Board urges safety measures at gas plants after kleen energy and Conagra explosions

摘要

Closing investigations into two deadly blasts, the US nChemical Safety Board last week adopted a series of 18 recom-nmendations, deemed urgent, designed to prevent fires and nexplosions at industrial facilities during the cleaning and purg-ning of natural gas pipes.nThe 4-1 vote came at a public hearing in Middletown, nConnecticut, where an explosion at the Kleen Energy power nplant killed six workers and injured at least 50 others in nFebruary. Investigators outlined findings of that probe and ndescribed its similarity to a June 2009 blast at a ConAgra Foods nSlim Jim plant in Garner, North Carolina, which killed four nworkers and injured 67. nBoth accidents resulted from large, planned releases of gas in nthe presence of ignition sources — during the cleaning of gas pip-ning, in the Kleen Energy blast, and the venting of fuel gas indoors, nin the ConAgra blast. CSB said that alternatives exist and many ncompanies use safer methods for flushing pipes or venting gas.