for investigating this stuff, sure it’s hard. But we need to be normalizing how vital ALL of the admin and grunt work going on too.

[@itguydave2164]

The quality and engaging nature of these videos is absolutely incredible. Right to the point of detail on fittings, rust and textures. Just incredible they manage to make a coherent and valuable resource available like this, especially with such accuracy and detail!

[@mikeydude750]

Watched these videos way back when I was in my senior design course in chemical engineering back in undergrad, pretty amazing how far their presentation has gone

[@krippledforlife]

The king of narration returns.

[@SuburbanWarfare69]

I wonder who he is

[@adams115]

Hes my dad

[@alexlogan202]

Sorry but Stacy Keach is #1. Pretty sure this guy, Sheldon Smith, modeled his game after him

[@daytoncharitychicken]

Reliance on verbal communications in a chain is essentially playing the telephone game where there’s a high likelihood that critical details get lost or warped along the way. Preparing, distributing (to all), and using written communications (always checking them before completing a procedure) is critical. And please conduct hazard assessments and always use all appropriate PPE (never downgrade PPE to save money or marginally increase comfort or or to look more socially acceptable/cooler🙄). And it was nearly 50 years since NIOSH issued guidance?! 😬 Wow, this incident was definitely worthy of a video! Thanks again USCSB… may you never be shut down by politicians under political pressure from corporate donors looking to cut costs on necessary safety procedures, programs, and equipment!🙏🙏🙏

[@daytoncharitychicken]

@@c0461-e1s Excellent points!👏

[@Jabarri74]

As a kid there was a game where you said something say 10x then when it got back to you it was completely different. Chinese whispers I believe it was called

[@Tekker2234]

@@Jabarri74 That is (basically) the same game as telephone. You say something to someone, they say it to someone else than the chain continues till it goes back to you (or whoever started it). By the end it is often completely and utterly different than how it started.

[@benruniko]

USCSB deserves more money and focus. It is groups like these that are part of enforcing rules to prevent dangerous working conditions. Sometimes it is workers making poor choices, and sometimes it is abuse by higher ups. It should always be prevented if possible. Does your board of executives feel like it is “losing money”? Is the floor manager trying not to “waste time”? Well too bad. If we can’t keep workers safe then you shouldn’t be doing manufacturing. Maybe the service industry selling clothing and food in stores is more your speed. I do love that these videos exist; they are so instructive for those who need it, as well as informative and entertaining to lay people.

[@pete4082]

Totally agree, and its why voting is so important - Trump tried to kill this agency, it needs to be talked about more

[@amykathleen2]

Having worked in the service sector, a better understanding of safety issues is needed there too. On the one hand, poor training and poor safety controls lead to hazards like food poisoning, falls, burns, etc. all the time. And on the other, what are customers supposed to do when there’s a fire or other emergency in a mega-mall they’ve never been to before and the teenager serving their lunch has no training on the locations of emergency exits, fire extinguishers, or shelter areas? I would say it’s a disaster waiting to happen, except for the fact that disasters have happened and very little has been done about it because making changes costs money.

[@benruniko]

@@amykathleen2 very true

[@kdl0]

Yeah maybe they can hire somebody who knows how to upload videos that are 30 FPS KZbin friendly. 🙄

[@AdumMyers]

Wow, I didn't see 1 part of this video that wasn't exceptional. From the in debth information spoken verbally to the visual colors for different parts and materials, this is insanely well done by some talented people.

[@wes8533]

The lack of a “safety video” category at the academy awards is a crime.

[@_Jay_Maker_]

Not even the Red Tailed Hawk in the opening animation? 😆

[@youprettywow]

Thank you USCSB for all that you do. Safety always!

[@Dodgersrule28]

99% of comments: how amazing USCSB and their video production skills are 1% of comments: the actual incident itself

[@Phoen1x883]

Well, 99% of commenters don't work at industrial chemical processing facilities

[@codymoe4986]

Welcome to the 99% Club!

[@pauldietz1325]

And then there's us birders complaining about the eagle.

[@blackbird_actual]

We meet once again to congratulate the best US government agency to have ever been created on producing yet another Certified Safety Classic

[@tylers82]

I’m glad they still do these. As someone in construction and dealing with pressure vessels and piping this is as informative as it gets. Thank you for that

[@mbvoelker8448]

So many lessons to learn for nearly anyone in any industry. Get all critical information in writing every time. Have two ways out. If two jobs are being done at once everyone obeys the more stringent safety standards. Think ahead about what you'll do if an accident happens to minimize panic.

[@privacyvalued4134]

A special Thank You for the epic animations and your editing team. Also, the narrator guy is a national treasure.

[@YouDontKnowMeSoYouDontKnowJack]

He's right up there with Robert Stack of "Unsolved Mysteries."

[@werechicken1969]

I think this channel should be required viewing for EVERY undergrad and postgraduate working with hazardous chemicals or conditions.

[@MOB-Lee]

There isn't another channel that makes me more excited for a new video

[@RooneyMac]

Sounds like you'd like WTYP

[@PremiumFuelOnly]

The Canadians used to post videos like this on their channel WorkSafeBC.

[@jaxonsmith5575]

These videos are so nostalgic. They remind me of watching hours of "How It's Made" on Sci channel. The clear visuals, the iconic relaxing voice, It's all so peaceful and facinating.☺️☺️☺️

[@YouDontKnowMeSoYouDontKnowJack]

Or "Unsolved Mysteries" with Robert Stack.

[@kilodeltaeight]

Super nostalgic…Minus the death and capitalism’s wanton disregard for human life and environment

[@ssslimey]

Sometimes it's like "Fact or Fiction" with Jonathan Franks. Nah he wouldn't do that.. oh shi!.

[@Honkahonky]

​@@kilodeltaeight without that capitalism we wouldn't have all the things we have. Socialism just swept under the rug any incident like the one in the video.

[@YS420X]

Reminds me of being in science class in school, and the teacher rolled out the CRT TV and turned off the lights. Simpler times

[@SeanMcKinnon-p3z]

USCSB makes the best videos. I hope the lack of more regular content is a sign that efforts to make the industry safer are working!

[@colethomas790]

The only government agency we trust. Never skip a CSB accident breakdown. I will never need this knowledge in my life, and yet I watch it from beginning to end.

[@TherealCentral1]

Babe wake up, there’s a new USCSB upload

[@jeez297]

THIS!

[@Wasmachineman]

Fancy seeing you here!

[@ktktktktktktkt]

I love seeing the same lazy uninspired comment on every video

[@TherealCentral1]

@@Wasmachineman interesting how we still continually find each other’s comments across KZbin through various subjects :))

[@TherealCentral1]

@@ktktktktktktkt literally nobody asked

[@lilaralston6314]

As with so many of these videos, this is a rich source of ideas for horror writers. Thanks to the USCSB for all that you do; and best wishes in your investigation of the Biolab release in Conyers, GA. My dog and I were evacuated from our agility trial 6 mi. from the site.

[@tylerdover4542]

The company I work for has a facility right next to the Biolab place that caught on fire two weeks ago. They couldn't work for almost 4-5 days because there was a yellow haze (probably chlorine gas) still floating around. Scary shit.

[@lilaralston6314]

@@tylerdover4542 Yikes! It's won't be their first dance with the CSB either--they were there in 2020.

[@martinp1054]

I have such conflicting emotions about this video. On one hand i love the format, on the other it means there was a disaster that happened to real people who got injured or died....

[@davidjohnson5635]

They die regardless of someone investigating and reporting on it, sadly. This might help people think better about regulations and be safer themselves. Who knows? Someone might end up being a whistleblower on safety concerns based on what they see in these vids.

[@michaelslee4336]

I work in a Cl2 plant, when our new plant was being commissioned operators identified that one of the gas-tight fully enclosed buildings only had one internal exit stairwell. That building contained up to 200 of liquid Cl2, if you were at the top and there was a leak there were 2 ways down, one was the stairwell into certain death and the other was to jump outside to your death. Thankfully management saw the risk and installed an external stairwell over to the adjacent process area.

[@hotrodmercury3941]

In Aviation, we have a saying... "You only have one chance to do it right. If it isn't in the maintenance manual, it doesn't go on. The Maintenance Manual is LAW"

[@bill8985]

Who does not love the quality of these videos and animation? Just superb.

[@Grahamster00]

USCSB joins the list of the very few government agencies I fully support and trust. These videos are fascinating and necessary.

[@User-y9t7u]

Give it time, I'm sure they'll abuse that trust overtime in the name of diversity. Soon as the corrupt find there's something else to ruin

[@brotherpanda3626]

For every video posted, a Safety Man gets confirmation that the frequent safety violator on their site finally got fired.

[@citricdemon]

i hate working with those safety violators. they think they're invulnerable, and don't care how they're going to kill me.

[@OlOleander]

Always appreciate the quality, level of detail, and no-nonsense, objective analysis of these presentations.

[@Matt_TX]

Yeah I’m sorry but if I’m 70ft up and see a crew in full PPE working right next to me and I don’t have that PPE I’m stopping their work till my crew got down.

[@RandomWrongDeletion]

Yuppp

[@unclemonster48]

No shame in a stop work ever!

[@youmukonpaku3168]

yeah. Management hears you stopped work because the boys in full hazmat showed up and you're in t-shirts, either they understand or you get to dodge the bullet of working for a place that would've made you go back up.

[@HenryLoenwind]

Same for the full-PPE crew.

[@FrostJaeger]

The last time I was this early, Deepwater Horizon was still afloat.

[@screaming_cat2007]

Same here

[@matthewhall5571]

And the Valdez still sailed Alaska

[@jacob_90s]

I'm surprised they didn't stamp the torque on the bolts. EDIT: Posted this as a reply but figured I'd add it here as well. Guys I don't mean they custom order bolts where the manufacturer puts the torque spec on it; I mean they do it themselves at the time of assembly the infrastructure. You can buy alphanumeric punch sets.

[@Midwest_tech]

TBH the bolts are probably ur typical grade 8 zinc coated bolts. It's very rare to have fastening hardware to have specs listed on it unless it's a specialized type of fastener for a specific purpose/application and even then often times nothing more than the grade markings.

[@earlwarren59]

Regardless of the fastener max allowable torque clamping load (and torque required to achieve this), the fastener could be used for a number of flange and gasket arrangements. The same bolts (maybe SS304 B8SH) are used for service for aluminum flat face flanges, aluminum raised face flanges (rare), stainless flanges, etc. Each will have a different torque spec for the specific flange type and gasket material. There is no clear way to mark this on either the fastener or flange unfortunately.

[@asdb26fr]

No chance of a specialized bolt stamper device that could be used manually on site at installation to stamp a figure into the bolt head? I think it'd be "easy" to design such a device along the lines of a staple gun, with selectable numbers and a holder for the bolt. Use I'm imagining: select the desired rating, put the bolt in the holder, and push the handle. The question I have is whether the stamping action is likely to somehow weaken the bolt.

[@herbzom5203]

in europe we write the torque number we tightend the bolts in flanges on the flanges in newtonmeters and our initials if the previous guys did that here they might have seen the torque spec and be saved

[@jacob_90s]

Guys I don't mean they custom order bolts where the manufacturer puts the torque spec on it; I mean they do it themselves at the time of assembly the infrastructure. You can buy alphanumeric punch sets.

[@Stealth86651]

Make sure to write to your representatives and let them know that USCSB is doing wonders and could use more funding. I mean they have a youtube channel that uploads every 6 months or so and still manages to beat out many other channels.

[@TheOneToRate]

Safety regulations are written in blood. This is amazing work, thank you for these reports!

[@ericjackson9047]

Thank you, USCSB!!!!! Another exceptional safety video that leaders and managers in every industry should watch and consider the implications to their own operations.

[@Notreallysureactually]

Another horrible tragedy, another fascinating watch.

[@CKidder80]

As always, the voice over actor: Great, Graphics/Videos: Great, monotone dead-eye presentation of safety material by the actual CSB staff: priceless

[@jaebo74]

thanks for the hard work at CSB. you guys help keep us informed

[@thegatesofsleep]

4:55 im calling bs. He either didn’t have it on at all or it was improperly dawned. You’ll knock yourself out cold before that respirator ever gets knocked off your face.

[@SamM1]

Perhaps just panicked and pulled it off in vain attempt to improve visibility? Suddenly losing visibility is one of the most 0-100 panic responses I've had in my life lol

[@notalizardperson]

I mean, once panic starts you can suffer some pretty serious injuries and just keep going.

[@annasstorybox7906]

Judging by the strict guidelines counter NRBC troops have to fulfill in order to ensure tight fitted masks I can definitely see how a improperly trimmed beard or strands of hair could have impaired the mask... But if the mask was found laying around panic is definitely an explanation...

[@thegatesofsleep]

@@annasstorybox7906 Every plant I’ve worked in require clean shaven face if your duties include any respirator or SCBA type work. Some plants will even make the janitor shave. You can have a moustache or “soul patch” if it’s trimmed tight. Ive seen a lot of people sent home for the day and also lose their job over having to be told to shave more than once. The straps hug your head very tightly, so tight you’d probably break your neck before it gets snagged off you. First comment might be true. He may have panicked and took it off, but I’m not buying the explanation the video gives for one second. I’ve spent over 1000 hours wearing these things. For 13 hours straight at times. Surrounded by h2s (SCBA obviously) Crawling through structures and piping. It never comes off of dawned properly, I’ve never even heard of it happening to be honest.

[@coleiscola]

​@@SamM1 Yeah have to second the all visibility to no visibility can cause crazy reactions thing. Had an incident semi recently where I lost 95% visibility while driving, the panic it causes is unbelievably insane.

[@465maltbie]

Excellent description as always, I learn so much more from this than just a written report. Thank you for your efforts. Charles

[@RikkiestAndTikkiest]

I appreciate the high-quality animation and professional narrator. While I'm sad workers got hurt, I'm thankful videos like this exist to educate and warn others. Good work!

[@TheCALMInstitute]

I LIVE FOR THIS CHANNEL

[@CrimsonSw1ft]

I am back to learn proper procedures and avoid injury/death in an industry completely unrelated to my daily life. Thank you USCSB

[@psymar]

Never know when you might make a friend with a related job, hear them bitching about stuff at work, and have some alarm bells go off. That's your chance to save lives

[@CrimsonSw1ft]

​@@psymar You are correct, however, I live on a small island that does not have this level of industry 😂

[@mbvoelker8448]

And yet the mindset we learn applies to nearly anything. I'm a deli clerk and a stained glass artist. In one aspect I deal with spinning steel knives. In the other I have razor-sharp edges and toxic chemicals. Remembering safety principles is critical.

[@unkannyunkanny9232]

If the worker has to flee for their life as something goes to hell, the public may find sudden relevance in the resulting toxic cloud/explosion. While the videos work as worker safety training, I think they also work to teach us how to answer the question "Is this regulation =really= necessary?" When you watch the video on West, TX the answer is "yes, the FD should know they are standing next to a daisy cutter". But the Trump admin decided business has a privacy right that overrides the right of the FD to know what it is up against. 🤨

[@DalanaDailey]

I'm a stay-at-home mom but I watch every single one of these.

[@MuralityD]

The USCSB might be the only federal agency I wholeheartedly approve of

[@pootispiker2866]

Braindead comment

[@YouDontKnowMeSoYouDontKnowJack]

Same.

[@Salac0]

No love for the National Park Service?

[@absurdsona8931]

NTSB have some really good board meetings and investigative hearings on their YT.

[@BirdieRumia]

United States Postal Inspection Service? They're like the most honest cops America has. The Mail Cops.

[@dantefox6556]

As an industrial fire protection engineer every single one of these videos are valuable learning opportunity

[@perotekku]

Can we get a round of applause for the narrator? Unsung hero in these vids, they do an amazing job everytime.

[@hydra7427]

Never stop making these.

[@Blublayze]

Always impressed at how clear and high quality these vids are.

[@JL-ql2jo]

I’m always so amazed at the quality of the 3D modeling in these videos

[@andresm.8838]

Wow, the production value has been increased as well! Great job and excellent video as always!

[@bencolbert6732]

A nearly 10% like to view ratio is crazy engagement. I love the USCSB.

[@delanorrosey4730]

1,000 views within 5 minutes??? We've been jonesing for another excellent video from USCSB!

[@derek04151]

Here in Canada, you'd be kicked off the job site until you suit up.... and you wouldn't be touching anything without a handful of paperwork and prior workup, safety briefing, and crystal clear instructions. If any of that is not followed, you can go home.

[@locool676]

No, CSB, thank YOU for publishing these reports in a easy to digest manner that doesn't leave me reading white papers for hours on end.

[@rensadu8200]

Videos like this always bring back memories of when I did my dad's online MSHA training for him. Good times