The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) released a new safety video on its investigation into the fatal release of hydrogen chloride at the Wacker Polysilicon North America facility in Charleston, Tennessee, on November 13, 2020. One contract worker was killed - and two others were seriously injured - when attempting to escape the release.
The CSB's new safety video, “No Way Down: Chemical Release at Wacker Polysilicon,” includes an animation of the events leading to the incident.
The CSB’s investigation found that at the time of the incident there were multiple contract workers present on the fifth floor of an equipment access platform at the facility. The contract workers were from two different firms, conducting different work, and were wearing different levels of Personal Protective Equipment. One of the workers applied excessive torque to flange bolts on a heat exchanger outlet pipe containing hydrogen chloride, causing the pipe to crack and release the hazardous chemical in the vicinity of the workers.
There was only one way to exit the platform – via a staircase. As the white cloud of hydrogen chloride expanded, the workers on the platform were not able to see their surroundings or access the staircase. Three of the workers who were not wearing full-body chemical resistant suits began climbing down the side of the structure to escape the hazardous cloud. All three workers fell approximately 70 feet during their attempt to escape. One of the workers died from the fall, and the other two sustained serious injuries.
