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
- Component involved
- chemical storage tank
- Failure mode
- erroneous release & ignition
- Initiating cause
- inadequate or no purge
- 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 attribute with certainty one of these.
- Root causes
- Unknown
- Date entry in HIAD
- 01/01/2020
Facility
- Application
- Chemical industry
- Sub-application
- construction material production
- Hydrogen supply chain stage
- All components affected
brine surge tank
- Location type
- Unknown
- Location
- industrial area
- Operational condition
- Pre-event occurrences
Mechanical works were executed on the pipes
Emergency & Consequences
- Number of fatalities
- 1
- Number of injured persons
- 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.
In-depth data
- Release type
- gas
- Involved substances (% vol)
- H2 100%
- Probable IGNITION SOURCE
- Explosion type
References
- Sources categories
- OHSA
- Reference & weblink
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OHSA) Accident Summary Nr: 14503387 - One Killed, One Injured In Brine Surge Tank Explosion
https://www.osha.gov/ords/imis/accidentsearch.accident_detail?id=145033…
(accessed October 2020)
