Chemical incident response drill in Da Nang city in 2025

22(1).jpg — Vice Chairman of the City People's Committee Tran Chi Cuong (5th from right) presented souvenir flags to units participating in the exercise. Photo: NGOC PHU

According to the hypothetical situation, at about 9:30 a.m. on August 22, at the Cau Do Water Plant's chlorine storage area, a chlorine chemical leak occurred. The cause was that while replacing the chlorine gas cylinder, two operators carelessly blew the cylinder valve, causing chlorine gas to leak out of the tank.

22..jpg — Hypothetical situation: While replacing the chlorine gas cylinder, two operators carelessly blew the valve of the chlorine gas cylinder, causing chlorine gas to leak out of the tank, causing a leak. Photo: NGOC PHU

Realizing the dangerous situation, the two operators quickly used specialized protective equipment to handle the source of the chlorine gas leak. However, due to panic, combined with inhaling a large amount of chlorine gas earlier, the incorrect operation damaged the valve at the top of the tank, causing chlorine vapor to continue to leak out and there was temporarily no way to stop it.

22 dt — Rescuers quickly brought the victim outside. Photo: NGOC PHU

Due to inhaling the initial amount of chlorine gas, two technical workers showed signs of abnormal health, so they decided to escape from the chlorine storage area and alert the direct manager of the Cau Do Water Plant via walkie-talkie and the plant's alarm system.

The person in charge promptly notified the company's Chemical Incident Prevention and Response Board to increase the force and means to support the incident response and handling from Da Nang Water Supply Joint Stock Company.

22 episodes episode 2 — The employee who was suffocated by toxic gas was taken to the emergency room in time. Photo: NGOC PHU

The incident occurred beyond the response capacity of the Cau Do Water Plant incident response force. Immediately after that, other forces such as Da Nang Water Supply Joint Stock Company, the police force and militia of Cam Le ward, the Department of Health, the Department of Industry and Trade, the Fire Prevention and Fighting Police of the City Police , the City Military Command, the 78th Chemical Battalion of the General Staff of Military Region 5 were mobilized to coordinate and deploy response measures.

After a while, the incident was promptly handled. Environmental decontamination, cleaning, measurement, monitoring, and investigation of the cause were carried out quickly.

22 episodes episode 1 — Forces were quickly mobilized to the scene to handle the incident. Photo: NGOC PHU

Speaking at the drill, Vice Chairman of the City People's Committee Tran Chi Cuong requested that businesses with chemical activities raise awareness and consider chemical incident prevention as an important position and role in their production and business activities.

Enterprises need to regularly control sources of chemical incidents; improve safety management processes, arrange reasonable chemical storage areas and ensure compliance with current regulations; when using chemicals in production activities, they must always pay attention to the hazardous properties of chemicals to humans and the environment, in order to have effective preventive solutions.

22 episodes episode 4 — Forces were quickly mobilized to the scene to handle the incident. Photo: NGOC PHU

For relevant state management agencies from the grassroots to the city level, regularly do a good job of inspecting and supervising compliance with regulations on safety management at facilities with chemical activities, especially facilities with large-scale chemical storage reserves, many dangerous properties, and potential safety risks.

22 episodes episode 3 — Authorities sprayed mist to prevent toxic gas. Photo: NGOC PHU

Investment in equipment and means for chemical incident response activities needs to be given attention and focus by both businesses and authorities.

The Vice Chairman of the City People's Committee requested the Department of Industry and Trade to advise on continuing to organize chemical incident response drills in the coming time, with many different hypothetical situations to improve the ability to act, ensure good operation of the city-level chemical incident response mechanism, and raise awareness of the business community and people in implementing legal regulations on chemical incident prevention and response.