Today we’re writing about the Reading Chocolate Factory explosion, and how to avoid disaster. Due to the tragic loss of life I will refrain from making too many Willy Wonka jokes.
Also keep in mind that there have been no real public announcements yet pending the investigation. The politicians and talking heads are just now coming out of the woodwork.
Chocolate Factory Explosion, How to Avoid Disaster: Back Story
On March 24, at 5 PM, a giant explosion occurred at the R. M. Palmer Company in Reading PA. The explosion killed 7 people and injured an additional 7, and one survivor was pulled from the wreckage.
The explosion was captured on video, like everything is nowadays. The preliminary cause is a natural gas explosion.
https://6abc.com/3-people-dead-4-remain-missing-after-chocolate-factory-explosion/13013778/
Who am I to write about this?
I suppose if you count my railroad days, and working in the mailroom of the town newspaper, I have 50 years of experience in and around dangerous industrial operations. I also have food processing experience in my ISO9001 auditing scope, and have audited food and beverage, food additives, chemicals and distillation operatons.
So, because I have been around for awhile and seen a few industrial fires, maybe this counts for something.
www.jimshell.com/contract-auditing
Natural Gas Explosions
Here is what AI says about Natural Gas Explosions. Firstly, let’s see if there is anything that an ISO auditor would audit in this:
Industrial natural gas explosions can have catastrophic consequences, causing loss of life, property damage, and environmental pollution. Understanding the causes of these explosions is crucial for preventing them from occurring in the first place.
One common cause of industrial natural gas explosions is inadequate maintenance of natural gas equipment, such as pipelines, valves, and regulators. Over time, these components can become worn or damaged, which can lead to gas leaks. This is dangerous because if the gas is not properly contained or vented, it can accumulate in confined spaces and create an explosive atmosphere.
Secondly, another cause of natural gas explosions is human error. This can include mistakes made during the installation or maintenance of natural gas equipment, as well as failure to follow proper safety procedures. Additionally, workers who are not properly trained in handling natural gas equipment may inadvertently cause a gas leak or create an explosive atmosphere.
Finally, intentional acts of sabotage or terrorism can also lead to natural gas explosions. These incidents can involve the intentional rupture of gas pipelines or the detonation of explosives near natural gas equipment.
There is a lot to audit in this.
The ISO standard requires an organization, like a chocolate factory, to determine the necessary maintenance for production equipment. There is a business reason for this, and you’re looking at it. It’s because your customers would prefer that you not blow up.
So, if I were auditing this, the first thing I’d do is look for two things: the determination of maintenance requirements, and whether or not the company was following them.
Actually, the first thing I’d do is look for the Pennsylvania requirements for Pressurized Vessels. This is an externally imposed requirement that the company should have picked up on at some point. an ISO certified company will be required to ask the question in Clause 4.2, interested parties, namely the state inspector.
Most of these food places have some sort of indirect heating and/or steam heating, and if that’s the case there is a boiler. And, if there is a boiler, it’s regulated in most states, because it’s in the public interest for it not to blow up.
Pennsylvania is one of those places. So, it’s in the public domain whether this company bought, installed, moved, or operated a pressurized vessel. There is an ANSI standard as to the best way to do this.
Also, there are a lot of reporting requirements, so the second thing I would do is look for reports and other records of previous issues. Surely this 60 year old company is squeaky clean and kept within the law.
The Importance of Records
People roll their eyes all the time when I spend time in record control, but this is exactly why. Records are important because they prove you did things right.
The first thing to do is determine the required maintenance and inspections, and look for records that demonstrate that the company determined maintenance requirements, and then did their jobs.
What if the records were blown up with the rest of the factory? Well in this era, there ought to be records with the local and state governments on this. Therefore even if that were the case, we would be able to get some idea, and I can assure you that there are lawyers right this minute that are looking for these.
Record Preservation
Oh, yeah, The ISO standard states that records of conformity will be protected from unintended alteration. So, if there is no backup system for records, that’s a non conformity, and this is exactly why.
The ISO standard wants you to be able to prove you did things right, even if the place explodes. Most 17-year olds today are perfectly capable of storing their selfies online no problem.
The lack of records, by the way, is a red flag in and of itself. If this is a food place, there are also some underlying GmP requirements on records for things.
How to Avoid Disaster: Equipment Issues
Here is some general wisdom on equipment issues, as brilliantly discussed in this video:
Okay, you, the management and employees are running a 60 year old factory, using a flammable gas as fuel. Possibly there are pressurized vessels. Possibly there is “just” a furnace.
What, if any, is your program to inspect this relic for safety occasionally? There should be records of inspections and records of who worked on it and when. These things can and do wear out, the burners are corrupted, and they have to be safely maintained.
And, there should be some kind of documentation that says that whoever touched that thing with a tool had at least some basic training.
The temptation would be for an overachieving third shift technician with a pair of pump pliers in his back pocket to tinker with this thing to get it to work right.
Alarm Systems
So supposedly there should also be some kind of alarm system to tell the employees that there is some kind of problem. Is there such a thing as a natural gas detector? Sure there is:
https://www.homedepot.com/b/Electrical-Fire-Safety-Natural-Gas-Detectors/N-5yc1vZc6xq
If someone owned or managed a 60-year old factory with at least one big piece of equipment that takes natural gas, that someone might wish to spend the $100 and pay someone to check it occasionally.
But, the best “alarm” for this is the stink. You know, don’t you, that methane is actually odorless. The stink you smell when you smell gas is actually added deliberately so that people can smell it.
So, if someone owned or managed a 60-year old factory, with at least one big piece of equipment, you’d think they would have some training on “what to do if you smell gas.”
So if I were some kind of investigator I would ask that question. Is anybody trained on that? Where is the documentation?
Failure Scenario
We talk about this in the above video. The “alarm” namely the gas stink happens. Either management ignores it, or kind of shrugs it off. There is no training on the part of maintenance to put a stop to it.
There gets to be some complacency. It stinks every day and no one does anything about it. Pretty soon, people ignore the stink.
So it would be fairly easy to have “natural gas safety day” where everyone is brought in, you tell them “if you smell natural gas, please tell someone”, and then a protocol on what to do if that happens and the maintenance guy is not around.
And then, make a record that you had that meeting, and that everybody in the place understood the employee’s responsibility in the case of a possible gas leak.
But does anyone actually do that? Hardly anyone.
In a family business like this, with a lot of long term employees, this kind of training is, or was, unusual.
Fresh Eyes
Do you know what helps in a situation like this? Fresh eyes. The management has to be humble to do it, of course. But they could really easily hire someone like me to come in an audit their factory.
In fact, here’s a case where a third-party certification could have literally saved someone’s life because I, as an ISO auditor, would have asked a lot of questions about what the boiler/furnace/gas supply maintenance program is like.
Click “Contract Auditing” above to get some more life-saving information.
Links and References
Wikipedia Link:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023_Pennsylvania_chocolate_factory_explosion
“Industrial Gas Explosions: Causes, Effects and Prevention,” by Pat McElhone, published in Safety+Health Magazine: https://www.safetyandhealthmagazine.com/articles/industrial-gas-explosions-causes-effects-and-prevention
News Article
Pennsylvania pressurized vessel code
