Month: December 2016

Accident Description
On the evening of December 3, a storage tank failed catastrophically at the Marcus Oil and Chemical polyethylene wax facility in Houston. The blast, which was felt up to 20 miles from the plant site, ignited large fires that burned for several hours, and two firefighters were injured during the emergency response. Off-site buildings near the facility – including two churches, a house, and a social club – exhibited structural damage, such as broken windows and cracked walls.

Investigation Status
The CSB issued a case study report on this incident at a news conference in Houston on June 6, 2006.         

Accident Description
A forklift towing a trailer collided with a line containing highly flammable liquid propylene, causing a release and a vapor cloud explosion. Sixteen workers were injured, the process unit was heavily damaged, and a nearby school was evacuated

Investigation Status
The CSB issued a case study report about this incident at a news conference in Houston on July 20, 2006.         

Accident Description
Two contract employees were overcome and fatally injured by nitrogen as they performed maintenance work near a 24-inch opening on the top of a reactor. One of the workers died attempting rescue.

Investigation Status
The CSB issue a case study report and a safety video based on this incident at a news conference in Newark, Delaware, on November 2, 2006.         

Accident Description
On April 23, 2004, five workers were fatally injured and two others were seriously injured when an explosion occurred in a polyvinyl chloride (PVC) production unit at Formosa Plastics in Illiopolis, Illinois, east of Springfield. The explosion followed a release of highly flammable vinyl chloride, which ignited. The explosion forced a community evacuation and lighted fires that burned for several days at the plant.

Investigation Status
The CSB’s final report on this investigation was issued at a news conference in Springfield, Illinois, on March 6, 2007.         

Accident Description
Two municipal workers died and another was seriously injured while attempting to remove a steel canopy above a methanol storage tank at the Bethune Point wastewater plant operated by the City of Daytona Beach. The workers were using a cutting torch that likely ignited methanol vapors from the tank and caused an explosion. The explosion led to the release of the total contents of the tank, approximately 3,000 gallons of methanol.

Investigation Status
The CSB’s final report, which recommended new workplace safety standards for Florida’s public employees, was issued at a news conference in Tallahassee on March 13, 2007.