Not wearing insulation is almost burned

After the Accident
A steam injection station was in operation, injecting steam into a well. Li, the on-duty officer, was inspecting the wellhead when he noticed a severe leak from the wellhead compensator clamp. He immediately reported this to the station manager and they decided to shut down the furnace right away. Li was instructed to return to the station, put on his heat-resistant suit, and then go back to the wellhead to close the production valve. However, because the wellhead was quite far from the injection station, Li believed that once the furnace was shut down, the pressure at the wellhead would have dropped enough that it would be safe to proceed without the protective gear. So, instead of going back to change, he went straight to the wellhead.

Approximately ten minutes later, after receiving the shutdown order, the person who was supposed to close the valve noticed that the steam vents at the wellhead had significantly decreased. They made their way to the site to complete the task. As they were about to close the valve, a sudden burst of high-pressure steam shot out from the pipeline. Li reacted quickly, jumping to the side to avoid the steam. The original exit had been closed, causing the pressure to rise, which resulted in residual steam being forced out. Li's arm was nearly swept by the hot steam.

Accident Analysis
If Li hadn’t reacted so quickly and jumped out of the way in time, he would have been seriously injured by the steam. However, if he had been wearing his heat-resistant suit, even if he had been hit by the steam, the injury would likely have been much less severe. While this incident was fortunate for him, relying on luck is not a safe practice. If such situations keep happening, eventually, there will be a moment when luck runs out—and that could lead to irreversible consequences.

Lessons Learned
Wearing the proper personal protective equipment (PPE) is one of the most important safety measures for workers in hazardous environments. Many accidents and injuries occur because employees fail to wear or improperly use their PPE. In this case, Li did not follow the supervisor’s instructions and chose to skip the heat-resistant suit during a high-temperature operation. This was a serious violation of safety procedures and directly contributed to the near-miss incident. It serves as a strong reminder that following safety protocols is not optional—it’s essential for preventing accidents and protecting lives.