Skip to Content

Register Login

Industry Online Support

Technical Forum

Navigation

Risky Job - Weekend discussion

Created by: AMAZINGAHMED at: 7/13/2013 10:10 PM (24 Replies)

Rating (0)

Thanks 2

Result pages:: |; 1 | 2 | 3; |

25 Entries

Entries per page: 10 | 20 | all

7/13/2013 10:10 PM	Rate (0)
AMAZINGAHMED Gold Member Joined: 8/27/2006 Last visit: 10/22/2024 Posts: 719 Rating: (88)	I bet most of us had their bit of risk at their technical job. I have unforgotten stories of incidents happened to me while doing our jobs on-site. The most exciting one was in 2005 in a pharmaceutical factory where we were assembling the automation system for a syrup preparation line in a big room with two doors, one is the personnel door and the other is the emergency door. A technician entered the room and worked in the steam line without taking permission and without us noticing him when suddenly we heard a ver loud sound. The next thing we see is complete white... we don't see anything because the pressurized steam filled the room in no time. Obviously, we ran to the emergency exit door but unfortunately we found it locked. At that moment I coudn't breathe well (steam is 160C and pressurized over 10bars) and I thought I would die. But I gathered what's left of power I got and ran with my team towards the other door while we can't see anything. AND WE MADE IT ALIVE. Nobody was hurt. What was funny that my team leader's first concern is to save his laptop because it held all his software. Do you have risky stories in your job to share?
	The more you know, The more you know that you don't know
Suggestion To thank Quote Answer
This contribution was helpful to 1 thankful Users Valli

7/14/2013 7:32 AM	Rate (0)
AMAZINGAHMED Gold Member Joined: 8/27/2006 Last visit: 10/22/2024 Posts: 719 Rating: (88)	hdhosseini About risks at workplace it is a long story and not my field of expertise.Normally, for high risk plants some strict instructions should be followed to do even a simple task. I want to change the topic, if a mistake from a programmer, maintenance engineer or system engineer caused a big problem during commissioning,start up or normal operation.This is what we can talk about freely and even have more tangible experience to share! Yes, strict rules should apply, but no system is 100% fool-proof. No need to change the subject, as your suggestion goes inline with the main header, because engineers' ans technicians' mistakes are another factor that makes our job risky. We should discuss past incidents to exchange expertise. I'm sure when somebody reads this, he could avoid some dangers
	The more you know, The more you know that you don't know
Suggestion To thank Quote Answer

7/14/2013 9:29 AM	Rate (0)
Khaled_Ezzat Silver Member Joined: 9/7/2007 Last visit: 10/9/2024 Posts: 550 Rating: (62)	HiAMAZINGAHMED A good subject to remeber during the weekend As you metioned AMAZINGAHMED Yes, strict rules should apply, but no system is 100% fool-proof. I have faced something horrible one day during commissioning. It was a large plant that consists of several factories and our scope is to commissioning and start-up of one factory and other factories are full operative and dependent-less to our factory. As usual, during commissioning phase, lots of arguments and shouting. There was a debate for calibrating a differential pressure transmitter, and if it is well calibrated or there is a bad signal, who is responsible for this instrument...etc. While all of this was happening, a huge tank in other factory near to us EXPLODED. After reviewing the causes it was a vacuum switch failure and the suction pump kept working till this tank was destroyed. Attachment Image020.jpg (285 Downloads)
	Best Regards
Suggestion To thank Quote Answer

7/14/2013 5:14 PM	Rate (0)
Navnag Platinum Member Joined: 11/21/2007 Last visit: 9/25/2024 Posts: 2325 Rating: (308)	Hi I remember this incident when I was a relatively new commissioning engineer. We were commissioning a S5-135U system with rack full of DI Modules. We had completed pre-commissioning and went for lunch after scheduling trials to the Post lunch session. On coming back, we were get crazy fault messages on the COROS HMI screen. When we went to check the panel ( In a different room ) , to our horror we found all the 12 DI Modules in one of the racks burnt and damaged beyond repair. On investigation, we found that someone ( From customer's team ) was doing wiring changes in the control desk and by mistake had connected a 230V AC wire in the 24VDC circuit ... To our surprise the Rack as well as the 24VDC power supply was saved. Customer had to fly down a person to SIEMENS warehouse, who fortunately flew back the next morning with new DI modules and we could continue our trials. Cheers Navnag
	There is no such thing as the last bug in a program There are no stubborn bugs, There are only stubborn Debuggers.
Suggestion To thank Quote Answer

7/14/2013 6:18 PM	Rate (0)
AMAZINGAHMED Gold Member Joined: 8/27/2006 Last visit: 10/22/2024 Posts: 719 Rating: (88)	Khaled_Ezzat While all of this was happening, a huge tank in other factory near to us EXPLODED. After reviewing the causes it was a vacuum switch failure and the suction pump kept working till this tank was destroyed. But why wasn't there a safety valve for venting vacuum in case of very low pressure??It must have been a fault in the design. Did the tank exploded or emploded??? I think it should have emploded.
	The more you know, The more you know that you don't know
Suggestion To thank Quote Answer

7/14/2013 6:21 PM	Rate (0)
AMAZINGAHMED Gold Member Joined: 8/27/2006 Last visit: 10/22/2024 Posts: 719 Rating: (88)	Navnag On investigation, we found that someone ( From customer's team ) was doing wiring changes in the control desk and by mistake had connected a 230V AC wire in the 24VDC circuit ... Navnag I met many technicians who LOVEto work while the circuit is live and they think that they are professionals by doing this.
	The more you know, The more you know that you don't know
Suggestion To thank Quote Answer
This contribution was helpful to 1 thankful Users Navnag

7/14/2013 8:54 PM	Rate (0)
William_B Posts: 5225 Rating: (1196)	My friends, This discussion has so much potential, though many may try to avoid it.. I do not know if many will come out and tell you their horror stories. Each of us surely has at least one. Personally I would keep you busy with many stories.. as told over a cup or two of good coffee - strong, white & sweet in my case. When going out on assignment, we have this discussion with our new friends (the other contractors). ..to be continued..
William_B Posts: 5225 Rating: (1196)	Last edited by: William B. at: 7/15/2013 9:25 AM (This post was intended as a conversation starter.. with a chatting theme. No disrespect was intended to anyone.)
Suggestion To thank Quote Answer

7/14/2013 9:39 PM	Rate (0)
William_B Posts: 5225 Rating: (1196)	When you are on site, there are things you can control but in the end there are things beyond control. People especially. Or more than that - the reaction of people when things do go wrong. There was an electrician sub-contractor on our site one time, who followed his own head with disregard for safety. We moved machinery to a new location.. a bit too close to another, still operating machine. The electrician moved from one end to another pass the moving machine. At one pass, he was just too late. A moving beam pushed him against a fencing pole. He was wedged into a very small space. The operator paniced and pressed the ESTOP.. freezing the system in place. Me and our team were quickly in place. First priority was to get the moving beam out of the way to free the electrician. I had no reaction from him. When released from the pinch, he colapsed onto the floor. I checked pulse and breathing. Shallow. No assisted breathing required. Everyone else froze. All the emergency training forgotten. This guy needed help.. we were in a far away city. I reacted and got a car "loaned", took the guy to the emergency room. I had to do this all on my own.. but luckily at that moment the electrician was in a co-operative zombie state. At the emergency room.. the guy I brought was the lesser case. It was weekend. The local people tend to drink too much. Mixed with voilence. At the end I contacted the guys boss and left him in the care of the hospital. I had my team take me "home". There was no more energy to do further work that day. -- it shows training does not ensure right reaction. w
William_B Posts: 5225 Rating: (1196)	Last edited by: William B. at: 7/15/2013 9:35 AM NOTE: After some consideration, I find that this post has been written in an ego-centric way. Please take away with you the following thoughts.. If you are a programmer (I am one) or you are the person you handles pressure situations / breakdowns -- you are probably going to be the person that is required to react in an emergency situation.. as others might freeze from shock. Be prepared in training and in mental state.
Suggestion To thank Quote Answer

7/14/2013 9:56 PM	Rate (0)
AMAZINGAHMED Gold Member Joined: 8/27/2006 Last visit: 10/22/2024 Posts: 719 Rating: (88)	That's a real horrorWilliam B. But this man was too reckless. I imagined him passing through the machines like a young boy playing around. These people annoy me really One lesson I learnt the first day I entered a factory is when I move around to keep my distance from machines and to keep my hands inside my pockets. I also always try to follow safety rules even if they don't exist in the site.
	The more you know, The more you know that you don't know
Suggestion To thank Quote Answer

7/14/2013 10:07 PM	Rate (0)
William_B Posts: 5225 Rating: (1196)	AMAZINGAHMED I also always try to follow safety rules even if they don't exist in the site. ..right you are. In some factories/countries safety is self regulatory. Safety must be your 1st concern. Sometimes you have to be the Big Brother for another too. w
William_B Posts: 5225 Rating: (1196)
Suggestion To thank Quote Answer

|

Share this page:

Share this page on...

Follow us on