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December 7, 2002 India Ship Explosion Injures 2
An explosion ripped through a ship in Bombay port on Saturday (12/07/2002),
killing at least two people and injuring eight, but police said they did not
think the blast was caused by a bomb. A local police official indicated that a
gas explosion was suspected, and that workers were engaged in cutting and
welding work on the cargo ship, Sharavati Baug, when some sparks may have
ignited a nearby gas tank.
Source: CSB CIRC
November 28, 2002 Italian Chemical Plant
Fire Injures Four
A fire broke out in a chemical plant in the industrial complex of Porto
Marghera, north-west of Venice, causing four injuries and sending a cloud of
smoke into the sky. Four workers were treated for toxic inhalation,
officials said. Their condition was not serious. The initial hypothesis is
that waste from a chlorination reactor caught fire, creating toluene
di-isocyanate.
November 27, 2002 Mexican Hydrotreater Explosion Injures 8
An explosion and fire in the hydrodesulfurization section of the refinery
injured at least eight people. According to one Pemex statement, the
incident began with the explosion of a transformer, though a later statement
attributed
the incident to "a sudden increase in pressure". A spokesman said that
although the explosion was very loud, the damage was slight and the plant
continued operating normally. About 200 people were evacuated from nearby
communities and a school.
November 27, 2002 French Worker Killed in Grain Silo
A worker was suffocated in a silo of maize grains while emptying the vessel.
The victim, who worked part-time while studying for a higher diploma, fell
into the grain while trying to help two of his colleagues who had been
trapped by the emptying grains. Two of the workers, wearing safety harnesses
and secured by ropes, were cleaning the internal walls of the silo to assist
the emptying, when they were dragged towards the bottom. The victim, who was
wearing a safety harness but without the rope attached, was completely
buried by the grains as he tried to help his colleagues. When the other two
workers were rescued by fire-fighters, one was buried to the chin, the other
to the armpits.
November 25, 2002 Moroccan Refinery Fire blamed on Flooding
Following heavy rains which flooded the town, fire broke out at Morocco's
biggest oil refinery. Official reports said that floodwaters caused waste
oil to be brought into contact with hot parts of the refinery, causing
explosions
and fire. The fire was quickly brought under control, but the refinery was
shut down as a precaution. First reports from the scene said there were no
casualties. However, a spokesman for the CDT union said that a second blaze
broke
out and several storage tanks reportedly caught fire and exploded. He said
at least two people died in the fire, at least three others were missing,
and damage had been extensive.
November 18, 2002 Chicago Asphalt Plant Leak Sickens 5, Closed by
Authorities
Hillside police ordered an asphalt plant closed after five people were
overcome by fumes. The same plant was suspected, but subsequently cleared by
the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, in an incident on November 13
in which 73 children and five adults took ill at two schools in neighboring
Bellwood.
November 13,2002 Sub, Vessel Hit during Surfacing in Mediterranean
The USS Oklahoma City, a Los Angeles-class nuclear-powered attack submarine,
bumped a surface vessel as it was rising to periscope depth near Gibraltar,
but it could not determine exactly what it hit. The unidentified vessel
turned out to be the Norman Lady, a liquid natural gas tanker owned by Leif
Hoegh & Co. of Oslo, Norway. Seawater leaked into the double bottom dry tank
area, but there was no oil leak. The US Navy said it had no explanation for
the accident and acknowledged that the sail of the Oklahoma City - the
vertical structure containing a periscope station - "came into brief
contact" with the hull of the Norwegian tanker. An investigation is under
way.
November 12, 2002 German Munitions Destruction Plant Explosion Kills 2
An explosion in a bunker at a privately-owned plant destroying munitions
killed two persons and left two missing. According to police, the extent of
the destruction was so great that the search is likely to be lengthy. The
earth-covered concrete bunker was completely destroyed by one or two
explosions, with debris and body parts scattered for up to 500 metres. The
plant was licensed to destroy both domestic and imported munitions. Two days
later it was announced that the public prosecutor's office has opened a case
against persons unknown, because of a suspicion of negligence. The company
confirmed that the workers were defusing bombs.
November 11, 2002 One Killed during Ammonia Loading in Malaysia
A Polish national died and a Malaysian was in serious condition after
inhaling ammonia gas which leaked while it was being loaded on to a ship.
The incident occurred when a transit pipe ruptured while 3,493 tons of
ammonia was
being transferred from a terminal owned by Malaysian state oil firm Petronas
to a storage unit on the jetty. The CEO of the Kertih Terminal Sdn Bhd (KTSB)
said the gas terminal jetty will not see any disruption to its operations or
delivery schedule.
November 10, 2002 Two Canadian Winemakers Killed
Two winemakers fell into a fermentation tank, were overcome by fumes and
then drowned. The 2,270-litre tank was three-quarters full at the time and
rescuers resorted to draining the tank and cutting off its top to retrieve
the men's bodies. It is thought that one man fell in through an opening at
the top and the other tumbled in as he tried to rescue him.
November 16, 2002 California Oil Field Fire Kills One
A man was killed in an explosion and fire that occurred at a development
well being drilled at Tapia Canyon heavy oil field in northern Los Angeles
County. A second man was severely burned across his face. The cause of the
accident is not yet determined, but a company spokesman said the driller had
"reached its target drilling depth of 1,285 ft. and was bringing the drill
string out of hole when the well blew out, apparently from a shallow gas
zone. The oil stayed in the hole. Dry gas and sand came up, but it was clean
sand, and there was no sulfur and no environmental damage."
November 17, 2002 Rebels Rupture Columbian Oil Pipeline
A rebel bomb attack ruptured the Cano Limon oil pipeline. The line was
repaired and pumping again two days later.
November 9, 2002 Oklahoma Oil Field Worker Killed, Static Blamed
A flash fire that killed an oil-field worker and destroyed drilling
equipment may have been started by static electricity. A spokesman for the
Oklahoma Corporation Commission said that while the fire is still under
investigation by the state fire marshal's office, preliminary reports
indicate the workers hit a pocket of natural gas while cleaning out an oil
well. The blaze happened after oil erupted from the rig in Comanche County
and covered at least one of three workers with oil. A spark ignited and
fatally burned one man who was working on a pipe with a crowbar. The
spokesman said: "Inspectors said the conditions were right for something
like this -- high wind and dry, warm temperatures. All it would take is a
little static electricity." The flash fire shot about 15m into the air and
flames then melted the drilling equipment.
November 5, 2002 Thirty Thai Homes Destroyed by Pesticide Fire
An illegal insecticide plant caught fire, destroying 30 nearby homes. Water
used to douse the flames was trapped in a sewer to prevent it from
contaminating public supplies. In addition to xylene, thought to have
started the fire, six other chemicals were identified: abamectin,
acetamiprid, cypermethrin, acetochlor, metalaxyl and glyphosate. They are
all used in insecticides and weed killers and are listed as hazardous type
III toxic substances. Permission is needed from the Department of
Agriculture to import, distribute and store them. The department has filed a
complaint against the owner of the suspected chemical plant, for illegal
possession of toxic substances. The evacuation followed fears of a repeat of
the 1991 disaster when a fire at a Klong Toey port warehouse sent chemical
smoke over the nearby Koh Lao community. Hundreds of people inhaled the
toxic smoke and scores died as a result over the next decade.
November 3, 2002 Two Killed during Tank Maintenance in Russia
Two workers are missing and presumed dead in a fire which broke out after an
explosion in an oil storage tank they were cleaning. According to a
spokesman for the Omsk region Emergency Situations Department, four men were
cleaning the empty oil storage tank at the Transsibneft oil company when a
mixture of fuel and air was accidentally ignited. The tank's roof collapsed,
trapping two workers inside the blazing tank. The other two were
hospitalized with burns.
November 1, 2002 Bulgarian Cooking Oil Plant Explosion Kills 4
An installation at a cooking oil factory exploded, killing at least four
workers and seriously injuring two others. The chief of the national fire
department told state radio that a gasoline leak at a sunflower oil
extraction machine caused the blast. Ten people were at the factory when the
explosion occurred.
October 16, 2002 Animal Causes French Chemical Leak
A pine marten which climbed into the electricity substation at the Rhodia
chemical plant caused a short-circuit in the 5.5kV supply, shutting the
plant down for half an hour and causing a release of nitrous/nitric oxide
gas. The plant produces nylon intermediates. The pine-marten did not
survive.
October 13, 2002 Mississippi Chemical Plant Explosion, Fire injures 2
An explosion injured two people and started a fire. The explosion occurred
in a process tower that was not being used. The Battalion Chief of the
Pascagoula Fire Department said the explosion sent metal flying that
subsequently gashed holes in a ground tank holding para-nitrotoluene. The
substance spilled from the tank and caught on fire.
October 10, 2002 Two Florida Utility Workers Killed by "Sewer Gas"
Two utility workers were killed when the underground hole they were working
in became flooded with "sewer gas". One worker was overcome while working in
the 10' deep utility access hole and fell into a 30" deep pool of water. His
supervisor, checking on why the worker was not answering, climbed down a
ladder and also was overcome by fumes. Fire department officials said they
did not see required safety equipment, including gas detection meters and
ventilation systems, at the scene.
October 10, 2002 Texas Chemical Plant Damaged by Crane
A crane damaged a piece of equipment in the plant's chlorine unit, causing a
pinhole leak. Plant operators shut down the unit to fix the leak and then
brought the unit back up, causing an overflow from a chlorine condensate
tank, which holds a mixture of chlorine and water. The overflow was
contained to the concrete area surrounding the tank, no soil or water was
contaminated in the incident, and no one was injured.
October 4, 2002, Japanese Chemical Tanker Sinks after Collision
A Japanese chemical tanker, the 411-ton Eiwa Maru, carrying 500 tons of
xylene, sank after colliding with a container ship, the 52,103-ton
Panamanian-registered Ever Reward. There were no indications of a major leak
after the tanker sank around seven hours after the collision. The Eiwa
Maru's crew of four escaped on a life raft and were picked up by a nearby
ship. They were taken to hospital with minor injuries. There was no damage
to the container ship, which continued on course to Shimizu harbour on the
Izu peninsula.
September 29, 2002 Romanian Thieves Suspected in Oil Pipeline Leak
More than 20 tons of crude oil spilled into a stream from a perforated
pipe, leaving a 1.3 mile long slick in a stream. Authorities believe the
spill was caused by gangs of oil thieves who roam the Romanian countryside
piercing oil pipelines and siphoning off the contents to sell. Employees at
Compet, the company which owns the pipeline, managed to stop the oil from
reaching the nearby river Teleorman. Authorities have advised local farmers
to move their cattle to graze on pastures away from the polluted area.
Compet was fined 225 million lei ($6,800) by local authorities for harming
the environment.
September 28, 2002 Nigerian oil Pipeline Explodes, Sabotage Suspected
An explosion at an oil pipeline owned by the Nigerian National Petroleum
Corporation (NNPC) killed several people and left many more injured. There
are reports that about 20 people were killed. A spokesman for the NNPC said
that
the company's pipeline at caught fire and burned through the weekend. He
alleged that the fire was caused when villagers breached the pipeline to
steal fuel. An Ogun State police spokesman confirmed the incident and said
the police have launched an investigation into the incident.
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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