#1
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.
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#2
At approximately 5:00 a.m. on February 8, 2014, Employee #1 and an operator was depressurizing a line that contained chlorine gas. Two attempts were made to depressurize the line. The first attempt resulted in a small chlorine release and employees having to evacuate to shelter and the second attempt resulted in the employee opening a valve upstream of the 2 in. bleed valve releasing chlorine gas through an open flange connection downstream exposing coworkers, and requiring a plant evacuation. Employee #1 was transported to an area hospital, where he was treated for inhalation exposure to chlorine gas.
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