Mar 9, 2021
At Valmet, safety comes first. From new innovations, to product management and continuous improvement, safety is at the forefront of all we do. Within our own workspaces – both company buildings and home offices – and our customer sites, we lead by example. We make it our mission to always keep each other safe.
Valmet recently learned of a faulty maintenance procedure that could have resulted in serious injury. Mill personnel attempted to unplug a refiner inlet pipe using a 2000 PSI pressure hose, while the refiner was offline and with its outlet shutoff valve closed. The refiner was rated for 100 PSI. No one was hurt, but the damage was extensive. The missing door on this unit weighed over 7,000 lbs. Obviously such an explosion could have been fatal to anyone in the vicinity of the door.
Incidents of this nature can be avoided. Safety measures are put in place to keep people safe, even when human error or other unknown factors have the potential to put human life at risk. Mistakes are part of human nature, thus equipment protections must go beyond the human reach.
In order to prevent such situations from occuring in the future, it is important that we share our observations and issue the following recommendations:
CAUTION:
Before performing maintenance or service on any refiner, the following safety measures should be checked and double-checked to avoid accidents.
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Please contact the refiner team via your Valmet representative if you would like more information on Valmet’s customer focused approach to refiner service or would like a set of refiner pressure labels. Owners of Valmet refiners may also request an electronic copy of Valmet’s Operation & Maintenance Manual.