Discuss the hazards posed by the interaction of the hazardous materials present at the refinery and adjacent facilities, including the resulting by-products of the incident fire and acid gas release.
When handling chemicals, protection and care should be very paramount. In this care, there are various hazards that are posed by the materials. If handled carelessly, the materials such as sulfur and its compounds are capable of polluting the environment. Sulfur iv oxide is capable of leading to acidic rain. Such rain affects the people residing in the surrounding residences. It also affects the plants, and animals (Meyer, 2014).
Naphtha reformer contains the compound naphtha and its products. Workers who work with the equipment work with the equipment are capable of contracting some neuropsychological conditions. The conditions are not common among ordinary people but among those who work with the equipment for an extended period of time. The careless exposure of naphtha on individuals tends to change their behavior. The individuals have psychological disorders and in some cases, others hallucinate. They develop strange behaviors (Meyer, 2014).
Gasoline is likely to be encountered in the industry. Mostly, it is encountered with other compounds such as kerosene, naphtha, and diesel. Gasoline is itself poisonous to people. Its effects can be felt either through physical contact or inhalation while in the industry. In fact, large amounts of gasoline cause death. However, if encountered at lower levels, it can lead to brain damage. A long-term effect of the compound is that its health implications can occur for an extended period of time. Gasoline and Lead are emitted from diesel engines especially in industries such as this one. Lead on the other hand also has deadly effects. It causes damage to the lungs and even the liver. With such damages, the patient can have lower chances of surviving (Meyer, 2014).
During the emergency, the petroleum must have been consumed by the fire. Such kind of consumption leads to oxidation of various compounds found in the petroleum. The elements result in the formation of its deadliest forms such as sulfur compounds, lead compounds, and others. The compounds result in effects such as death, permanent brain damage, infertility, poor body condition among others (Meyer, 2014).
As the lead refinery representative on the unified incident command, (UIC), what actions should be taken by the UIC to respond to this incident (please consider all receptors)
As the lead refinery representative, there are various measures that should be made by the UIC to respond to this incident. First, I will mobilize the team so that suitable bases need be applied to neutralize the hydrogen sulfide acid. With this, the acidic nature of the acid will be replaced with water and salt. It thus reduces the harmful effects that would have otherwise occurred. Alternatively, the acid can be could down by applying cold water. The cold water reduces the level of reactions and the speed at which it is done. With it, the acid can thus be in a dormant mode to reduce further damage (Meyer, 2014).
Second, I will discourage people from using the highway adjacent to the refinery, directly in the north. The compounds and their waste products might spill over to the highway thus creating more danger. Additionally, there are residences next to the plant. The residences have a lot of people who have young children. The children are mostly hard to control and thus can easily get to the affected areas. With this, their health conditions could be tempered with and hence a significant health hazard. I will thus encourage the people to avoid the highway and ensure they take precautionary measures so that they prevent their children from danger (Meyer, 2014).
Additionally, I would have ensures that gases such as liquid carbon IV oxide are at my disposal immediately. Such liquids do not support combustion. With it, the acidic gas wouldn’t have ignited due to the existence of a ‘blanket’ cover. Such covers assist firefighters in situations where water alone cannot put out the fire. I would have also asked everyone within the factory to join hands and work as a team. Teamwork has proven to be effective always (Meyer, 2014).
If the polymerization unit is engulfed in the fire, how will this affect your response?
In case the polymerization unit is engulfed in fire, I will suspend everything else and concentrate on it first. This is because the compounds that are emitted from are very dangerous than any other unit. For instance, there are high chances of death. I will, therefore, mobilize my whole team and ensure that we contain the unit first. This includes ensuring that any emissions from the units do not get outside. With this, we now concentrate on cooling it down and ensuring that there is no combustion that is in progress (Meyer, 2014).
All emergency responders participated in the post-incident critique. What corrective actions should be implemented by the refinery to prevent the reoccurrence of this incident?
Reference
Meyer, E. (2014). Chemistry of hazardous materials (6th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
