In an automobile paint plant, a technician left his workstation at 4:15 pm in forgetting to turn off the pump used to transfer paint containing 55% acrylic resin, 15% xylene, 16% butyl acetate and 4% ethylbenzene. The transfer of resin[...]
In a fertilizer production plant, an ammonia leak injured 3 workers, one of whom died. On December 1st, 1994, the weekly cleaning of the dryer was scheduled. The tubular reactor of this dryer was shut off at 6:25 am then[...]
An exothermic runaway reaction triggered an explosion and subsequent fire in a workshop at a pharmaceutical plant during a reduction step carried out inside a reactor inerted with nitrogen; this reduction was being performed in an anhydrous environment on an[...]
While transferring concentrated liquid waste inside a chemical plant, a tanker lorry driver died. He arrived at 9:30 am at the reception area and was joined in the transfer zone by the plant's safety engineer. The transfer from tank to 2[...]
A release of hydrochloric acid vapours occurred during cleaning of a 50-m³ tank that had contained sulphur chloride. The water introduced by site technicians reacted with the sludge at the tank bottom (approx. 30-mm thick), composed for 50% of sulphur[...]
A tank glazed with 85% H2SO4 ruptured leading to a workshop to close down for five days in an explosives factory. Given the waste acid storage autonomy period of four days for production, 3 tank trucks hired in February and[...]
At around 6.30 pm, 5 t of ammonia (NH3) was released over a 15-minute period from 2 valves at a height of 8/10 m on equipment used to manufacture an ammonium nitrate solution. 4 persons located at 1,100 m to[...]
Inside a plant specialised in thio-chemistry, an explosion occurred at 9:55 am on a unit undergoing a restart procedure, less than one year after major facility modifications. Following the unintentional intake of ammonia into the oven on an acid nitrosyl[...]
At 7.10 am, 300 kg of phosphorus trichloride (PCl3) spilled over from a measuring tank during a loading operation and hydrolysed in the sewers of a chemical plant. The day before, 1,320 kg of 2-ethyl-hexanoic acid was introduced into a[...]
While conducting earthworks, a loader punctured an oil pipeline (Ø = 400 mm), buried 1.2 m deep and carrying naphtha at a pressure of 8-10 bar. Emanating from a 30 cm² opening, a jet spray 5 to 10 m high[...]
