SAFETY MCA Awards to 4 6 Firms Almost 4 0 0 chemical plants gain recognition for perfect safety records during 1 9 5 7 .AL
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firms of the Manufacturing Chemists' Association a r e represented by 397 chemical plants winning t h e association's Certificates of Achievement. T h e annual presentation, started in 1951, is made to individual plants of member firms which have completed the year with n o industrial injuries. F o r consideration, a plant must have employed effectively 10 m e n at a rate of 2000 m a n h o u r s each for a plant total of 20,000 m a n h o u r s for t h e year. Total n u m b e r of companies re-porting injury statistics during 1957 was 104. O n this basis, almost 457c of the reporting membership h a d a t least one plant experiencing a perfect year safetywise. L a s t year, 335 plants representing 4 5 companies were given t h e awards for their 1956 records. D u P o n t l e d t h e field b y a large margin, with 7 8 plants of its far-flung empire gaining t h e certificates. Allied Chemical c a m e u p in second position with 4 2 a w a r d s , followed b y Air Reduction with 4 0 a n d Stauffer Chemical with 3 2 . In addition to these, six other companies h a d b e t w e e n 10 a n d 25 plants receiving t h e awards. American Cyanamid and Koppers h a d 23 plants each, Olin Mathieson Chemical h a d 17, Canadian Industries h a d 16, W . R. Grace h a d 12, a n d Monsanto Chemical had 1 1 . Of t h e remaining winning firms, 2 2 h a d more than one, b u t less t h a n 10 plants in the perfect-safety class. And 14 companies entered the select circle with a single p l a n t each. MCA spokesmen, in announcing t h e awards, pointed out that t h e chemical industry is o n e of the safest in the country. National Safety Council figures show t h a t t h e chemical industry averages 3.77 injuries p e r million manhours, compared with an all-industry rate of 6.96. T h e rate of days lost is 36f)c lower in t h e chemical industry than t h e national industrial average. 46
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Other winners a r e : Procter & Gamble Co. Hercules Powder C o . Atlas Powder Co. Union C a r b i d e Corp. Dow Chemical Co. Pennsalt Chemicals Corp. F o o d Machinery & Chemical Corp. Merck & Co., I n c . U . S. Steel Corp. Ceianese C o r p . of America Phillips Petroleum Co. National Distillers & Chemical Corp. Pittsburgh Coke & Chemical Co. H a r s h a w C h e m i c a l Co. J. T. Baker C h e m i c a l C o . California Spray-Chemical Corp. Commercial Solvents Corp. Continental O i l C o . D i a m o n d Alkali C o . B . F . Goodrich C h e m i c a l C o . National Starch P r o d u c t s , I n c . T h e Quaker Oats C o . H o u d r y Process C o r p . International Minerals & Chemical Corp. T h e Lubrizol C o r p . Oronite Chemical Co. R o h m & H a a s Co. Shell C h e m i c a l C o r p . Toms River—Cincinnati Chemical Corp. T e n n e s s e e Corp. Victor Chemical W o r k s W y a n d o t t e Chemicals Corp. P a t e n t Chemicals, Inc. Royce Chemical C o . Cowles Chemical Co. Detroit Chemical Works
Experiment Explodes Preparation of oxaziranes, a n e w class of organic compounds, involves potential explosion hazards. Such is the experience of workers a t Hercules Powder's Research Center in Wilmington, D e l . An a t t e m p t t o prepare bis- ( 2-tertbutyloxazirane ) a t the center caused an explosion resulting in severe hand injuries to one worker, according t o S. T. Putnam and R. H . Earle, Jr., researchers
a t Hercules. T h e c o m p o u n d , after bei n g m a d e according to t h e m e t h o d of W . D . E m m o n s [J. Am. Chem. Soc, 7 9 , 5 7 3 9 - 5 4 ( 1 9 5 7 ) ] , w a s transferred t o a 2-ounce w i d e - m o u t h bottle w i t h a metal spatula. This w a s t h e n covered with a polyethylene film a n d a screw c a p , a n d stored overnight at 3 5 ° F . O n t h e following d a y t h e material was being transferred to a round-bottom flask, again using a m e t a l spatula, w h e n t h e explosion took place. The cause of t h e explosion has not y e t been determined. B u t P u t n a m and Earle feel that it w a s p r o b a b l y caused b y t h e presence of a s m a l l a m o u n t of some highly unstable c o n t a m i n a n t . In making t h e compound t h e y obtained a 2 9 . 4 % yield, c o m p a r e d w i t h 5 1 % reported by Emmons.
NFPA Revises Safety Codes Standards for handling explosives, flammable liquids and gases revised at Chicago meeting C O N V E N I N G I N CHICAGO, the National
Fire Protection Association took major steps to expand a n d u p d a t e its standards a n d recommendations for handling, shipping , a n d storing chemicals, explosives, a n d flammable materials. Actually, these changes h a d b e e n in the w i n d for some m o n t h s (C&EN, F e b . 10, page 5 5 ) . T h e y ' r e important because N F P A codes serve as models for the safety codes of t h e F e d e r a l Government, state governments, a n d the great majority of U . S. cities. One of t h e codes m o s t extensively revised is t h e o n e d e a l i n g w i t h t h e transportation, storage, a n d use of explosives. This code is enlarged from about 6000 words to about 9000. N F P A tentatively a d o p t e d t h e n e w code, as r e c o m m e n d e d b y its 38-member Committee o n Chemicals a n d Explosives. T h e revision will b e u p for p e r m a n e n t adoption a y e a r from now. T h e latest changes a r e t h e first major revisions of t h e code since 1 9 4 1 . I n part, they take into a c c o u n t t h e fact that n o w about 7 0 t o 8 0 % of all explosives are shipped b y truck rather than by the railroads. This completely reverses the situation existing prior t o World W a r II. T h e n e w code, for example, contains a revised section o n approved ways of r o u t i n g trucks that carry explosives, particularly t h r o u g h cities.
T h e basic definition of a n explosive is changed. For o n e thing, it differ entiates more clearly between commer cial explosives and those that are strictly experimental. T h e code contains a ne^v section on industrial laboratories. And t h e section dealing with powder magazines now gives more detailed information on structural requirements. A section is a d d e d on ways to dispose of unwanted or spoiled explosives. An.other section is inserted to cover the handling of explosives n o t accepted for transporta tion by t h e Interstate Commerce Com mission. • Gas Regulations. I n addition, N F P A adopted all the changes pro posed b y t h e Committee o n Gases. Standard 5 1 on cutting and welding is revised t o include low-pressure, in sulated I C C containers for storing liquid oxygen. Standard o 9 is changed to approve the use of single containers of u p to 200,000 gallons capacity for storing liquefied petroleum gases in utility gas plants. Previously, the limit was 30,000 gallons. NFPA also ap proved a revised tentative standard on the installation and use of combustion engines a n d gas turbines . The Committee on Flammable Liquids adopted a revised tentative standard for solvent extraction plants. This extensive new code r u n s to almost 50 pages. When permanently adopted, it will b e NFPA's first to cover solvent extraction plants. Various amendments to t h e flam mable liquids code were approved. Changes were made regarding piping to storage tanks, as well as t h e u s e of vents a n d other equipment. All of these changes are designed t o ensure greater safety throughout industry and particularly in the chemical industry.
• Globe Industries conies o u t with an air-oxygen quick-entry mask for inspec tion, rescue work, or other duties. The company says the mask, weighing 15 pounds, gives respiratory protection in any toxic or oxygen-deficient atmos phere for 10 to 15 minutes. S 1
AT YOUR SERVICE
THE RESULTS OF SO YEARS OF RESEARCH ON ORGANIC PEEOXIDES For over three decades w e have specialized in the manufacture of organic peroxides. Today our peroxides a r e outstanding in quality and closely controlled uniformity. D u r i n g all these years w e have maintained a progressive program of research and development work for t h e purpose of making organic peroxides and their compounds available to industry in the form best suited t o each particular application. W e are confident that in the g r o u p s of organic peroxides listed below you will find the key t o some of your processing problems.
Diacyl Peroxides Dibasic A c i d Peroxides Ketone Peroxides Aldehyde Peroxides Alkyl Peroxides & Hydroperoxides Alkyl Peroxyesters
Our Research, and Technical Staffs invite your consultation. 1 . "The Evaluation of Organic Peroxides in Terms of Half-Life Data." Λ paper resulting from Research by L U C I D O L . W R I T E FOR A COPY OF
2 . "The Use o f Organic Peroxides in the Reinforced Plastics Industry." A paper on proper methods of storage and handling of organic peroxides.
Further useful information on keyed Safety items men tioned is readily available . . .
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