At approximately 7:00 p.m. on November 15, 2006, Employee #1 was a process operator at the Chlorine Liquefaction Unit, Block A-19. He was preparing to bleed off chlorine on a process line, to clear the line for maintenance work. The valve handle indicated that it was in a CLOSED position. Employee #1 opened the cap to the bleed valve to insert a tube to clear the chlorine. However, the bleed valve was NOT completely closed, and the pressure on the chlorine line caused the cap to blow off, releasing chlorine.
Employee #1 was exposed to the inhalation hazard of chlorine gas when his airline became caught on a nearby pipe and his mask was pulled away. He continued to work until his shift was over. He went to a coworker’s home after leaving the plant because he was too tired to go home. Employee #1 was hospitalized approximately one hour later. He was pronounced dead at 10:00 a.m. on November 16, 2006.