...caused by human error and design error. The Bhopal disaster is one of the greatest scourge in history caused by a set of simultaneous failures. It happened in the night of 3rd of December at the Union Carbide plant in Bhopal, India in 1984. The disaster led to a truly massive loss of human life. At least 15000 people were killed and hundreds thousands were injured. Besides, the long-term economic, social, and psychological damages to the community and to the company’s employee were staggering. In some ways, the investigation of this hazard indicated that the design of this chemical plant did not follow the Engineering Design Process. The people of Bhopal were killed by a gas called MIC (methyl isocyanate). MIC is highly toxic and its vapor can cause many diseases, such as blindness, lung damage, physical traumas. That very night, more than 25 tons of an MIC vapor/liquid mixture were released to the atmosphere. Not only human, but also the animals perished in the disaster, poisoned by the huge gas leak. A large number of people are still suffering from the disaster after thirty years. Many of those who were exposed to the gas have given birth to physically and mentally disabled children. After the disaster, the Indian justice system spent twenty five years on criminal trial and reached a conclusion. The Union Carbide plant agreed to pay $470 million to the victims of the disaster and their families. Some activists and victims of the Bhopal disaster were not satisfied with the results...
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...------------------------------------------------- Bhopal Disaster Understanding its impact on Organizational Behavior December 7, 2014 Bhaskardeb Maitra 2201 192nd ST SE #L4, Bothell, WA 98012 December 7, 2014 Bhaskardeb Maitra 2201 192nd ST SE #L4, Bothell, WA 98012 Introduction The industrial catastrophe that occurred on the midnight of December 2, 1984 at Union Carbide India Limited pesticide plant in Bhopal, India was the worst industrial accident in the world. The official count was around 3000 deaths, but unofficial estimates are around 8000 – 10000 deaths (Bogart, 1989). Since then, a report in NY Times indicates the death toll has reached a high of 14,410 due to the chronic diseases caused by the gas leakage (NYT, 08/02/2002) Chemical industry officials are particularly disturbed that in an accident such as Bhopal could occur in what is reported to be the safest manufacturing industry in the United States. The tragedy stimulated moves in the United States that will change the handling and production of toxic chemicals as well as the dissemination of information on potential hazards and safety precautions for toxic and hazardous substances to the public. Key questions to understand how this disaster impacts on organizational behavior During this analysis, I will try to make an attempt to understand the following key questions - probable impact on organization behavior: 1. This disaster itself and the way in which the aftermath of it are being handled...
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...On the night December 3rd, one of the worst industrial accidents in history occurred in Bhopal, India. A gas leak spread throughout the streets of Bhopal and devastated all of the inhabitants in the area; at least 3800 of the residents were immediately killed. The gas that leaked was known as methyl isocyanate (MIC). An estimate of forty tons of the gas was leaked. The death toll quickly rose to the tens of thousands in the following days. The total count of people affected is close to half million people. Many questions arose from this incident, such as how and why it happened and how it could avoided. The Indian government had hopes in industrializing the nation. The Indian government implemented policies that would attract foreign companies to invest in local industry. One of the companies that invested was a large chemical producing company called the Union Carbide Corporation (UCC). The company built a plant that produced a commonly used pesticide, Sevin, in Bhopal. The...
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...| | |Bhopal Gas Tragedy | |A review | | | | | | | |Abstract: - Multiple perspectives are particularly appropriate for risk analysis. The Bhopal chemical accident of December 2-3, | |1984, is viewed here using this concept. The preceding paper has described the events surrounding the catastrophic leak | |of methyl isocyanate at the Union Carbide plant; it is considered a technical perspective on the accident. | Risk Analysis Physical hazards have always been a feature of life. In man’s early days there were natural hazards such as earthquakes, weather, and other living organisms (microbes, animals...
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...Bhopal disaster Co o r din at es: 2 3 °1 6 ′ 5 1 ″ N 7 7 °2 4 ′ 3 8 ″ E From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia The Bhopal dis as te r (commonly referred to as Bhopal gas trage dy) was a gas leak incident in India, considered one of the world's worst industrial catastrophes.[1] It occurred on the night of December 2–3, 1984 at the Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL) pesticide plant in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India. A leak of methyl isocyanate gas and other chemicals from the plant resulted in the exposure of hundreds of thousands of people. The toxic substance made its way in and around the shantytowns located near the plant.[2] Estimates vary on the death toll. The official immediate death toll was 2,259 and the government of Madhya Pradesh has confirmed a total of 3,787 deaths related to the gas release.[3] Others estimate 3,000 died within weeks and another 8,000 have since died from gas- related diseases.[4][5] A government affidavit in 2006 stated the leak caused 558,125 injuries including 38,478 temporary partial and approximately 3,900 severely and permanently disabling injuries.[6] UCIL was the Indian subsidiary of Union Carbide Corporation (UCC), with Indian Government controlled banks and the Indian public holding a 49.1 percent stake. In 1994, the Supreme Court of India allowed UCC to sell its 50.9 percent share. Union Carbide sold UCIL, the Bhopal plant operator, to Eveready Industries India Limited in 1994. The Bhopal plant was later sold to McLeod...
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...On December 3, 1984 the residents of a Bhopal, India awoke to a toxic cloud of methyl isocyanate (MIC) gas that had been discharged from the near-by Union Carbida India Limited plant. The deadly cloud infiltrated hundreds of shanties and huts as it slowly drifted in the cool night awaking sleeping residents to coughing, choking, and stinging eyes. By dawn the cloud had cleared and many were dead or injured. Reports of the incident were slow to reach America. Union Carbide, a U.S. corporation that owns 51% of the plant, based in Danbury Connecticut, was in the dark for many days. Union Carbide made front page across the country for months and is still considered the worst industrial disaster in the history of the planet. The official Indian government panel charged with tabulating deaths and injuries updated the count to more than 3,800 dead and approximately 11,000 with disabilities (Browning, 1). The chemical that was released, methyl isocyanate (MIC), is an ester of isocyanic acid (HNCO). It is highly volatile and inflammable and is easily produced and stored at room temperature. MIC, with phosgene as one of the substances used to manufacture it, creates immediate irritation, chest pain, breathlessness, and can trigger severe asthma. If the exposure is high, as in Bhopal, it leads to severe bacterial and oesinophihc pneumonia, tumour or laryngeal edema and massive cardiac arrest. The real problem, however, is that it sensitizes the skin and even a mild exposure proves lethal...
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...Bhopal disaster From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search Bhopal memorial for those killed and disabled by the 1984 toxic gas release The Bhopal disaster also known as Bhopal Gas Tragedy was one of the world's worst industrial catastrophes. It occurred on the night of December 2–3, 1984 at the Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL) pesticide plant in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India. A leak of methyl isocyanate gas and other chemicals from the plant resulted in the exposure of hundreds of thousands of people. Estimates vary on the death toll. The official immediate death toll was 2,259 and the government of Madhya Pradesh has confirmed a total of 3,787 deaths related to the gas release.[1] Others estimate 3,000 died within weeks and another 8,000 have since died from gas-related diseases.[2][3] A government affidavit in 2006 stated the leak caused 558,125 injuries including 38,478 temporary partial and approximately 3,900 severely and permanently disabling injuries.[4] UCIL was the Indian subsidiary of Union Carbide Corporation (UCC). Indian Government controlled banks and the Indian public held 49.1 percent ownership share. In 1994, the Supreme Court of India allowed UCC to sell its 50.9 percent share. Union Carbide sold UCIL, the Bhopal plant operator, to Eveready Industries India Limited in 1994. The Bhopal plant was later sold to McLeod Russel (India) Ltd. Dow Chemical Company purchased UCC in 2001. Civil and criminal cases are pending in the United...
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...Principles of management assignment What happened and Why? During the night of 2-3 December 1984, a leak of some 40 tons of Methylisocyanate (MIC) gas mixed with unknown other gasses from a chemical factory caused one of the highest-casualty industrial accidents of the 20th century. The Bhopal disaster was a gas leak incident in India, considered as the world's worst industrial disaster ever known to mankind. At least 2000 people died immediately and another 200.000 to 300.000 people suffered respiratory or got other injuries. The incident started by the ventilation of the poisonous gas to the atmosphere, namely Methylisocyanate (MIC). As the density of the gas is more than the density of the air itself, it has caused the accumulation of the toxic gas in a cloud form but it is close to the ground. Eventually the cloud of poisonous MIC gas streamed through the entire city of Bhopal like a sand storm on desert, leaving no chances for the citizens of Bhopal to rescue themselves The initial Indian managing and supervisory staff for the Bhopal production unit were trained in Union Carbide’s West Virginia. They began leaving for more attractive jobs and were replaced by less-skilled employees. Low production volumes seemed to justify reductions in the workforce though the local labor unions insisted that they were going too far. In the MIC, the workforce was reduced from the Union Carbide recommended 3 supervisors...
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...- DRAFT - International Dimensions of Ethics Education in Science and Engineering Case Study Series Bhopal Plant Disaster – Situation Summary by MJ Peterson Revised March 20, 2009 During the night of 2-3 December 1984, a leak of some 40 tons of methyl isocyanate (MIC) gas mixed with unknown other gasses from a chemical plant owned and operated by Union Carbide (India) Limited, a partly-owned subsidiary of the US-based Union Carbide Corporation, caused one of the highest-casualty industrial accidents of the 20th century. At least 2000 people died immediately and another 200,000 to 300,000 suffered respiratory and other injuries of varying severity. Property damage consisted mainly of contamination to nearby areas by various chemical residues. The defoliation of trees immediately afterward is clearly attributable to the gas leak; contamination in the nearby settlements may have multiple sources, the contamination of the plant site resulted from many years of general production activity. India’s Economic Ambitions When India attained independence from Great Britain in 1947, its new political leaders wanted to make the country wealthier by encouraging development of modern industry. It had strong support from the citizens, who generally agreed that India’s current lack of industrialization and economic development were the result of these colonial-era policies. Thus the new government could expect widespread support for any policy that appeared to set the country...
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...depression, and the rise of organized labor. Consequently changes in the safety health field are often motivated by great tragedies that focus public attention on risks in the workplace. The Goals of this unit: * Identify the historic trends in industrial safety * Identify events that have impacted industrial safety To complete this unit you must 1. Read the chapter in the book 2. Review the PowerPoint slides 3. Look into the Bhopal accident using the video and searching the Internet to answer the following under the "Assignment tab" for : Session 2: History of Safety. 1. How many died as a result of the accident? 2. What has been the long term effects of the accident on residents 3. Look at the total number of injuries and deaths over for any 2 years on the BLS web site for (Take a look at data from Osha) Use the BLS link to find the data tutorials for: * Manufacturing * Construction * Mining * Agriculture en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhopal_disaster Bhopal disaster From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search | The neutrality of this article is disputed. Relevant discussion may be found on the talk page. Please do...
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...12 Basic Principles of Project Management March 3, 2011, 11:00 am By Brian Croxall Last week I attended a two-day training session on the fundamentals of project management. I had been looking forward to the opportunity as a chance to help me be more effective at my current alt-ac job, where I work in a team environment on several very cool projects (a THATCamp, a digital scholarship commons, some library games). Working in a team has been a relatively new experience for me. After all, graduate school—at least in the humanities—doesn’t often teach that skill set. For this reason, I thought it could be useful to share some of my training, in the same way that I did when I learned how to speak to the news media at the most recent MLA. Here, then, are twelve basic things that I learned about working with and leading a team: Projects are temporary. You can’t consider a project to be that thing that you’re going to do every day for the rest of your career. Instead, it’s something that creates a particular product or service, and it has a clear end point. You might compare it to the creation of a syllabus or teaching a course. It has a finite beginning and end. Decide whether or not the project should happen. Not every project should be begun started. When you are beginning work on something, you want to determine if it’s a good use of your resources, what problem the project is trying to solve, and whether or not the project is the best way to fix it. I think that this is...
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...central debate running throughout green crime as to whether crimes against the environment should be treated as illegal despite legislation not being in place. As White (2008) suggests, green crime create more damage than much other crime, for example the Bhopal disaster in India, 1984 caused thousands of deaths due to chemical gas poisoning, yet the companies involved have never taken corporate responsibility due to the pinning down of transnational and environmental laws. As Beck states (1992) most threats to human well-being are no longer natural but are in fact human made. The types of green crime support this view. Primary green crime is that where action directly causes the destruction of the earth’s resources – for example air and water pollution. Primary green crime is more explicitly criminal than secondary green crime, meaning that it is easier to pin liability on those responsible, for example the dropping of toxic waste by BP in the Gulf of Mexico. Secondary green crime is more difficult to pin down as it is defined as a failure of governments to act as opposed to directly acting irresponsibly. As South notes, the sinking of the Greenpeace ship in 1985 still has no accountable or prosecuted party, similarly to the Bhopal incident already cited. These two types of green crime carry with them a sociological debate amongst criminologists – Traditional vs green. Traditional criminology is more concerned with primary green crime as traditional criminologists are only concerned...
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...Connie Aiello Student No. 500447896 Professor Terry Roswell SOC103 Environmental Racism and Transnational Corporations “All Americans have a basic right to live, work, play, go to school, and worship in a clean and healthy environment” (Bullard, Dixie xiii). Unfortunately, this is not true for all. Afro-American communities in the South and other visible minorities across the globe, live through the harsh realities of environmental racism every day. (Bullard, Racism 3) In Confronting Environmental Racism, Robert D. Bullard defines environmental racism as: Racial discrimination in environmental policymaking. It is racial discrimination in the enforcement of regulations and laws. It is racial discrimination in the deliberate targeting of communities of color for toxic waste disposal and the sitting of polluting industries. It is racial discrimination in the official sanctioning of the life-threatening presence of poisons and pollutants in communities of color. And, it is racial discrimination in the history of excluding people of color from the mainstream environmental groups, decision-making boards, commissions, and regulatory bodies. (3) Environmental justice on the other hand, is a form of environmental equity. It refers to “the equal protection of environmental laws amongst all people, irrespective of their race or social status. (Peluso 389) With very little influence in decision-making from minority groups, policymakers deliberately target...
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...Final Project Report Review/Updating Master Plan and Preparation of DPR for Solid Waste Management Plan for Bhopal city Submitted to: Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) Prepared by: SENES Consultants India Pvt. Ltd. March 2012 Detailed Project Report – Review/Updating Master Plan & Preparation of DPR for SWM Plan for Bhopal city Table of Contents 1.0 1.1 1.2 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 INTRODUCTION .........................................................................................................1 Objectives of Study........................................................................................................ 1 Scope of Work ............................................................................................................... 2 DESCRIPTION OF STUDY AREA .............................................................................3 Demographic Features ................................................................................................... 6 Population Projections ................................................................................................... 6 Economy ........................................................................................................................ 7 Land use ......................................................................................................................... 7 ASSESSMENT OF EXISTING SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM ..........8 Sources of Waste...
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...Caucasians represent the ethnic majority, while African Americans, Hispanics, and Asian Americans constitute the three major ethnic minorities in the United States (Julian, McKenry et al. 1994). Caucasians are American citizens who have origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa (Bhopal and Donaldson 1998). African Americans refer to American citizens who have ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub – Saharan African (Logan, Deane et al. 2003).Hispanics are American citizens who have origins in any country of Latin America and the Iberian peninsula (Watson, Kumar et al. 1993). Asian Americans are American citizens of Asian descent ((Kim 1999). Generally speaking, the four ethnic groups have the following distinctions respectively. Caucasians have been characterized by an emphasis on individualism, competition and future orientation, and the neglect of ethnicity as identity (Cokley, Komarraju et al. 2007). African Americans have the features of emotional vitality, collective survival, oral traditions and interdependence (White 1984). Hispanics are characterized by high levels of interdependence, conformity, a readiness to sacrifice for the welfare of in-group members, flexible attitudes toward time and obedience to people in authority (Marín and Marín 1991). Asian Americans have been described as reflecting an emphasis on the harmony in relationships, the precedence of group interests over individual interests, and the importance...
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