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October 10, 2001 Hydrofluoric Acid Leak Injures Worker
A Pennsylvania man was disassembling a piece of equipment when hydrogen fluoride leaked from the device. The acid is a raw material used in producing fluorine gas and
is corrosive upon contact until it is neutralized. The operator was treated at the scene with a cream used to neutralize the acid. The incident occurred at
a plant which employs 360 people, operating seven days a week and producing gases used by the electronics and semiconductor industries.
Source: CSB CIRC
October 4, 2001 Fire Erupts at central California Oil Field
A fire in an oil field northwest of Bakersfield sent flames soaring 50 feet into the air Thursday but caused no injuries or damage to structures, firefighters said. The blaze, apparently touched off by a gas leak, began at a well about 30 miles northwest of Bakersfield, said
a company spokesman. Flames 30 feet wide and 50 feet high spewed from the well, sparking small grass fires in the rural area but there were no structures nearby,
said firefighters, who added that it could be a few days before the oil-fire experts arrive.
The fire appeared to be sparked by a natural gas leak. Source:
CSB CIRC
October 4, 2001 Vandals Pierce Trans-Alaska Pipeline, cause major leak
A bullet pierced the trans-Alaska oil pipeline, causing a major leak and temporarily shutting down operations of the North Slope oil production. Cleanup crews were kept away for several hours as police searched the area for a suspect who was later arrested. It is the first time a bullet has pierced the pipeline, but not the first time the line has been the target of vandals. The 48-inch pipe is protected by an outer layer of galvanized steel and nearly 100 mm of insulation. The steel wall of the pipe is about 12 mm thick. An act of sabotage on the pipeline in 1978 resulted in a spill of 16,000 barrels of oil. A hole was blasted in the line with explosives at Steele Creek, near Fairbanks. No one was ever arrested in connection with that attack. A Canadian man was charged two years ago with plotting to blow up the pipeline as part of an effort to drive up oil prices and reap a profit.
October 3, 2001 Morro Bay, California Evacuated by Ammonia Leak
Most of this picturesque tourist town was evacuated Thursday as emergency crews cleaned up a 300-gallon chemical leak from a decades-old refrigeration unit. Roughly 1,500 residents, students, workers and tourists in Morro Bay's Embarcadero district were evacuated at 7 a.m. to clean up the anhydrous ammonia spill at an old fish processing plant that was being remodeled, San Luis Obispo County Fire Department Battalion Chief Kevin Olson said. No one was hurt by the spill, which occurred when some heavy equipment punctured the refrigeration unit at about 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, Olson said. Hazardous material crews stabilized the leak until Thursday to avoid overnight evacuations, he added. Anhydrous ammonia is a cold liquid that causes deep burns and quickly releases caustic fumes that are easily inhaled. The spill closed classes at an elementary school near the spill and a high school that was being used as temporary shelter for evacuees, Olson
said. Source: CSB CIRC
October 2, 2001 Kiwi Town Evacuated after Ag. Chemical Release
Families at Hawke's Bay, New Zealand were allowed to return homes after some 20 people reported becoming ill from a chemical spray used at a nearby orchard. About 25 homes were evacuated. More than 20 people, including firefighters and an ambulance officer, had to be taken to a hospital after breathing the fumes.
The community was evacuated again for the second time, after a chemical commonly used as tear gas "leaked out of the soil". A nearby orchard had injected the chemical into the soil of an
empty paddock in preparation for planting apple trees, but fog and still air stopped fumes from
dispersing.
Source: CSB CIRC
September 29, 2001 Canadian Paper Mill Release Causes Evacuation
A Vancouver area paper mill accidentally released about 14 lbs. of chlorine dioxide, leading to the evacuation of nearly 50
employees. Following a similar release that sent more than 50 children to the hospital, company officials pledged to improve communication with the community. Mill officials did notify the Washington Department of Ecology and contacted the Camas Police Department to provide traffic control. According to officials, the release resulted from a malfunction of equipment in the mill's K-4 bleach plant.
September 27, 2001 Russian/Urkanian Freighters Collide, Leak Crude
An undetermined amount of oil was spilled after a bulk carrier, the Volga-Balt
Linia, collided with a tanker, the Volga-Neft-138, which was carrying 4,300 tons of crude oil. No one was injured.
September 27, 2001 Nigerian Youths Seize Shell Pumping Station
About 200 militant youths seized the Olomoro oil pumping station and attempted to shut it down, causing an explosion and fire. Royal Dutch/Shell stopped crude oil exports of 27,000 barrels per day in consequence. The fire was extinguished and some oil was spilled. A Shell security worker was injured during the invasion, and police arrested some of the protesters. Shell later said that the facility was almost completely destroyed and will need 18 months to repair at a cost of $25 million. Shell said the attack has wiped off 40,000 barrels per day of its production.
September 25, 2001 Pennsylvania Dynamite Plant Explodes, killing 1
One person was killed and three others injured after an explosion at a
Pennsylvania plant that makes dynamite and fireworks. The initial blast was followed by a series of secondary explosions and fires. Roughly 200 residents within a
one mile radius were evacuated after fears that about 10,000 lb. of black powder stored at the site could
explode.
September 25, 2001 Sleeping Driver Blamed for Illinois Gasoline Leak
Over 500 gallons of gasoline spilled into
the town of Fairfield, Illinois' sewer system from a filling station. Residents reported strong
odors but the filling station's owners did not report the spill until nearly 37 hours had elapsed. A Fairfield police officer was told the driver of the fuel tanker apparently fell asleep while filling the station's underground tanks, causing the spill. No evacuations were ordered as a result of the spill.
September 24, 2001 Safety Shutdown System Jeopardized at Taiwan Nuclear
Plant
The backup for the shutdown system at the Taiwan Power Co's Second Nuclear Power Plant was disabled after workers accidentally drained off six
tons of boric acid vital to the system's operation. The disabled system is designed to flood the reactor with boric acid
that would shut down the reactor if a conventional shutdown fails. According to
Taipower, there was not a substantial risk because the No. 1 unit was off-line for maintenance at the time. According to an executive, workers opened and closed a valve during maintenance operations, but the seal did not maintain its integrity after the maintenance was completed. Subsequently, six
tons of boric acid leaked out of a storage tank and into a water holding pond at the plant.
September 24, 2001 Alabama Mine Blast Kills 13
Thirteen people were killed and three injured, after an explosion in a deep coal mine. The explosion was caused by a cave-in yesterday during maintenance operations. The falling rock struck electrical equipment, creating sparks that ignited methane gas.
Thirty two workers were in the mine at the time of the accident. Ten of those killed were rescue workers who died in a second explosion 45 minutes after the first. The mine is the deepest vertical shaft coal mine in North America, at 670.5
meters deep. The mine, which opened in 1978, produces low-sulfur coal that is burned in power plants and in metallurgical operations. The No. 5 Mine was also the site of a blast in 1993 in which four workers were seriously burned. It was closed in 1995 after "hot spots," or areas of spontaneous heating, were found in part of the mine. Families of the victims accused the coal company of ignoring repeated warnings that the mine had dangerously high levels of methane gas. Miners said there had been several recent "ignitions" in the mine, in which methane gas quickly flared and went out. A former supervisor said the company ignored workers' fears about methane during the time he worked there.
September 21, 2001 Two Injured in Louisiana Refinery Fire
A fire that injured two workers at a Louisiana Refinery was extinguished Saturday after burning for more than 18 hours. An explosion started the fire about 8:30 p.m. Friday. The blast was probably the result of a leak in a unit where turbine fuel is produced, a
refinery spokesman said Friday night.
The blaze did no damage outside the refinery's property, officials said. "The biggest concern that everyone had Friday night initially was if this was some kind of terrorist act," said Dick Gremillion, director of the Calcasieu Parish Office of Emergency Preparedness. "It's important to reassure to everyone that this wasn't related" to terrorism.
Source: CSB CIRC
September 20, 2001 Five Workers Die in Soap Plant Accident
Five workers at a soap factory were killed when they fell into a grease vat in
the town of Kazan, Russia. The five men were conducting a technical check-up and neglected safety regulations.
September 20, 2001 Chinese Tanker Sinks Near
Fujian, China
Off Xiamen city in Fujian province. Yunhong, a tanker carrying 8,600 tons of diesel oil sank after colliding with a Greek-registered container ship Edinburgh. The Yunhong's engines failed and the vessel's below-deck chambers began to fill with water, forcing the crew to abandon ship. All 23 crew members on the Chinese-registered tanker were rescued. The container ship anchored safely, and no oil spillage has been detected.
September 18, 2001 Multiple Chinese Fireworks Explosions Kill 20
Twenty people were killed when illegally
produced fireworks went off in two separate explosions near the central Chinese
city of Wuhan, local officials and state media said. Three died in the first
explosion, which erupted at noon Tuesday at an illegal fireworks plant inside an
abandoned primary school in the Huangpi area north of Wuhan, the Xinhua news
agency reported. Local police and officials decided to launch an immediate
crackdown on illegal fireworks producers, and fanned out across the Huangpi area
the same day. The second blast occurred shortly before midnight, when more than
20 officials combed through Liji township in search of illegal explosives. While
the officers were entering the home of a resident identified as Liu Xiaowang,
illegal fireworks stored inside the building exploded, killing 17 people. Among
those killed in the blast was a Liji township vice director, a local official
told AFP by telephone. "The entire area near Liu Xiaowang's home has now
been sealed off by armed police," the official said. The explosion was so
powerful that a tractor and a truck parked outside the building were destroyed,
the official said. He said that Liu had not been killed in the explosion, and
was still at large. Fireworks manufacturing is an important cottage industry in
many parts of China, and lax safety precautions have led to several large
accidents in recent years. Source: CSB CIRC
September 17, 2001 Five Workers Injured in NevadaGas Explosion &
Fire
Five workers were seriously burned in a fire and a series of explosions at a
Minden, Nevada plant which recycles used aerosol containers. The explosions
blew the roof from a two-story building. A witness said that when he reached
the scene the victims, who were all men who barely spoke English, were
already outside of the building. Fire investigators said the explosions and
fire were accidental but that they have not yet determined the cause.
Aerosol propellant vapors containing butane and propane were the fuels that
ignited, but the ignition source is still unknown. The agency is looking
into whether the Spanish-speaking workers were given safety instructions in
their native language as required by law. Fire investigators said that
safety clothing and equipment were found at the scene but they were
uncertain whether they had been in use before the explosions. The company is
exempt from hazardous materials inspections because the materials stored
on-site are in the same category as household waste. More recently,
investigators revealed that several possible sources of the ignition a been
ruled out, including cigarette smoking and a ventilation fan, but three
possibilities remain -- a forklift, a compact disc player and static
electricity. All the men had protective equipment available to them,
including masks, but were apparently not wearing them.
September 17, 2001 Evacuations Ordered After Scrap Metal Plant
Fire
A fire destroyed a Massachusetts scrap metal processing plant and forced the
evacuation of an elementary school and dozens of homes. The fire, apparently
ignited when a forklift caused a spark, started in a pile of titanium
shavings and quickly spread to other piles of titanium stored in bins.
Firefighters used water-based foam which intensified the blaze since burning
titanium reacts with water. All 30 employees escaped safely and no injuries
were reported.
September 16, 2001 Chinese Mine Explosion Kills 9
Yangshi township, near Lianyuan city,
Hunan province. Nine miners at an illegal coal mine missing and presumed
dead after an explosion. An official at the Lianyuan Coalmining Bureau said
conditions at the mine were hampering rescue efforts.
Sources and Disclaimer:
AcuSafe's Incident News Summary is primarily compiled from Reuters and AP news wires, and from information shared on the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board Chemical Incident Reports Center. 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. We make no effort to independently corroborate the accuracy of the incident news stories.
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