Event
- Event ID
- 753
- Quality
- Description
A dye beam operator was drawing concentrated sulphuric acid into a plastic pail. He added to this pail the contents of a "drip pail" which had been located under the 55 gallon acid drum. The pail started "smoking" and exploded a few seconds later, sending a plume of acid to the ceiling about 20 ft. Up. The operator and three other nearby employees and received skin burns when the acid rained down upon them. A fourth, further away, went to the hospital to have his ear plugs removed.
- Event Initiating system
- Classification of the physical effects
- Hydrogen Release and Ignition
- Nature of the consequences
- Macro-region
- North America
- Country
- United States
- Date
- Component involved
- chemical storage tank
- Failure mode
- internal explosion
- Initiating cause
- unknown
- Root CAUSE analysis
The INITIATING CAUSE was formation of gaseous hydrogen from a reaction of sulphuric acid reaction with unspecified other substance (it is known that a reaction between a metal and H2SO4 produces H2).
- Root causes
- Date entry in HIAD
- 01/01/2020
Facility
- Application
- Chemical industry
- Sub-application
- Organic basic chemicals production
- Hydrogen supply chain stage
- All components affected
chemicals storage tank
- Process temperature range [C]
- ambient temperature (-50°C to +50°C)
- Process pressure range [MPa]
- ambient pressure (around 0.1 MPa)
- Location type
- Unknown
- Location
- industrial area
- Operational condition
- Pre-event occurrences
Unclear if the operation was part of the normal production cycle.
Emergency & Consequences
- Number of fatalities
- 0
- Number of injured persons
- 2
In-depth data
- Release type
- Gas-liquid mixture
- Involved substances (% vol)
- H2,H2SO4
- Probable IGNITION SOURCE
- Explosion type
- Deflagration
References
- Sources categories
- OHSA
- Reference & weblink
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OHSA)- Accident Summary Nr: 14265011 https://www.osha.gov/ords/imis/accidentsearch.accident_detail?id=14265011 (accessed March 2023)
