Examining Historical Aspects of OSH: Imperial Sugar Refinery Case

This report provides an overview and analysis of the historical aspects of Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) in the context of the 2008 Imperial Sugar refinery explosion in Port Wentworth, Georgia. The report summarizes the key factors contributing to the severity of the explosion, including the refinery's age, construction methods, and the accumulation of sugar dust. It contrasts the safety measures of the time with current industry standards, highlighting the lack of employee training, emergency preparedness, and proper maintenance. The report also discusses the regulatory response to the explosion, including OSHA's efforts to raise awareness and propose new safety regulations to prevent future incidents. The document concludes by emphasizing the importance of continuous improvement in OSH practices to protect workers and prevent similar tragedies, suggesting that Desklib offers additional resources for students studying similar cases and safety protocols.

HISTORICAL ASPECTS OF OSH

Table of Contents
Overview....................................................................................................................................2
Summary....................................................................................................................................2
Contrasts.....................................................................................................................................2
OSH Regulatory.........................................................................................................................3
Reference....................................................................................................................................4
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Overview
On February 7, 2008, there was an explosion in Port Wentworth, Georgia, United States. The
explosion occurred in the Georgia sugar refinery. The company was owned by owned
by Imperial Sugar. Over fourteen people were dead and forty others were injured due to
a dust explosion (insurancejournal.com, 2019). Since 2003, after three fatal accidents, the
United States authorities has been concerned about dust explosions. Safety measures have
been taken to prevent recurrence risk.
Summary
● The sugar refinery was large, old and included old methods of construction, which led
to the contribution of fire’s severity.
● As it was concluded, the fire was preventable, if it was not for the fuel, sugar dust.
● The explosion happened in the middle of the refinery, where all the elevators,
conveyor belts and the storage were located.
● Most of the buildings were seven to eight stories above ground, and they had very
little spaces between them (insurancejournal.com, 2019).
● Most of the industries are being built far away from densely populated areas, to
prevent collateral damage.
● Lifts, elevators, stairs and emergency exits can be found in most of the industries
nowadays, to be safer.
● The chain reaction, which was explosive, was likely initiated, due to the bearing being
overheated, which led to the ignition of the sugar dust, present in the enclosure.
Contrasts
● It took about a week to put out the worst of fire.
● The storage compartments of sugar remained on fire in spite of attempts being made
to stop the fire.
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● Being unaware of the hazards caused due to fire, the employees ignored to clean the
sugar dust that had accumulated in alarming levels.
● The workers in those areas were dependent on cell phones and radios for alerts of
emergency, as employees did not have intercoms, which was to be present for
emergency or crisis.
● There were no drills for evacuation or other trainings performed, thus leaving the
workers unknown to the emergency exits, leading them to face great problems.
OSH Regulatory
● The employees were not informed of the various risks in the industry, which left them
unprepared to deal with emergencies, like the explosion.
● The safety during the process is very important to consider, as it is a part of being
prepared during emergency. There are many processes that can learn from the sugar
industry hazard. Operators now show, that how the hazards can be controlled
effectively, thus being safe.
● Maintenance of industrial parts and their methods have been made mandatory, for the
safety of everyone.
● Cleanliness and proper disposal of waste in industries is an important factor now.
● Most of the industrial workers receive training and drills in case of emergency.
Moreover, as the industries are working with precaution, and are located far away,
limited damage is caused.
Within a month of the accident, letter was sent to thirty thousand workers by OSHA, to make
them known to the dangers of an explosion, quite similar to that occurred. A Combustible
Dust Explosion and Fire Prevention Act was proposed by OSHA in 2008. It was a new bill,
whose focus was the introduction of various rules and regulation, which will reduce the
future risk of explosions due to sugar dust.
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Reference
insurancejournal.com, (2019) INSURANCE JOURNAL Retrieved from
https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/southeast/2018/02/12/480171.htm Retrieved on 27
January 2019
osha.gov, (2019) OSHA Retrieved from
https://www.osha.gov/news/newsreleases/national/07252008 Retrieved on 28 January 2019
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