Around 7 am at a centre dedicated to the collection, transport and treatment of wastes, the plug on a 1,000-litre capacity nitric acid tank was expelled due to the effect of a pressure rise inside the tank (self-reaction of the acid / presence of incompatible impurities?). A gaseous release occurred, yet the 400 litres of product remained confined within the tank. Employees evacuated the site. This incident did not present any risk of pollution or consequences on the firm’s activity. Fire-fighters were called to the scene as a precautionary measure. The temperature of the acid in the tank was 72°C, with the product being divided into two separate volumes in order to accelerate its cooling. The operator provided for fire protection, security measures tied to the chemical risk and ventilation of the premises. After cooling, the product was transferred and stored in a depot with automated monitoring, before being eliminated as part of the centre’s normal operations.

The operator commissioned an analysis of the targeted waste by a specialised body in order to determine the cause of this incident. While awaiting results, the operator suspended its activities of nitric acid repackaging / combination, in addition to halting the combination of acids and bases of uncertain types (originating from dumpsites) and strengthening its waste acceptance procedures (reception, sampling, data archival, etc.). The operator was also given 3 months to update the site’s safety report and verify the suitability of transit platform protection resources with respect to the current activity.