Toluene diisocyanate (TDI) and methylene diphenyl diisocyanate are the two main hazardous compounds implicated in this occurrence (MDI).
These materials are chemical chemicals that are also extremely combustible, falling under class 9. (Hazardous Materials Guidance web). To promote combustion, these two substances must be present for the flame reaction to occur. Only the presence of oxygen allows for the existence of fire. As long as the chemicals were in the vapor return line, they were secure. However, the rupturing of the line provided oxygen and the flame from the nearby welding operation led to the hazardous incident.
The Emergency Response Guidebook (ERG)
makes it compulsory for the incident commander to begin by taking charge and managing the situation in the place. This includes taking charge and evacuating any person involved in the site (Hazardous Materials Guidance web). The incident commander should then proceed to identify the problem which includes understanding the materials involved in the occurrence. The incident commander should then proceed to evaluate the hazard and the risk it poses to the individuals in the site. Using this information, they can then use protective clothing and perform a further investigation of the incident before termination.
Preventing the reoccurrence of such an incident
begins by the identification and evaluation of the underlying factors that led to the incident. In this case, the incident commander should identify the reactions that led to the accident. The main reason for the occurrence of the flame is the existence of the welding operation (Hazardous Materials Guidance web). The best way of avoiding the reoccurrence of such an incidence is to get rid of the welding operation and place far away from the offloading zone. This way, even leaks will not lead to the occurrence of flames. It becomes easier to manage the condition when there are no flames.
Work Cited
Hazardous Materials Guidance. (n.d). https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/hazmat/guidance
