On June 14, 2021, at approximately 6:50 a.m., an accidental release of mineral oil occurred. The mineral oil ignited, causing a fire. The event resulted in $380 million in property damage and the permanent closure of the facility. Before the incident, the facility employed approximately 200 people. Leading up to the incident, the facility had […]
On December 3, 2020, at approximately 2:30 p.m., an accidental release of chlorine gas occurred at a plastics facility and seriously injured one employee. At the time of the incident, four (4) employees were involved in replacing an empty chlorine container with a full 2,000-pound (one-ton) container at the facility’s Ethylene Glycol unit. The unit
On July 24, 2020, at 1:20 p.m., an accidental release of approximately 100 milliliters of silicon tetrachloride seriously injured two contract workers. At the time of the event, contract workers were disassembling a 2-inch flange to remove a blind (a solid metal plate used to isolate equipment) before reinstalling a section of piping that had
On April 11, 2020, at 11:25 p.m., a spent caustic release occurred. One (1) operator was seriously injured by skin exposure to the corrosive liquid. At the time of the incident, the operator was implementing a temporary procedure to remove liquid from a chemical hose connected to fill a portable storage tank (“frac tank”) that
On January 7, 2023, at approximately 4:55 p.m., about one (1) pound of anhydrous ammonia was released at the facility. Exposure to the toxic ammonia gas seriously injured one refrigeration technician. At the time of the incident, the employee was working on an ammonia compressor that was “out-of-service”. The ammonia compressor is used in the
A plastics company was having its 5-year piping inspection done, and the inspectors found a crack in a valve under the 30,000-gallon storage tank. As a precaution, both tanks were drained to safely make the necessary repairs. As part of the facility’s standard protocol, the company called the fire department and conducted preventive evacuations.
A bulk unloading incident created an orange chemical cloud, injuring four (4). The exothermic reaction occurred when phosphoric acid was accidentally unloaded into a 10,000 L (2640 gallons) nitric acid storage tank.
U.S. EPA has reached a settlement with a food processing plant and its cold storage warehouse, under which the company paid a $1.1 million civil penalty. The company violated federal Clean Air Act (CAA) chemical safety requirements. These violations involve the safe handling of anhydrous ammonia, a hazardous chemical used for cooling and refrigeration. This
I ALWAYS encourage clients to be able to MANAGE their inventory when something goes wrong. Many have heeded my advice, and when they have a leak on a tank, they simply transfer the hazardous material to their “emergency tank,” or they have set their maximum levels in other tanks so they have spare capacity on
Where piping is to be opened for servicing, addition, or modification, the section to be worked on shall be isolated from the supply at the nearest convenient point, and the line pressure vented to the OUTDOORS. The remaining gas in this section of pipe shall be displaced with an inert gas. Prior to placing the
December 23, 2025, Washington, D.C. — The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) today issued two interim safety recommendations in connection with the agency’s ongoing investigation into the August 11, 2025, fatal explosion at U.S. Steel’s Clairton Coke Works facility in Clairton, Pennsylvania. The explosion occurred when coke oven gas was released from
At 2:30 p.m. on August 28, 2019, employees were removing a flange blank on caustic liquid pipeline that was supposed to be evacuated but wasn’t. The employees were sprayed with caustic liquid and suffered chemical burns to their face and eyes. Two of the employees required hospitalization for treatment and three others were injured but
