Blew a $300 steam valve because I skipped the preheat check on a job at the Dow plant last month

The foreman told me to just swap it quick since we were behind schedule, but the thermal shock cracked the seat in under 20 minutes of startup and I had to eat the cost, has anyone else gotten burned skipping those little steps because the boss was pushing for time?

2 comments

2 Comments

taylorlewis6d agoTop Commenter

Did you catch that incident at a different Dow plant in Texas a couple years back where a crew blew a main steam line because a supervisor told them to skip the warm-up cycle? I read about it in an industry safety bulletin, it's a pretty well known case. The foreman got cited for violating procedure just as much as the guys on the floor, but only the workers got fired. It's wild how these shortcuts get pushed from the top but the blame always rolls downhill.

leow906d ago

Hold up, did the foreman own any of that cost or were you the only one who got stuck with the bill for following his shortcut? Seems like he should have a skin in the game if he's gonna push you to skip steps. Was there any kind of paper trail or witness to him telling you to rush it, or was it just a verbal thing on the floor?