The sites of
Geleen and
Delft in the Netherlands report their environmental incidents within 24
hours on their websites (in Dutch only).
On April 11 a fatal accident occurred. A contractor employee at DSM Nutrional
Products Premix Argentina got caught in a ribbon mixer during cleaning
activities and was fatally injured. It became clear that no effective
“Lock-Out / Tag-Out” procedure (disconnecting the electrical power) had been
applied. The fatality has triggered a global initiative to check and improve
our practices on “Lock-Out / Tag-Out” as well as other essential practices
related to operations and maintenance.
Q1 2007
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At DSM Anti-Infectives Chemferm, Spain, an operator got caught with his foot
between an electrical pallet lifter and a forklift truck.
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A DSM Nutrional Products employee at an Animal Nuttrition & Health Premix site
in Latin America experienced a small fracture and injuries to his ankle. He
was walking backwards with a pallet truck, fell and his foot was jammed under
the truck.
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During the installation of a fork lift truck ramp in Lalden (Switzerland), an
external DSM Nutrional Products truck driver trapped his finger. The finger
was broken and had to have stitches.
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A temporary worker at the DSM Resins plant in Compiègne (France) burned his
hand severely (2nd degree). Due to contamination of his clothes with styrene,
his hand caught fire when he was smoking a cigarette.
Q2 2007
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In the DSM Food Specialties plant in Delft (Netherlands), a leakage of 15
liters of sulfuric acid took place.
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A DSM Nutrional Products contractor in El Salto (Mexico) stumbled over a small
step while carrying articles with both hands. She broke two ribs and had a 2cm
cut on her finger.
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During start-up of an installation part, a pipeline ruptured and hot PA
(phtalic anhydride, 170°C) sprayed over a DSM Composite Resins contractor in
Schoonebeek (the Netherlands).
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A disturbance in the Caprolactam plant in Geleen (Netherlands) resulted in a
emission of 1,000kg benzene into the atmosphere. Measurements have shown that
the was no risk for the public health.
Q3 2007
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At DSM Dyneema (USA), a mechanic suffered a serious injury to his left hand
while cleaning the impregnation unit.
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An operator in a DSM NeoResins+ plant in Shanghai (China) broke his left leg
when he was hit by a 200kg drum when drums were being unloaded from a
container truck.
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Due to a sudden release of a large quantity of yeast (50t) at DSM Food
Specialties Delft (the Netherlands), a vessel was damaged with a financial
impact in excess of USD 100,000.
Q4 2007
