807 Incidents involving silos Flashcards
What is a SILO?
Silo: A container or tower, often cylindrical in shape, used for the storage of silage, grain,
powders, pellets or crops
What is a Silage?
Silage: Any crop harvested while green for fodder and kept succulent by partial fermentation in a
silo.
What hazards listed below can reasonably be expected to be encountered at incident involving silos
Explosion Entrapment in machinery Falling from height Silo contents Fire Construction Manual handling Oxygen limiting silos
What can help in the pre-planning on Silo incidents
Site Visits and 7(2) d carried out and information gathered in accordance with Policy
number 800 - Management of operational risk information.
When carrying out a 7(2)d visit to a site containing a Silo
Particular attention should be paid to the following?
(a) Contact information for site engineer or other responsible person for information and plans.
(b) Type of silo, contents and associated hazards, such as machinery.
(c) Access and egress for pumping and specialist appliances, assessing hard standing, height
clearance, restrictions or obstructions.
(d) Machinery/power isolation points.
(e) Water supplies, suppression systems or fixed installations for firefighting.
(f) Specialist equipment on site.
(g) Entry, exit points into silo.
Where must all information gathered on Silos be stored?
All relevant information must be entered on the Mobile Data Terminal (MDT) database or the
Operational Risk Database (ORD).
On Silo incidents, what considerations should be taken in account in addition to the PDA?
Consider adding FRU’s and aerial appliances to the
PDA.
What should the IC first do on arrival at a SILO incident?
The incident commander (IC) must check for all available hazard signage on entrance to the site,
those displayed on the silo and any surrounding risks
What should the IC secondary actions be on arrival at a SILO incident?
The responsible person for the site should be located and the following information should be
obtained:
(a) Type of incident, number of casualties/fire involved and location and any history of fires.
(b) Type of silo design/construction.
(c) Type of contents(hazardous materials, chemicals involved and the flammability, toxic
stability of stored materials).
(d) If the silo is empty, the contents previously stored and whether any decommissioning has
taken place.
(e) Explosive risk and extent of safe working area.
(f) Confirm that power supplies are isolated, if not isolate immediately, unless turning the
power off could increase the level of risk or lead to further injury.
(g) Availability of on site specialist equipment(e.g. water or thermometer probes, lifting
equipment, de-canting machinery).
(h) Identify access/egresspoints to silo for casualty rescue or inspection purposes in a fire
situation.
(i) Plan of the interior of the silo, working environment and history of previous incidents.
(j) Fixed installations available and/or activated, (e.g. dry/wet risers, drenching agents).
(k) Water supplies and affects of applying extinguishing medium on contents or structure.
(l) Access considerations in relation to where the silo is sited, hard standing adjacent to silo and
load bearing capacity for specialist appliances, e.g. Aerial appliances.
Further considerations for additional resources may include
Consider the requirement for additional resources including:
(a) Fire Rescue Units (FRU), for specialist line rescue, cutting/lifting equipment and air monitoring equipment, or other specialist equipment.
(b) aerial appliance for improved access and egress or as an inspection platform and water tower (see appendix 2).
(c) Hazardous materials and environmental protection officer (HMEPO), Rapid Response Team (RRT) or scientific advisor (SA) to monitor and advise on the environment and conditions within and immediately outside the silo.
(d) Tactical advisors:
(i) USAR (UA).
(ii) Technical rescue advisor (TRA).
(iii) Bulk media advisor (BMA).
(iv) Hazardous Material & Environmental Protection Officer (HMEPO)
What should the IC consider at all times?
The IC must consider the
1) risk of explosion
2) oxygen deficient atmosphere,
3) The structural stability and height of the silo when designating a safe working area.
Where should the IC remain at all times during a SILO incident?
The IC should remain at ground level, unless pre-planning identifies a more suitable location
Before personnel are committed into a silo, the IC must consider whether?
(a) There is a safer option for undertaking the required task.
(b) All practicable steps have been taken to remove or mitigate prevailing hazards, such as shutting down plant machinery, isolating power supplies and any self-actuating control devices.
(c) Safe access and egress can be maintained.
(d) Personnel have sufficient skills and equipment to undertake the whole task or whether
additional resources will be required.
(e) There is adequate light and ventilation inside the silo.
If a decision is made to commit personnel into a silo, the IC must implement the following
(a) Seek advice from a responsible person and/or the technical rescue advisor (TRA) before
operations commence.
(b) Implement Level 2 line operations.
(c) Appoint and brief safety officers before personnel enter the silo.
(d) Personnel must be fully briefed on their task, how this relates to the overall plan for the
incident and all relevant safety considerations.
(e) Appropriate DIM equipment is used to confirm safety of atmosphere.
(f) Only the required number of personnel and equipment necessary to undertake the task
should be committed into the silo.
(g) Vehicles and staff have been be prevented from tipping in contents at any access points
What is the minimum rank that a crew can be lead into a SILO?
Crews entering into a silo must be lead by a crew manager as a minimum
