A fire broke out around 2:50 am in an electrical utility room at a paper mill. Engulfed in the flames, four transformers emptied entirely and a fifth halfway, dispersing a dielectric containing PCB. A prefectural order motivated by a proposal[...]
A butadiene leak occurred inside a chemical plant; its origin was a flare pipe break on a butadiene workshop reboiler. The gas alarm was immediately activated as was the internal emergency plan. 7 tonnes of butadiene escaped, a vehicle crossing[...]
An explosion and fire occurred around 10 am in a glue factory. A large black smoke cloud formed and partially drifted over the neighbouring urban area. Since atmospheric conditions were unfavourable for the plume to rise and disperse, rescue services[...]
The summary of this accident has not yet been translated. In the meantime, please refer to the French summary : Une fuite de pantènes nitriles (PN) a lieu dans un atelier d'adiponitrile dans lequel le 3ème réacteur a été by-passé[...]
At a site dedicated to recycling polyethylene terephthalate for the production of polyol/polyester foam, fire broke out in the PET bottle feed chute connecting the first reactor (containing glycols and a catalyst) while conducting process management validation tests under actual[...]
340 kg of butadiene leaked from a 55 m³ reactor in a plant manufacturing ABS resins. Following pre-polymerisation tests (safety systems, reactor pressure test), 25 tonnes of water, emulsifying agent, an initiator and 15 tonnes of liquid butadiene under a[...]
Around 11:30 pm, a strong smell of hydrocarbons was indicated by residents living near a petroleum depot located along the banks of the Seine River immediately after the pipeline delivery of 2,640 m³ of unleaded gasoline. Arriving on-site at midnight,[...]
During the paint fabrication process, a tank containing a mix of minium (red lead) and glycerophthalic resin exploded at 11 pm. The ensuing fire destroyed 2 workshops and both the research and control laboratories; 170 employees were in technical unemployment.[...]
Fire broke out in a low-pressure hydrogenation unit at a chemical plant. The unit's fire detectors sounded the alarm while the 1st process phase (hydrogenation of phenylacetylcarbinol with benzylamine in an isopropyl alcohol solution using a catalyst) was ongoing. An[...]
At a 40-ha chemical facility located on the outskirts of an urban area, the safety disc set at 1.5 bar on a 15.2-m3 reactor burst in a plant working with formo-phenolic resins used for glues applied to agglomerated material. The[...]