Industrial safety refers to the management of all operations and events within an industry in order to protect its employees and assets by minimizing hazards, risks, accidents, and near misses. Industrial safety is overseen by federal, state, and local laws and regulations. It covers a number of issues and topics affecting the safety of personnel and the integrity of equipment in a particular industry.
Maintaining a safe and healthy environment at work is a top priority for many workplaces which rely on the hard work of both employees and management. When the issue of industrial safety is not given high priority, it could possibly lead to very catastrophic consequences both in terms of loss of human lives and economic resources. These are actually 5 of the worst industrial accidents that happened in history.
1) The Disaster Of Courrières in France.
1oth March of 1906 is the date of the worst mining accident ever happened in Europe. In the French town of Courrières an explosion of the local coal mine caused the death of 1099 people. One of the hypothesized causes was the ignition of methane for the presence of a naked flame.
2) The Chernobyl Disaster in Ukraine.
This is the most famous one. On 26th April of 1986, a human error together with structural problems of the system caused a series of explosions inside the Chernobyl nuclear power plant that destroyed the reactor and annexed buildings, causing the release of a radioactive cloud. 43 workers died immediately, about 125,000 people were killed in the following years by cancer or other illnesses caused by radiation exposure, thousands of Ukrainians were forced to move. Chernobyl is also the most expensive industrial accident ever, as its total economic impact is estimated at about 200 billion dollars.
3) The Explosion Of Benxihu Colliery in China.
On 26th April of 1942, in the coal mine of Benxi, China, an explosion of gas and coal powders caused the death of 1549 miners. Only few were killed by the explosion itself, while most suffocated because of the consequent shutdown of the ventilation system.
4) Oppau Explosion in Germany.
21st September of 1921, a tower silo containing Ammonium Sulphate and Ammonium Nitrate mixture exploded in the BASF chemical plant in Oppau, killing about 600 people and injuring over 2000. A few months earlier, the plant’s industrial process had been altered to lower the density and humidity levels of the mixture. This factor is considered responsible for the explosion.
5) Bhopal Accident in India.
On 3rd December of 1984, over 40 tons of Methyl Isocyanate leaked from the Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL) plant in Bhopal, India. The causes of the disaster were attributed to the negligence and the inadequate industrial safety measures adopted by the staff. The effects of toxic gas are still felt today, as malformations and dysfunction in newborns and diseases among the population.
Sources: GM International.