Event
- Event ID
- 750
- Quality
- Description
- Two workers were performing maintenance or repair work on a brine surge tank, which potentially contained hydrogen gas in a vapour space in its upper portion. The job consisted in removing and replacing the brine line connected to the top of the tank. One worker was using a torch to cut a U-bolt on the bypass piping next to a brine surge tank had to be cut. Just before the accident, the second worker was on top of the tank unbolting the brine line. It followed explosion which caused one fatality and one injury.
- Event Initiating system
- Classification of the physical effects
- Hydrogen Release and Ignition
- Nature of the consequences
- Macro-region
- North America
- Country
- United States
- Date
- Main component involved?
- Chemical Storage Tank
- Initiating cause
- Inadequate Or No Purge
- Root causes
- Unknown (No additional details provided)
- Root CAUSE analysis
- The ROOT CAUSE could be related to (1) lack of clear safety procedures, (2) failure to follow the procedure, (3) wrong instructions by supervisors. The OHSA report does not provide the information required to attribue with certainty one of these.
Facility
- Application
- Chemical Industry
- Sub-application
- construction material production
- Hydrogen supply chain stage
- All components affected
- brine surge tank
- Location type
- Unknown
- Location description
- Industrial Area
- Operational condition
- Pre-event occurrences
- Mechanical works were executed on the pipes
Emergency & Consequences
- Number of injured persons
- 1
- Number of fatalities
- 1
- Post-event summary
- The worker who unbolted the brine line was launched into the air by an explosion and struck against some piping or other structure. he was dead. The wit the torch was struck by piping and knocked backward. His head struck a curb, and he was injured.
Event Nature
- Release type
- gas
- Involved substances (% vol)
- H2 100%
- Presumed ignition source
- Open flame
References
- Reference & weblink
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OHSA) Accident Summary Nr: 14503387 - One Killed, One Injured In Brine Surge Tank Explosion<br />
https://www.osha.gov/ords/imis/accidentsearch.accident_detail?id=145033… />
(accessed October 2020)
JRC assessment
- Sources categories
- OHSA
