UPDATED on 6/4/2016 – Police investigating the accident said that the hydrofluoric acid spill might have been caused by human error as two workers unloaded the chemical from a delivery tanker. A closed-circuit security video camera recorded the two workers on top of the tanker without protective gear. They connected an air hose to a valve in the tanker to force the chemical out under high pressure. The video shows white vapor erupting at high pressure from the tanker, engulfing the workers. Police have said the workers were trying to save time and did not follow proper safety procedures. Prosecutors plan to indict three Hube Global executives. According to some reports, firefighters who initially responded to the Hube Global accident were not apparently fully briefed on the risks of hydrofluoric acid. The first to arrive on the scene wore typical firefighting garments and masks – inadequate protection against hydrofluoric acid fumes. Firefighters also spread the hydrofluoric acid further by spraying water on it. At the time of the accident, neither the Gumi city government nor the Hube Global plant had supplies of slaked lime, an agent used to neutralize the acid. Slaked lime was not deployed at the accident scene until the day after the leak.
UPDATED on 11/2/12 – New video footage showing the enormity of the anhydrous HF release that killed five workers. NEVER EVER get this close to any type of chemical release just for pictures or video.