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Organisational and human factors

Explosion followed by a fire in a chemical plant

  • ITALIE
At a chemical plant, a tank containing a mix of toluene-2,6-diisocyanate (TDI) / tars with a high boiling point increased in pressure and exploded around 7:40 pm. The cloud ignited 5 min later; afterwards, the fire was fed by 20[...]
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Flaming gas leak in a refinery

  • FRANCE
At a refinery early in the evening (8:22 pm), a leak ignited on a stripping column of the gasoline hydrotreatment unit. This step was intended to eliminate a number of impurities (sulfurized, nitrogenated and oxygenated compounds, metals) before being routed[...]
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Rupture of a cell in a grain silo

  • FRANCE
Around 11:50 am, a driver loading his lorry using the side drainage system on a silo storage cell noticed that pieces of concrete were falling into his trailer dumpster. He informed the warehouse attendant responsible for destocking and then quickly[...]
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Fire in a final waste storage centre

  • FRANCE
A fire broke out at a potash mine about 4:15 am within an underground storage site devoted to toxic industrial waste (50,000 tonnes/year), which had been operating since February 1999 in galleries specifically excavated for this purpose at a depth[...]
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Deflagration of a reactor

  • FRANCE
In a fine chemistry plant employing 70 staff, a 1,500-litre enamelled reactor underwent a pressure surge and exploded during the oxidation of 200 kg of dichloro-dicyano-hydroquinone (DDHQ) into dichloro-dicyano-quinone (DDQ) by means of nitric acid and oxygen in a solvent[...]
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Leakage of diesel oil when unloading a tanker

  • BELGIQUE
A leak of heating oil occurred during the unloading of a tanker into a storage capacity of 6000 m3, polluting a channel of the harbour in Brussels. Local residents alerted local authorities and media. Fire-fighters set up 4 booms despite[...]
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Acidic waste water discharge

  • FRANCE
Acid water stemming from the manufacturing of dyes and pigments was partially channelled to a neutralisation facility located 18 km from a chemical plant. Between 5th and 11th August, a succession of leaks was observed, especially over the first 2[...]
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Explosion in a dynamite manufacturing plant

  • ALLEMAGNE
An explosion occurred in a dynamite packaging shop at a plant specialised in the manufacturing of gelatinous explosives. In all, 90 kg of dynamite detonated. The only technician working in the shop at the time of the accident was killed.[...]
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Inflammation of a bitumen tank

  • FRANCE
At a plant making bitumen, base oils and other by-products, an explosion occurred on a 140-tonne tank containing an additive used in the road bitumen formulation composed of 2 polymers with a high flash point. Heat-insulated and practically full at[...]
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Emissions of nitrous fumes

  • FRANCE
In the stripping workshop of a firm specialised in the stamping and machining of parts made of an aluminium and titanium alloy, a large quantity of nitrous vapours were released in the 3,500-litre cold-working, fluonitric acid bath (containing 5% HNO3[...]
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