Not wearing insulation is almost burned

After the Accident
At a steam injection station, steam was being injected into a well. Li, the on-duty officer, inspected the wellhead and discovered a severe leak from the wellhead compensator clamp. He immediately reported this to the station manager and decided to shut down the furnace. Li instructed Xiao Li to return to the station, put on his heat-resistant clothing, and then go back to the wellhead to close the production valve. However, because the wellhead was located a considerable distance from the injection station, Li believed that after the furnace was shut down, the pressure at the wellhead would have dropped enough that it would be safe to proceed without the heat-resistant gear. So, he did not go back to change into the protective clothing.

Ten minutes later, after receiving the shutdown order, Li arrived at the wellhead and noticed that the steam vents had significantly decreased. He went to close the production valve when, suddenly, a powerful burst of steam shot out from the pipeline. Li reacted quickly and jumped to the side, narrowly avoiding the scalding steam. The original exit had been closed, causing pressure to build up, which resulted in residual steam bursting out. His arm was almost swept by the hot steam.

Accident Analysis
If Li had not moved quickly enough, he would have been severely burned by the steam. However, if he had been wearing the heat-resistant suit, even if the steam had hit him, the damage would likely have been much less severe. This incident was extremely lucky for him, but relying on luck is not a safe practice. If you take chances every time, eventually, one mistake could lead to irreversible consequences with no second chances.

Lessons Learned
Wearing the proper personal protective equipment (PPE) is a fundamental step in ensuring worker safety. Many accidents and injuries occur because workers fail to wear or properly use their protective gear. In this case, Li ignored the supervisor’s instructions and chose to work without the necessary heat protection, which led to a dangerous situation. This violation of safety procedures highlights the importance of following protocols at all times. Safety should never be compromised for convenience or perceived comfort.