Proforma Safety Blog

Take Time to Investigate Odors

Posted by proforma on January 12, 2010  |  No Comments

Here’s a situation where alarm bells should have sounded at the first sniff. Operations personnel at an offshore Gulf of Mexico location occasionally smelled a gas/condensate odor in the motor control center (MCC) building but did not investigate the source of the odor. Subsequently a fire occurred inside one of the air conditioner evaporator enclosures located on top of the building. Minerals Management Service (MMS) investigated and found that gas had migrated through the AC evaporator enclosure’s drain line and accumulated inside the AC evaporator. Read MMS’s recommendations here.

Can You Use a Fire Extinguisher on a Person?

Posted by proforma on January 26, 2009  |  No Comments

After a researcher’s shirt caught on fire, those present delayed in extinguishing the fire due to their concern that the foam might harm the victim, who suffered third degree burns. This incident reminds us to frequently review fire extinguisher use in the workplace and at home.