Lubricant Company Holds Emergency Drill for Asphyxiation in Tank Cleaning Operations

14:08 on December 16, 2014, at the Chengdu Lubricant Plant.
Tank-cleaning personnel were working in violation of regulations and collapsed in the tank from oxygen deprivation and asphyxiation.
An emergency is an order! Rescue admits no delay!
The Chengdu Lubricant Plant emergency command center ordered: immediately activate the emergency response for asphyxiation accidents in tank cleaning operations and spare no effort to rescue the injured employees! …
This was a scene from the emergency plan drill for asphyxiation accidents in tank cleaning operations held by the Lubricant Company, and also an important measure by which the company actively implements the new Safety Law, tests the scientific basis and rationality of the emergency plans of its second-level units, and improves the second-level units' emergency response capability and their ability to handle incidents jointly with government departments.
Photo 1: Panorama of the meeting venue
With a warning call from the supervising personnel — “Someone has collapsed in the tank” — the blending facility quickly took measures, called 120 and 119, reported the situation to higher levels and organized the personnel on duty to carry out rescue.
At the same time, the head of the Chengdu Lubricant Plant emergency team received the report, and after determining the cause of the accident ordered the immediate activation of the emergency plan for asphyxiation accidents in tank cleaning operations and reported the accident situation to the company's emergency leading group.
The company's emergency leading group immediately convened an emergency meeting and gave instructions for rescue operations to the on-site chief commander.
Adhering to the principle of “real actions, real operations, real command, real results,” the Chengdu Lubricant Plant's various emergency rescue teams were put to the test. At the drill site, stretchers, air respirators, gas masks and other rescue materials were ready, and the rescue personnel on site each performed their duties.
The rescue team was responsible for rescuing and moving the injured and for working with the fire department to eliminate hidden hazards;
Photo 2: Moving the injured
Emergency liaison team contacts the Chengdu Occupational Health Testing Center;
The security and guidance team ensured the rescue passage was clear and guided rescue vehicles in;
The logistics support team was responsible for collecting and distributing rescue supplies.
Meanwhile, in the observation seats, more than 30 representatives from 17 units — the sales segment, the Lubricant Company, production plants, sales companies and R&D centers — watched the progress of the “battlefield” without taking their eyes off it.
At 14:10, the rescue work began.
To prevent the risk of repeated asphyxiation, the rescue personnel all wore positive-pressure respirators when entering the tank for the rescue, while those outside cooperated to carry people out: one person, two people, three people… all the asphyxiated people were rescued.
One minute, two minutes… racing against time. In rescue, every second counts.
Medical staff examined the three asphyxiated people, found that one of them had suffered cardiac arrest and immediately performed CPR.
Photo 3: Medical personnel giving first aid
Firefighters in protective suits and respirators checked for and eliminated hidden hazards.
Photo 4: Firefighters checking for hidden hazards
The occupational health testing center tested the oxygen content and the content of toxic and harmful gases in the tank.
Photo 5: The occupational health testing center conducting gas testing
In the on-site observation seats, everyone waited for the rescue work to be completed successfully. Some guests took out cameras and began recording for later study and reference.
Photo 6: The rescue team reports the rescue situation to the deputy commander
At 14:18, the rescue team, the fire department, the testing organization and the communications liaison team reported the rescue and testing situation to the on-site deputy chief commander, Zheng Wenjun, confirming that all tasks had been completed and that the injured were in good physical condition.
Photo 7: The deputy emergency commander reports the rescue situation to the chief commander
At 14:20, the on-site chief commander, Tian Zhonghai, reported to the chief commander of the emergency drill, Lubricant Company deputy general manager Li Xiaodong: the asphyxiation accident in tank cleaning operations has been successfully handled, the injured are out of danger, and instructions are requested on whether to lift the emergency state.
Li Xiaodong announced: the drill was successful, the Lubricant Company's emergency response for asphyxiation accidents in tank cleaning operations is terminated, and the emergency state is lifted.
The 12-minute exercise, thrilling from start to finish, then came to an end. Facing the assembled rescue teams, Li Xiaodong highly praised this emergency plan drill in 32 characters — “correct procedures, effective command, orderly organization, rigorous work, rapid action, close coordination, appropriate handling, wonderfully realistic” — saying it well demonstrated the Lubricant Company's workforce's emergency response capability, rescue capability and coordinated operational capability in sudden accidents, and fully embodied the guiding idea of “training for actual combat,” so the drill achieved its intended purpose.
Photo 8: Speech by company deputy general manager Li Xiaodong
After the drill, the personnel who had observed and evaluated the emergency drill held an evaluation meeting and affirmed it in three respects. First, orderly organization and thorough deployment: the entire drill achieved unified command, orderly coordination and efficient operation. Second, specific plans and clear responsibilities: during the drill, image transmission was smooth and the commentary was on point. The plans matched reality, reflected in the thorough deployment of on-site security, medical treatment and accident handling, and the complete expression of the scenario. Third, ingenious scenarios and effortless control: the pace and intensity of the whole drill process were accurately grasped. The teams were reasonably divided, and the security perimeter was considered in light of environmental conditions.
After the meeting, Tang Lin of the Karamay Plant said that innovation in format was a major feature of this drill: through remote audio and video transmission and direct interconnection with actual on-site rescue, various departments and rescue teams were able to perform their own duties in a complex rescue operation, achieving a breakthrough in the rapid response of emergency teams — an approach worth learning from. Cui Zhanwei of the Liaohe Plant said the entire drill process was closely linked and safe, with obvious results, fully achieving the goals of training the teams, honing the mechanisms and testing the plans.
“Disasters are heartless, but life is priceless.” Preventing and controlling safety risks is a long and arduous task, and strengthening emergency management is imperative. Any work changes with the passage of time, and emergency plans are no exception. Each drill brings certain shortcomings and problems, and after analysis and adjustment the drill procedure and format become more tightly linked and the plans more complete.
The Lubricant Company will continue to strengthen the construction of its emergency management systems and mechanisms, exercise a hundredfold care in routine safety precautions and supervision, make great efforts to deal with hidden hazards and nip problems in the bud. It will carry out regular emergency drills, push emergency management work to greater depth, effectively guarantee the company's safe production and operation and the safety of employees' lives and property, and achieve a great leap and great development in emergency management work. (Reported by Sun Lipeng of the Chengdu Lubricant Plant)