Reflection Paper on Major Disasters
Reflection Paper on Major Disasters
Student’s Name
Professor
University
Date
Imperial Sugar Company Tragedy
The incident at the Imperial Sugar Company facility in Port Wentworth, GA was a terrible accident where lives lost and damages suffered were huge. The reasons for the blast are mainly traceable to safety breaching and rules breaches that occurred during the company's operations.
One of the notable factors contributing to the huge explosion was that the dust within the premises was building up. Sugar dust can turn extremely flammable and combustible when immersed in high enough concentration of air. Although there were recognized risk factors that could be caused by combustible dust, Imperial Sugar Company paid no attention to taking further measures for this safety hazard (Osiadacz,2019). Poorly conducted upkeep and flawless tools operation may have led to sugar dust accumulation, letting for bad mix within the plant.
Adding to these was the inefficiencies in the company's safety standards and emergency response mechanisms which aggravated the triviality of the event. The reports indicate that the company did not have proper training of employees on how to use hazardous chemicals and when the chemicals were dangerous. Therefore, once the detonation took place, the situation was undoubtedly full of panic and messing up the first efforts of responding to the event and endangering the workers and emergency workers.
The tragedy and following crisis at the Imperial sugar site could been averted by the compliance with safety rules and effective risk management practices by the company. Adopting holistic dust management measures, performing frequent inspections, granting necessary trainings to workers, and having industries enforce regulations is vital for preventing such a heavy accident.
With regards to information management in public release by the company, there seem to be some inefficiencies in terms of clear and open communication. The information dissemination was needed to be delivered in a timely manner to community, emergency responders and regulatory authorities following the explosion. Nevertheless, plant operators were accused of keeping to themselves vital information, and ignoring the magnitude of the tragedy along with the possible health consequences. Communication lapses of this nature tend to erode trust and add to the already daunting experience, which clearly highlights the connection between the effective strategies of crisis communication and management of the disastrous events.
In summary, the view of the explosion at the Empire Sugar Co. site in Port Wentworth, Georgia brings to the forefront the essence of the safety in Industrial enterprises must be prioritized. The event becomes even more of an eye-opener due to the fact that it vividly reveals the consequences of negligence and the absence of safety measures coupled with inefficient crisis management. In order to avoid recurrence, firms should understand the root causes, modify their safety regulations and disclosure practices and publish information, so that the public get support and lessons learned from the past.
Reflection Paper on the Sidney Lanier Bridge Disaster
The bridge crash in 1972 and 1987 again proves a point; that maritime transport is a hazard laden business. The complexities of controlling risks and ensuring the safety of these systems are showcased by the comparisons of the two collisions.
The SS African Neptune's crash in 1972 which was the biggest maritime conflict to incur massive loss of life and destruction of the bridge (National Transportation Safety Board, 1972). Investigation found the captain was responsible for the accident since his failure to respond to rudder orders with required movement, was the cause of the crash. Along with this, longer times to capture and correct the mistakes with the help of the ship's crew intensified the situation, resulting in a very sad and tragic event.
Whereas the collision with a Polish freighter Ziemba Bialostocka in 1987 merely incurred property loss, thankfully, no one was injured. In spite of the coincidence in terms that a ship had an impact on the support structure rather than on the bridge, there were huge variations in the aftermath because of several reasons. Enhancement in the regulations governing safety, elevation in the training given to the ship crews and perhaps advancements in the navigational technology might have prevented the fatalities of the 1987 incident.
The facts that two accidents again shook the maritime safety emphasizes the urgency and importance of constant improvement in safety practices and maintenance of the infrastructure. The experience gained from past incidents should stand as the basis for sound policies and safety procedures that will lead to a reduction in risks and the establishment of a more resilient critical infrastructure network. As well as, the regulatory agencies, industry representatives, and emergency responders must work together in coordination in order to bring a swift and coordinated response if there is a sea accident.
While pondering the events of the Sidney Lanier Bridge, we acknowledge the emergence of human cost as a determinant factor and the responsibility we have to avoid such occurrences in the future. Through giving first to safety, implanting infrastructure fault tolerance, and developing cooperation across the sectors we can try to make a sea transportation world more shielded and protected.
References
Hobbs, L(2018) Old Sidney Lanier Bridge marked by tragedy, endurance https://thebrunswicknews.com/news/local_news/old-sidney-lanier-bridge-marked-by-tragedy-endurance/article_f5231c07-0526-5b8f-a9c8-1ab7e8486b2d.html
National Transportation Safety Board (1972) SS AFRICAN NEPTUNE: COLLISION WITH THE SIDNEY LANIER BRIDGE AT BRUNSWICK, GEORGIA ON 7 NOVEMBER 1972 WITH LOSS OF LIFE. MARINE CASUALTY REPORT https://trid.trb.org/View/17582
Osiadacz, A (2019) 'People were in the water': First responder reflects on Georgia bridge collapse 47 years later https://www.firstcoastnews.com/article/news/local/first-responder-reflects-on-georgia-bridge-collapse-47-years-later/77-af4416a8-622e-42ba-8639-a513fb8d847b
