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December 17, 2002 Israeli Petrochem Fire
Not Terrorism
A major fire broke out at a petrochemical plant next to Haifa's oil refinery
complex. Witnesses said an explosion was heard just before the fire broke
out. Officials said that there was no evidence that the blast was caused by
terrorism, and that a technical fault had apparently led to the explosion.
The fire spread rapidly through the cardboard cartons and PVC sacks in which
the fertilizer, one of the company's main products, is stored. Two people
were injured by smoke inhalation in the fire, which broke out in a
fertilizer warehouse in the plant adjacent to the refinery complex. The
extent of damage has yet to be determined.
December 19, 2002 India Chemical Factory Kills 5
An explosion in a chemical factory, 90 km from Hyderabad, killed five
persons and injured four others. According to police, the explosion was
triggered by a chemical reaction inside a boiler and destroyed a portion of
a chemical plant which manufactures omofozole, a pharmaceutical raw material
used in production of anti-ulcer tablets. Police said the blast was the
result of a "mistake" by workers.
December 23, 2002 Four Tanzanians Killed in Confined Space
Four people died and a colleague was injured after inhaling poisonous gas
inside a septic tank. All the affected people were employees of the company.
TanPack employees said that the five workers entered the tank to clean it on
orders of the management. They allegedly inhaled poisonous gas from chemical
waste kept in the tank. The Dar es Salaam Regional Police Commander said the
deceased were casual labourers recruited by the company. He said two people,
who were foremen of the deceased, were being held and questioned by the
police in connection with the incident.
December 27, 2002 California Workers Injured in Well Fire
Two workers suffered serious burns when a flash fire erupted at an oil well
site. The fire was reported by a motorist who saw flames while on an
elevated freeway. A spokesman for the Los Angeles Fire Department said the
victims were "chilling natural gas with a manifold, which is part of the
well's normal operations, when a ball of flames engulfed them". The well is
disguised to resemble a bell tower.
January 1, 2003 Iranian Pipeline Leak Kills 7
Seven people were killed and 17 injured when a fire swept through a pipeline
from Ahvaz to Sush in southwestern Khuzestan province. Initial
investigations indicate that the incident was caused by petrol leaking in an
old pipeline. Several cars were set ablaze in the fire.
January 10, 2003 Three Canadians Killed in Confined Space Incident
Workers servicing a barge on the Fraser River waterfront were apparently
overcome by fumes or lack of oxygen in the hold that killed three people and
sickened three others. The problem was noticed at midmorning when workers
performing maintenance inside the barge failed to emerge for their break.
Another worker went down to look for them. When he did not return, another
followed. That worker managed to call 911 from inside the barge. Fire and
rescue crews arrived, but a fire-fighter who entered the barge was also
injured after falling several feet into the enclosed space.
January 13, 2003 Explosions Rock Texas Oil Field Facility
Explosions and a fire at an oil field waste storage killed two people and
burned five others, two critically. Two trucks exploded on a cleaning rack
inside a lean-to metal building. A witness said flames spread from the
vehicles to oil floating atop water in the area. A spokesman for Rosharon
volunteer fire-fighters said one truck's cab and engine compartment
apparently exploded, causing another truck about 5m away to explode. The
trucks were destroyed in the blast but the storage tanks were left intact.
Two badly burned employees of T&L Lease Services were flown to hospital in
Houston in critical condition. On January 16, the United States Chemical
Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) announced that investigators
were focusing their attention on interviewing the truck drivers, both of
whom survived the accident, as well as plant employees and managers.
According to the CSB: "We are operating right now on the possibility that a
flammable cloud formed over the two tank trucks shortly after their arrival
at the site, causing [a] flash fire of the vapor."
January 13, 2003 French Pool Chlorine Leak Sickens 15
Fifteen persons, including 12 children, were affected by chlorine fumes at a
municipal swimming pool. Most were treated on site, but an unknown number
were taken to hospital in Bordeaux. The cause of the leak is not yet known.
January 26, 2003 Sabotage Blamed in Pakistani Pipeline Blast
Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Ltd. said its main natural gas pipeline was
bombed for a second time in a week, halving supply to factories and
businesses in Islamabad and the surrounding region. The latest blast was
about 900m from that which occurred on January 21. Local tribesmen were
responsible, the company said. According to the Sui Northern Gas Managing
Director: "Somebody attached two bombs, possibly time-bombs, after digging a
hole to reach the pipeline." The blast occurred four hours after the company
had completed repairs from the first blast and resumed normal supply. He
said it was hoped to restart the pipeline within 36 hours.
January 29, 2003 California Refinery Spill Contained without Major
Impacts
250,000 gallons of oil spilled from a holding tank at the Valero refinery.
The leak was confined to the tank area by a protective earthen berm and none
of the crude leaked into waterways, environmentally sensitive areas or
caused air pollution. Most of the spilled oil was recovered, will be
filtered for contaminants and recycled for refining. The leak occurred while
a contractor's crew was working on routine maintenance of an agitator that
prevents the crude from solidifying in the tank. The crew had disconnected
the external part of the shaft for greasing and replacement of bearings when
the seal system failed, allowing crude to escape through the 62mm (2.5 inch)
shaft hole. Two of the workers were sprayed by the crude, but were treated
by Valero medical technicians. No other injuries were reported.
February 2, 2003 California Tanker Explodes, Leads to Evacuation
A propane tanker truck explosion burned several cars, damaged two nearby
buildings and sent a plume of flames and smoke shooting into the air,
causing the evacuation of hundreds of people. Authorities closed the
surrounding streets and recommended that about 500 people evacuate their
homes. No one was injured. Authorities said the explosion occurred as the
tanker truck turned around in an industrial area just south of Chico. The
cause of the blast was unknown, although the truck driver said that he saw
liquid coming from the vehicle, so he started to run away. Some reports said
that the driver was attempting to turn the truck around when it tipped over,
jackknifed and caught fire.
February 5, 2003 Chemical Reaction Blamed in Maryland Chemical Release
Several employees of a bleach-manufacturing plant were treated for breathing
difficulties at four area hospitals after coming into contact with fumes
from an unidentified type of fertilizer. Three employees were loading bleach
into a trailer behind the plant when they began having difficulty breathing.
The fumes came from fertilizer remaining in the trailer from a previous
shipment. Six other employees who went to help their three colleagues also
were affected by the fumes.
Sources and Disclaimer:
AcuSafe's Incident News Summary is primarily compiled from news wires, online
sources, and from information shared on the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board Chemical Incident Reports Center.
All sources are in the public domain. An effort has been made to summarize stories only from reputable sources, but neither AcuSafe nor AcuTech Consulting can guarantee the accuracy of the story, nor do they necessarily reflect the views of AcuTech, AcuSafe, and its staff.
All information accessed in this report is public domain information. We make no effort to independently corroborate the accuracy of the incident news stories.
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