The accident occurred in a refinery while work was being performed during a production shutdown in a vacuum distillation unit, 3 contractors were sprayed by hot liquid and a product leak was detected.

The workers, working for a subcontracting company, were originally scheduled to work on 2 pieces of equipment: repair of exchanger 602, shutdown since March 2002, on which the rammer had been removed, as well as repair of a water leak on exchanger 581, to rework a seal. On 11/25 at around 2 pm, the team was informed that the sleeve of the 602 had been dismantled. The workers climbed up the scaffolding and dismantled part of the equipment from the exchanger when the hot oil leak occurred: the 3 individuals on the scaffolding were sprayed with the product (200°C), receiving second degree burns.

Loss of containment was detected on the column corresponding to exchanger 581. There was in fact confusion as to the origin of the accident: the individuals had worked on the other exchanger that was still in operation on which a minor operation was to be performed. To them, the equipment did not appear to be abnormally hot.

Following the accident, the operator planned the following action: contractors offered better information prior to operations, improvement of zone preparation (clear indication of the equipment involved, accompaniment on the site, systematically perform risk analysis prior to operations). The operator also proposes to explain the operation of the safety showers, the operation of which had not been immediate.