CSB - BP America Refinery Explosion, 23 March 2005

At approximately 1:20 p.m. on March 23, 2005, a series of explosions occurred at the BP Texas City refinery during the restarting of a hydrocarbon isomerization unit. Fifteen workers were killed and 180 others were injured. Many of the victims were in or around work trailers located near an atmospheric vent stack. The explosions occurred when a distillation tower flooded with hydrocarbons and was overpressurized, causing a geyser-like release from the vent stack.

Significance score:

Clarity:

Lesson over: - aanwezigheid van mensen nabij installaties in (tijdelijke) porto-cabins - risico van open vent systement

Target Group(s):

  • HSE managers
  • Educators
  • Operations managers
  • Site managers
  • Supervisors

Risk Theme:

  • Monitoring and Learning - Learning from Incidents
Category Publisher Maker Language

Incident onderzoek

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U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB)

English