A 660-litre hydrogen peroxide container under excessive pressure cracked and leaked in the water treatment facility of a food processing plant.
Around 2:40 am, while making his rounds, the watchman saw a used, warped container and notified the foreman. A safety perimeter was set up and fire-fighters were called to the scene. Upon their arrival, they installed a water hose to cool the container and then opened it from the top, since the vent failed to relieve the pressure surge. The container was set onto an outdoor retention basin. The product was diluted with water and then transferred into an intact container. First responders left the site at about 6 am.
The heat wave had been raging for 3 days, and the container had remained in the sun causing the peroxide to heat and decompose. This older peroxide container, originating from a plant production line had arrived at 4 pm the day before for on-site treatment but had not been drained that day. This oversight was compounded by: the absence of storage adapted to the treatment plant, non-compliance with the designated storage locations, and forklift operators’ inadequate knowledge of product specificities. The container was not to be filled beyond 2/3 of its capacity, i.e. 440 litres, but in reality it had contained 660 litres of peroxide. Moreover, no temperature control had been performed.
Following this incident, the plant operator extended the procedure to include container drainage, with distribution to all plant personnel. A product management procedure and container control checklist were made available. All containers were inspected to ensure their good working order. As the vent failed to discharge the pressure surge, the operator scheduled a vent inspection and dimension verification; vent control was added to the checklist. A peroxide inhibitor was also sought. The operator equipped the treatment plant with appropriate storage (cabinet) for this type of container and reassessed where to place the storage. The new premises housed devices for controlling the container filling level (e.g. gauges). Other incidents involving hydrogen peroxide had previously occurred at the site (ARIA 33228, 35145, 36582).
