A phenomenon of exceptional violence Between 20 and 120 tonnes of a stock containing more than 300 tonnes of ammonium nitrate refuse detonated in a fertiliser plant. The causes and circumstances surrounding the accident would give rise to several investigations[...]
Gases with hydrogen sulphide (H2S) contents killed 2 employees at a plant producing algae-based natural food additives. The insoluble fractions stemming from the extraction of gelling agents with no direct usability were being treated on a porous soil (composed of[...]
In a synthetic rubber plant, a valve broke on a 12.5 m³ tank half filled with butadiene; 5 m³ of the substance were released into the atmosphere. Production was halted and the internal emergency plan activated (under the scenario of[...]
At 10.40 pm, during a styrene/acrylonitrile copolymerisation reaction in a plastics manufacturing plant, the operator in the control room detected an abnormal temperature increase to 125 °C on one of the 75-m³ reactors. The visual display screen in the control[...]
A tank undergoing cleaning exploded after a 15-day production run. Along with a damaged drum dryer, the tank had been collecting washing water with an excess concentration of 2'-azobis (2 methylbutyronitrile) - AIVN (a by-product of hydrazine hydrate). In anticipating[...]
At 10:30 pm in a fine chemistry plant, a reactor underwent a pressure rise during chlorination of alcohol using thionyl chloride (SOCl2). This slightly exothermic reaction took place in a solvent medium (1,2 dichloroethane, or DCE) and under a slight[...]
An explosion and fire occurred at night inside a workshop dedicated to toluene di-amine (TDA) synthesis by means of hydrogenating dinitrotoluene (DNT) in the presence of Raney nickel; the workshop had been taken offline for scheduled maintenance. Internal fire-fighters had[...]
At a 40-ha chemical facility located on the outskirts of an urban area, the safety disc set at 1.5 bar on a 15.2-m3 reactor burst in a plant working with formo-phenolic resins used for glues applied to agglomerated material. The[...]
A reaction between cyanuric chloride and sulphanilic acid ran away inside a fine chemistry unit. Water, sulphanilic acid and cyanuric chloride were loaded into an 8,000-litre reactor. According to the new operating protocol, 1 tonne of ice was supposed to[...]
While transferring concentrated liquid waste inside a chemical plant, a tanker lorry driver died. He arrived at 9:30 am at the reception area and was joined in the transfer zone by the plant's safety engineer. The transfer from tank to 2[...]
