Explosion of a thermal power plant
An explosion occurred at 1:30 am inside an urban heating plant (500 MW, 6,000 m² floor area), with the energy dissipated into the ground estimated at the equivalent of a 50 kg charge of TNT. Operational since 1987, this heating[...]
Release of nitrous vapors from a food processing plant
Inside a pectin extraction unit at a food processing plant, 102 m³ of nitrous vapours were discharged into the atmosphere during 1 or 2 min, following bursting of the rupture disc on a reactor. Fire-fighters were called to the scene,[...]
Unloading accident at an oil depot
Fire followed by explosion struck a (32-m³) road tanker during a transfer operation at a depot storing home heating oil and diesel (3 underground 30-m³ tanks, 3 aboveground 70-m³ tanks) subsequent to a fuel oil leak at the transfer hose[...]
Exothermic runaway reaction
An exothermic runaway reaction triggered an explosion and subsequent fire in a workshop at a pharmaceutical plant during a reduction step carried out inside a reactor inerted with nitrogen; this reduction was being performed in an anhydrous environment on an[...]
Warehouse flood
An 11,000 m2 warehouse storing crop protection products, stuffed toys and life jackets was flooded following a heavy downpour. The operator prepared, repackaged and palletised the stored products. The site is located on the foot of a hill and is[...]
Explosion in a zinc refining unit
An explosion occurred around 12:30 pm on a cadmium vaporization column inside a unit devoted to refining zinc by means of fractional distillation. A cloud of zinc vapour and zinc oxide powder (?), combining to form an opaque white fog,[...]
Transfer of chemical effluents from a tank to a road tank
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[...]
Detonation and self-propulsion in an explosives storage
A series of explosions occurred on a Sunday afternoon inside a pyrotechnic facility, when only the guardian was onsite. He sounded the alarm. The fire would have been ignited in warehouse D22 by the fall (most likely caused by rodents,[...]
HCl vapor emission
A release of hydrochloric acid vapours occurred during cleaning of a 50-m³ tank that had contained sulphur chloride. The water introduced by site technicians reacted with the sludge at the tank bottom (approx. 30-mm thick), composed for 50% of sulphur[...]
