Reversing action of a transformer

Thanks for that, John, but many, many places don't even observe ... sometim es even PREVENT, yes prevent use of established commercial/residential bui lding codes. ========================= ========================= ===== "Texas didn't have a fire code and small counties are prohibited from havin g them."

"West, Texas, fertilizer plant blast that killed 15 'preventable,' safety b oard says" By Eliott C. McLaughlin, CNN Updated 9:58 PM ET, Tue April 22, 2014

The 2013 fertilizer plant blast that killed 15 people and wounded another 2

26 in West, Texas, "should never have occurred," the chairman of the U.S. C hemical Safety Board said Tuesday.

Though the board's report says that at least 14 people were killed, the dea th toll was updated to 15 people in the days after the blast.

The board's investigation, released a few days after the first anniversary of the explosion, indicates the incident was "preventable," Chairman Rafael Moure-Eraso said. The statement from his agency, which was given Tuesday t o reporters, blamed the company that owned the fertilizer plant, government regulators and other authorities for the incident.

"It resulted from the failure of a company to take the necessary steps to a vert a preventable fire and explosion and from the inability of federal, st ate and local regulatory agencies to identify a serious hazard and correct it," Moure-Eraso said.

McLennan County, for example, didn't have an emergency response plan in pla ce, and "the community clearly was not aware of the potential hazard at Wes t Fertilizer," the report said.

A lack of fire codes was repeatedly cited in the report, with investigators noting Texas didn't have a fire code and small counties are prohibited fro m having them. But, the chairman said, local fire departments need fire cod es to "hold industrial operators accountable for safe storage and handling of chemicals."

Texas town tighter than ever one year later

The board's supervisory investigator, Johnnie Banks, said all levels of gov ernment also failed to adopt codes to keep populated areas away from hazard ous facilities. This is not unique to West, Banks said.

"We found 1,351 facilities across the country that store ammonium nitrate," he said, adding that farm communities are just beginning to collect inform ation on the proximity of homes and schools to ammonium nitrate storage fac ilities.

The investigation determined that "lessons learned" from responses to simil ar incidents were not disseminated to firefighters, 11 of whom died when th e West plant exploded.

The probe said guidelines from the National Fire Protection Association and U.S. Department of Transportation recommend that firefighters evacuate the area surrounding "massive" ammonium nitrate fires and that the area be dou sed with water "from a distance." However, the report said, the guidance is vague because of the use of subjective words like "massive," "large" and " distance."

"All of these provisions should be reviewed and harmonized in light of the West disaster to ensure that firefighters are adequately protected and are not put into danger protecting property alone," Banks said.

U.S. guidelines for ammonium nitrate storage have been static for decades, the board said, but the United Kingdom in 1996 mandated that storage facili ties be one story, well-ventilated and constructed of concrete, brick or st eel.

Moure-Eraso lauded the Fertilizer Institute for recently establishing guide lines for the storage and transportation of ammonium nitrate, along with re commendations for first responders in the event of a fire. He further calle d on all states and counties to likewise update their guidelines.

"The state of Texas, McLennan County, (the Occupational Safety and Health A dministration) and the (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency) have work to do because this hazard exists in hundreds of locations across the U.S.," Mo ure-Eraso wrote. "However, it is important to note that there is no substit ute for an efficient regulatory system that ensures that all companies are operating to the same high standards. We cannot depend on voluntary complia nce."

Though the Chemical Safety Board investigates serious chemical accidents an d makes safety recommendations, it does not issue fines or citations. The B ureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the state fire marsh al's office said last week that their investigation into the cause of the f ire remains active.

West's mayor, Tommy Muska, told CNN last week that doing more policywise, l ike instituting a statewide fire code, "would have been a wonderful thing."

"You don't want to overregulate," Muska said. "But you also have to look at what (could) make us safer."

Rep. Joe C. Pickett, chairman of the Homeland Security and Public Safety co mmittee in the state House of Representatives, said local authorities shoul d go beyond having every place subject to a fire code.

The Democrat from El Paso is pushing to give the state fire marshal's offic e more authority, particularly over unincorporated areas, where about 60 of the over 100 facilities storing ammonium nitrate, like what exploded at We st Fertilizer, are located. Unlike those falling within city or county limi ts, these facilities don't have to have things like sprinklers or other saf ety measures.

Other steps would include getting the word out about places that store ammo nium nitrate and other potentially explosive materials.

"We don't want this to happen again," said Pickett, noting that state autho rities took some immediate actions and that other, more deliberate ones are in the works. "There have got to be some changes ... But I don't want to r ush and do the wrong thing."

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nvestigation/

Weird. This one didn't come until tonight after 9pm but the other you sent later got here by 5pm, when I got home.

It's all Lloyd's fault for mentioning it, right? Or was that Jim? You guys all look the same online.

Probably instant beaker trip or fuse blow. That much mismatch should saturate the core and draw *lots* of current from the wall.

But -- whatever was connected to the secondary, if it was turned on, or if there was enough voltage to jump the switch contacts, would almost certainly die, too. :-)

Enjoy, DoN.