Kleen Energy Fallout: New Standard “Clear Message To Industry”

Elected officials invoked the memory of six men who died in the Kleen Energy plant explosion at a press conference on Tuesday.

“We can hopefully say that the six men who died last February did not die in vain, and that this tragedy will be the last of its kind,” said Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro.

DeLauro helped announce a new standard to regulate the procedure that went horribly wrong in February of 2010, killing the workers and injuring some 50 others.

Highly pressurized natural gas was used to purge pipes at the under-construction plant on River Road. It ignited, and the explosion was felt dozens of miles away. The National Fire Protection Association, a non-profit which provides codes and standards on fire risk, investigated how the ‘gas blow’ was conducted. “What we learned was there really wasn’t a standard for this operation” said Jim Shannon, the NFPA’s president.

The new NFPA standard says flammable gas should not be used to clear pipes of debris. “This is a clear message to the industry that gas blows are inherently unsafe”, said Chemical Safety Board chairman Rafael Moure-Eraso. Other options, such as compressed air or inert nitrogen gas are available.“The tragedy at Kleen Energy was preventable.”

The state of Connecticut has since outlawed the use of flammable gas in such operations, but it is the only state to do so. Congressman Joe Courtney said “As a nation we are shifting towards natural gas”, so it is important that a national standard is set.

Courtney and DeLauro worked with the NFPA to have the standard written and released quickly. The standard does not have the force of law, but NFPA says their standards are often referenced or adapted as laws. Shannon said industry and manufacturers are already citing the standard.

In answer to questions about ultimate accountability for the blast, Mayor Sebastian Giuliano said civil and criminal investigations were still ongoing, and evidence was still being held.

Also in attendance at the city hall press conference were State Representatives Matt Lesser and Joe Serra, and State Senator Paul R. Doyle.

The six men killed were: Raymond Dobratz Jr., 58, Old Saybrook; Peter C. Chepulis, 48, Thomaston; Ronald Crabb, 42, Colchester; Chris Walters, 48, Florissant, Mo; Roy Rushton, Hamilton, Ontario; and Kenneth Haskell, 37, Durham, N.H.

Drive Like Your Kids Live Here

I've been seeing these signs popping in lawns all over central Connecticut over the last few weeks. Good timing, considering the nice weather, school's about to end for summer, and kids are outside playing much more than in wintertime. Although all year around, we should never forget to "Drive Like Your Kids Live Here" for the sake of all pedestrians and everyone else on the road too.

I checked online to see if I could discover anything about these signs or the organization or force behind them. It turns out that the signs are distributed by a company located in Wethersfield. Click here for their website, which explains their mission and the data behind it. The company sells the yard signs and auto decals, plus a couple other things with the same phrase.

I think that these signs are a great idea and I wish that there wasn't any need for them. I often think to myself, "See ya at the red light!" when aggressive drivers pass me for the apparent purpose of getting one car length farther up then they were before. On most roads through residential or commercial areas where there are traffic lights, the lights are going to have a much bigger impact on how long it takes you to get from Point A to Point B, much more than the guy driving in front of you who's going the speed limit, or 5 or 10 mph slower than you wish to be going. Chances are, you and Mr. Speed Limit driver are both going to arrive at the light at the same time. Everyone feels like they need to be in a hurry sometimes, but traffic to a large extent is out of our control, so there's no point in getting worked up when behind the wheel. Of course, in addition to the issue of speeding, the point of these signs is probably more along the lines of asking people not to use cell phones or do other distracting things while driving, and just to be more alert in general.

I know that for me, seeing these signs really made me think for a moment. I think that in order to remain effective the signs will need to periodically change to different slogans or colors, otherwise we might "become immune" to them and tune them out. In any case, it's a good sign.