USA, FIRE, EXPLOSION ROCK INDUSTRIAL GAS PLANT

St. Louis - (KSDK), Explosions estimated as high as 100 feet have been ripping through the Praxair Company site at 2210 Chouteau and south St. Louis Friday afternoon. Flames continue to burn as fire crews work to contain the explosions. Reporters in the area can hear explosions every 5-10 seconds. The company is located near Jefferson & Chouteau. The main fire seems to cover an area the size of a block. Chopper 5's Bill Houska reports seeing tanks fly through the air as fireballs jump several hundred feet into the air. Also, the flames and explosions have started fires across the street.

Several businesses and homes in the area are being evacuated. So far, we do not know if there are any injuries in the fire. Ambulances have been seen leaving the area with their sirens on. The St. Louis Cardinals delayed the start of tonight's game, scheduled for 7:10, to at least 7:40. Witnesses who have been evacuated say they felt several booms, one saying it was "like an earthquake." They also report burning shrapnel raining down from the fire and explosions. One witness said he saw a burning canister fly more than a half-block.

The fire is also being complicated by the heat, and traffic on Highway 40 is slowing as people see the smoke. Eastbound 40 has been closed at Kingshighway. A spokesperson for Praxair, says all of the employees have been accounted for and evacuated. The company does not know what started the fire and explosions. It is a "package gases" or "cylinder gases" plant. The plant puts gases into cylinders and package them for companies. There are 70 employees who work at the Praxair plant in St. Louis.

Acetylene is one of the gases that is known to be at the plant. Praxair's primary products are atmospheric gases - oxygen, nitrogen, argon and rare gases (produced when air is compressed, cooled, distilled and condensed) and process and speciality gases - carbon dioxide, helium, hydrogen, semiconductor products and acetylene (produced as by -products of chemical production or recovered from gas.)

INDIA, AHMEDABAD, JUNE 18 2005. 2 LABOURERS DIE AFTER FALLING INTO TANK

Two labourers died on Saturday after they fell into a 10-feet deep tank containing chemical-laden water in Chandola area. While one died after he drowned in the tank which he was cleaning, the other died in his attempt to save the first victim. According to an eyewitness who is an employee of J. D. Wash company.

The incident took place around 11:00 am. One labourer was cleaning the tank by using a bucket from the top of the tank. He had climbed to the top on a ladder attached to it. While cleaning the tank, the victim somehow slipped and fell into the tank. The other four labourers who were helping him shouted for help. Soon the other victim who had got the other five labourers to clean the tank, rushed to help the victim, but he himself drowned in the tank. It was not before seven minutes that both of them were pulled out by other workers. They were rushed to V S Hospital. While the first victim died on the way, the second died near the hospital gate. They were declared brought dead at the casualty ward of V S Hospital. The bodies were then sent to Civil Hospital for post mortem.

J.D.Wash is a newly set up company that washes the freshly manufactured denim, dry cleans it and then sends it back to the market. The tank in which the labourers drowned collects chemical-laden water released from six huge washing machines. The workers present at the spot claimed that the tank was regularly cleaned at a gap of every 10 or 15 days and that they even had got the clearance from Gujarat Pollution Control Board. ‘‘GPCB officials regularly inspect it but they had never found any flaw in it,’’ said a worker.

The company owner who had taken the victims to the hospital could not be contacted. Every effort has been undertaken to ensure the accuracy of the following information however it is not intended to be comprehensive or torender advice. Referred Website’s may be current at the time of release but may become inaccessible. According to workers, every time the tank is cleaned it was the first victim who would get labourers for the job. He used to get different people every time. Danilimda police registered a case of accidental death. ‘‘If any flaw is found out after preliminary investigation tomorrow, an FIR will be registered against the culprit. No safety measures were adhered to by the labourers while cleaning the tank,’’ the police said.

USA, S.C, MYRTLE BEACH, JUNE 18 2005. INDOOR POOL SHUTTERED AFTER CHEMICAL LEAK - HYPOCHLORIC ACID AT NMB RESORT SENDS FIVE TO HOSPITAL

A chemical leak at the Bay Watch Resort in North Myrtle Beach forced emergency officials from Horry County and North Myrtle Beach to close an indoor pool on the property early Friday while they cleaned up a potentially deadly pool chemical.

A resort maintenance worker, two North Myrtle Beach firefighters and two Horry County Fire Rescue officials were treated at area hospitals for exposure to the chemical, but none was seriously injured, said a Horry County Fire Rescue spokesman. No guests at Bay Watch were evacuated. The pool area was closed as a precaution. the Fire Rescue spokesman said the incident was reported just before 7 a.m. Friday and within about 20 minutes Horry County Fire Rescue's hazardous materials team was on scene to clean up about 15 gallons of hypochloric acid that leaked from an on-site storage container.

Hypochloric acid is a corrosive chemical that emits potentially toxic fumes. It is used to clean commercial swimming pools. The resort motel maintenance worker was the first to discover the leak and reported it to authorities, the Fire Resue spokesman said. He said the man was taken to a hospital because he was having trouble breathing. He was listed in stable condition Friday afternoon, the spokesman said. The four other emergency workers went to Grand Strand Regional Medical Center for observation, but they were not hospitalized, the spokesman said. They sought medical attention because of their exposure to the resort worker.

CHINA, HUNAN, LENGSHUIJIANG CITY, JUNE 18 2005. VITRIOL LEAK IN HUNAN

Chinese firefighters spray water at a leaked vitriol tank in Lengshuijiang City, Central China's Hunan Province June 17, 2005. The truck carrying the tank lost control due to a mechanical glitch and collided with roadside cliff, causing a vitriol leak. A vitriol fog can be seen after a truck carrying a vitriol tank lost control due to a mechanical glitch and collided with roadside cliff, causing a vitriol leak. No death or injuries were reported.

USA, IOWA, SHEFFIELD, JUNE 19 2005. AMMONIA LEAK SENDS TWO FIREFIGHTERS TO HOSPITAL, CAUSES ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGE

An anhydrous ammonia tank unhooked from a tractor late Thursday evening closing U.S. Highway 65 for two hours and sending two Sheffield firefighters to the hospital with minor injuries. Despite the protective gear they wore, the firefighters were injured as they shut off valves to stop the vaporous flow of anhydrous from a 1,000-gallon anhydrous tank, according to the Department of Natural Resources.

Doctors in Mason City treated the firefighters for chemical burns and then released them from the hospital. According to a DNR news release: The tank became detached and began to vent as a farmer of rural Sheffield was applying the fertilizer to his fields.

The accident happened near a low spot in the road about one and one-half miles north of the Chapin intersection with the highway. While local authorities blocked traffic, much of the 850 gallons of anhydrous in the tank vented to the atmosphere. The vapor cloud hung in low areas and possibly affected nearby cattle, which showed signs of exposure such as foaming from the nose and mouth, and some bleeding.

Although no liquid ammonia entered a small, nearby stream, the hovering vapor cloud hung over the creek for several hours and released enough ammonia to enter the water and kill fish. "The ammonia cloud had a dramatic effect on vegetation that it touched, turning grass black, killing corn and causing leaves to wither on trees," said a spokesman of the DNR Mason City field office. The spokesman documented somewhat elevated ammonia levels in the stream on Thursday night, but did not find dead fish until Friday morning. He found dead minnows along four miles of stream, but said that ammonia levels immediately dropped where the stream flowed into the West Fork of the Cedar River. "The ammonia did not appear to be stressing fish after it was diluted by the river," he said. The DNR fisheries staff will conduct a fish kill count on Saturday. Depending on the results of the investigation, the DNR may ask for fish restitution.

RUSSIA, MOSCOW, JUNE 19 2005. CLEANUP AFTER RUSSIAN TANKER TRAIN SPILL CONTINUES AS REGION MULLS COURT ACTION

A total of 126 tons of fuel oil have been recovered from the soil and water of the rivers Gostizha, Vazuza and Volga following the derailment of a tanker train in Tver Region, the ITAR-TASS news agency reported Sunday. Emergencies Ministry helicopters have treated an area of 2 square kilometers with 89 tons of special bio-products, the agency reported, adding that 427 people, three engineering trains and three Mi-8 helicopters were taking part in the cleanup.

Of the 126 tons of liquid petroleum products collected, 90 tons have been pumped out of a ditch running alongside the track at the accident scene, according to Interfax news agency. The agency was quoting Emergencies Ministry spokesman. Oil slicks have practically disappeared from the River Vazuza following chemical treatment, he reported. “We have just flown over the banks of the River Vazuza by helicopter, and there are practically no fuel oil patches there,” the agency quoted the head of the Emergencies Ministry’s central regional headquarters, Pavel Plat, as saying. The cleanup headquarters has issued an appeal for local volunteers because of a “shortage of helpers”. “We have a great need of people with shovels, rakes and other tools capable of helping to eliminate the consequences of the accident,” the agency quoted an unnamed source in the HQ as saying.

Meanwhile, the Tver Reion’s administration said Sunday it planned a legal action against JSC Russian Railways. 24 railway tankers carrying fuel oil ran off the tracks in the Tver region, northwest of Moscow, last Wednesday. The train derailed at 8:05 p.m. on Wednesday near Rzhe. Environmentalists voiced concern over the situation in the area as the place where the train derailed is just 150 meters away from the banksof the river Vazuza that flows into the Volga river.

INDIA, KERALA, KOCHI, JUNE 20 2005. PETROCHEMICAL STORAGE TANK COLLAPSES: ONE DEAD, 2 INJURED

A native of Indira Nagar region in Gaikav village in Maharashtra and worker of BR Petrochem Private Ltd, died and two other workers were injured in a freak accident at Vathuruthy in Willingdon Island when one of the company’s gigantic tanks, built to store petrochemicals, collapsed during a water test. The first victime who was washed away, was smashed against a nearby tree. The gushing water also damaged an iron fencing.

Testing on the 10 tanks, each having a capacity of 15,000 kilolitres, has been going on for the last few days at the Cochin Port Trust-owned land which has been leased out to BR Petrochem. Two of them were being tested on Saturday night when a leak was noticed in one tank around 1.30 p.m. It collapsed at 4.30 a.m. flooding the area.

Though workers sleeping in the nearby shed were evacuated, the first victim, who ran to collect his dress, fell into the gushing water and was smashed against a tree. The fence pierced his throat, killing him.

Petitions are pending in the High Court against the CPT not following security norms while sanctioning the installation of the tanks which, once erected, would store highly flammable liquids.

The Cochin Port Trust had allowed 200 such tanks in West Kochi. Work on 38 tanks has been completed. BR Petrochem Private Ltd owns 10 tanks while the rest belong to KonganSystems Private Ltd.

AUSTRALIA, TASMANIA, JUNE 20 2005. SECURITY-SENSITIVE DANGEROUS SUBSTANCES LEGISLATION IN THE PIPELINE

The Tasmanian Parliament is currently debating the Security-sensitive Dangerous Substances Bill 2005 which was introduced on 14 June 2005. The Bill introduces a permit system for individuals intending to buy, sell, manufacture, store or use security-sensitive dangerous substances (defined as "restricted activities" in the Bill).

Security sensitive dangerous substances are those considered a threat to state security or public safety and are listed in Schedule 1 of the Bill. At the moment, only ammonium nitrate is listed. When applying for a permit, applicants must specify the activity that they undertaking, have a security plan in place, nominate "responsible workers" and be subject to background checks.

The Bill requires that permit holders be "fit and proper" individuals and permits will only be issued once a police clearance has been obtained. "Responsible workers" will be issued with identity cards, which must be produced when requested by an authorised officer. Permit holders have to report any loss or theft of any security-sensitive substance. This can be done orally or in writing. If done orally, they will have to given written confirmation of the oral notification within seven days. Permits can be granted for a one or three year period and can be conditional. It will be an offence to carry out a restricted activity without a permit and fines can be as high as 1,000 penalty units for corporations or 500 penalty units for individuals. Individuals can also face jailterms of up to 12 months.

USA, GA, ARCADE, JANUARY 20 2005. WORKER MOURNED AFTER FATAL BLAST - FIERY EXPLOSION PROMPTED EVACUATIONS

Jackson County law enforcement authorities said Monday that they suspect human error was the cause of a late night explosion that left a plant worker dead and prompted evacuations of nearby residents. The victim died at the scene after a series of explosions rocked Joe Sikes Oil Storage in downtown Arcade, located in northeast Georgia, shortly after 10 p.m. Sunday. The blast at the plant, located on Ga. 129, known as the Athens Highway, prompted authorities close all lanes of the road for about two hours and to evacuate some nearby residents.

Firefighters battled the blaze for at least 90 minutes before it was brought under control. The firm recycles used oil and has been operating for at least 13 years despite concerns by neighbors, who have accused the plant of being an environmental hazard. Firefighters said an oil truck apparently ignited while the victim was loading the vehicle, which was parked in a side yard. At least three other vehicles were destroyed by flames after burning oil helped spread the fire.

The official cause of the blast remained under investigation Monday. However, those who knew the victim said he was known to smoke cigarettes while performing his job. "I believe it's going to be (blamed on) human error," said chief of police for Arcade. The owner of the facility, said he collapsed from grief when he saw the body of his employee. "It's a real tragedy," the owner said, adding that insurance would cover his damages. Nearby residents said they were startled by the sound of the blasts. "We just heard a big boom," said witness whose father works at the facility."We heard it like three times." The victim is survived by a wife and three stepchildren.

CHINA, HONGYA COUNTY, EMEI, JUNE 20 2005. CHEMICAL PLANT BLAST LEAVES THREE KILLED, TWO MISSING IN SW CHINA

A chemical plant explosion left three workers killed, two missing and eight injured in Hongya County in Emei, a city in southwest China's Sichuan Province Monday. The plant, Hongya Qingyijiang Chemical Company Limited, was built in 1996 to produce mirabilite, or Glauber's salt, in Hongchuan Township. Preliminary investigation shows the accident was caused by worker error when fixing detonators, according to local police. Further investigation is still underway.

USA, CA, WALNUT CREEK, JUNE 20 2005. NEGLIGENCE CITED IN PIPE EXPLOSION

Pipeline workers charged with the critical task of protecting the high-pressure fuel line that exploded near downtown Walnut Creek and killed five men in November couldn't read blueprints and ignored plans that highlighted dangers, according to state documents. Two "line riders" working for petroleum pipeline owner Kinder Morgan Energy Partners were responsible for ensuring that construction workers installing a water main next to it stayed a safe distance away. Instead, in the months and weeks leading up to what state investigators have come to call the "Walnut Creek catastrophe," the line riders made repeated and ultimately fatal mistakes, according to investigative reports.

The job of a line rider requires neither a state license nor certification. The state Division of Occupational and Health's Standards Board began last week working on regulatory changes to construction safety that will likely soon include a certification process. The senator who conducted a hearing onthe explosion earlier this month, said Friday he will introduce legislation to require specialized training for the job. "The line riders should be certified," he said Friday. An industry official also called for changes. The construction industry has a "quiet tolerance of incompetence" among line riders, said executive director of the Engineering and Utility Contractor's Association.

The state Division of Occupational Safety and Health found Kinder Morgan was primarily responsible for the explosion and fined it $140,000. The East Bay Municipal Utilities District, which owns the water main, its primary contractor, Mountain Cascade Inc. of Livermore and an engineering firm that designed the water main plans received lesser fines. All have appealed. A criminal investigation into the explosion continues.

The division's Bureau of Investigation must submit its findings to Contra Costa District Attorney by November. Thousands of pages of state documents the Times reviewed under the California Public Records Act contain interview transcripts and investigators' notes that show a harrowing convergence of danger and human fallibility leading up to the explosion. They illustrate a lack of communication between those who knew the pipe was there and those who were most at risk when it ruptured - the backhoe operators, welders and laborers working near it.

The line rider who was responsible for knowing the fuel pipe's path "lacks basic blueprint reading skills," state investigator wrote in his notes after interviewing the line rider three times. Investigators concluded that the line rider missed the line's crucial bend and several times changed his story about meetings with Mountain Cascade employees in the days before the explosion. The other line rider "said he did not use maps or drawings a lot, he often found them not to be accurate," the state investigator wrote. The second line rider told him that lines bent only to divert around tree roots. The second line rider worked for a Kinder Morgan subcontractor. "Since there were no trees in the area he knew there were no deviations," the lead investigator wrote. But there had been a tree in the area and the fuel pipe changed direction to avoid its roots. The tree had been chopped down several years before the workers appeared. "I asked him how he knew there were no deviations without referring to a map or a drawing and (the line rider) said 'Because there were no trees!'" "I told (the line rider) that maybe I missed something and asked him to go over his previous statements slowly. (He) did so and repeated the exact same story," the lead investigator wrote in notes that he highlighted and marked with stars. Neither of the line riders would comment on the investigator's written remarks when reached Friday.

A Kinder Morgan spokesman declined comment, citing both the company's appeal of the state fines and lawsuits filed by families of dead workers. Again and again, Kinder Morgan line riders literally walked right over the spot where a backhoe operator for Mountain Cascade Inc. would hit the pipe Nov. 9. So did Mountain Cascade's job supervisor and its foreman who died in the explosion. Holes dug to check the pipe's location missed the bend.

The 2 line riders discussed the fuel pipe with the jobs supervisor and the foreman but not the bend around where the tree once stood Just dig in a straight line and don't worry, the foreman told his backhoe operators. About 10 days before the explosion, a Mountain Cascade backhoe driver, leveled the area so another backhoe could follow and dig the deeper ditch for the water pipe. The backhoe driver "dug right across (the petroleum line), probably within three feet of it," he told investigators. Large placards warned of the petroleum line in the right of way, but communication was so bad that the backhoe driver said he thought those placards marked an abandoned petroleum line that was being removed. When someone told him there was a live line in the area, he replied, "what petroleum line, I didn't realize there was a high-pressure line there to tell you the truth," according to an interview transcript. The hoe driver who hit the petroleum line shortly after 1 p.m. Nov. 9, told investigators he was never shown construction drawings, wasn't told there was a bend in the line and observed no markings on the ground. His "very first knowledge of the bend was when he punctured the line," investigators wrote. The Mountain Cascade job supervisor, said he knew there was a bend in the line but that the foreman repeatedly told him the line was properly marked and went in a straight line parallel to South Broadway. The foreman told him "they knew exactly where the Kinder Morgan line was," the first line rider told investigators.

USA, TX, HOUSTON, JUNE 21 2005. FIRED BP WORKER REJECTS BLAME

For a BP Texas City refinery worker the refinery was his home away from home. His father had worked there. And when he turned 27, he joined the BP family, too, putting in long hours and forging the kind of strong bonds that come from working in a dangerous environment every day. Seventeen years later, the 44-year-old worker says he now feels betrayed by the oil behemoth, alleging that BP officials slandered him by wrongly blaming him and other workers for the March explosion at the plant, the worst U.S. refinery accident in recent memory.

Six men, including the worker, were fired last month in the fallout. In the first public interview of any of those fired workers, The BP Texas City Refinery worker said he's angered by company officials who have long looked the other way when he and others complained about safety. "They were telling the world that we killed 15 people and injured 170," The worker said of a press conference May 17 during which BP officials released an interim report on their investigation.

Only one error

The worker said his only error was forgetting to sign off on a procedure checklist as he ended his nightshift the morning of the accident — an oversight that he said had no role in the blast. "I'm very angry," he said. On Friday he filed a slander lawsuit against the company in Galveston County state district court. BP spokesman declined to comment on the workers' allegation, saying that the company does not discuss personnel matters.

The worker sitting beside his wife, in his attorneys' office in downtown Houston, said he's disillusioned by BP's failure to acknowledge any corporate role in the accident - particularly when it refused to modernize the equipment that exploded despite warnings it was unsafe. And he said he's mystified by why he was fired for what amounted to an error in paperwork. "They are grabbing for stuff," he said. "They are just using us as scapegoats."

Highly volatile equipment

The deadly blast occurred just after lunchtime on March 23 as refinery workers were attempting to start up a section of the isomerization unit called the raffinate splitter.

The splitter, a highly volatile piece of equipment, helps produce chemicals used to boost the octane of gasoline. Federal investigators and BP officials have said too much hydrocarbon was fed into the splitter and was then heated far too fast, causing an massive overpressurization. That spurred pressure relief valves to activate, allowing the flammable liquids to overflow into a tank called a blowdown drum. That drum quickly filled, and vapors and liquid then gushed out of a 113-foot, 50-year-old vent stack that opened to the atmosphere. The materials gathered on the ground and within seconds were ignited by a truck, electrical switch or other source, causing a series of explosions. One of those occurred beneath a doublewide construction trailer, where most of those killed were working, unaware a startup was taking place.

Evacuation alarms should have been sounded a full 40 minutes before the blast when vapors first started forming over the vent stack, BP officials have said, but they were not.

Last night shift

Wearing a baseball cap and T-shirt, the athletic-looking worker spoke slowly but confidently in describing his actions on the last night shift before the explosion. He said that when he arrived for work about 5:30 p.m. on March 22, a supervisor told him that the raffinate splitter would likely be started up the next day. Preparations for that could begin if the adjacent aromatics recovery unit was ready to begin sending "cold feed," or unheated hydrocarbons, to the splitter.

Later that evening, the worker - who said he has worked at least 30 startups on the isom unit - said he was notified that the feed was available, so he "packed the raff," as the procedure is called in refinery operations. He said the feed level in the splitter was at a normal 10 feet when he stopped the procedure. At that point the unit was cold, not operating and waiting for the next day's startup, he said. Sometime during the evening, the supervisor scheduled to work the next day checked in with the worker to see how things were going. The worker said he told him that everything was normal, and the supervisor told him he would be a little late for his 6 a.m. shift because he had to take his child to school. The worker said he wrote in a log book for supervisors and the control room operator that the splitter was packed and ready for startup, but he forgot to sign off on his part of the startup procedure checklist. He then went home and went to sleep in his nearby Texas City house, the worker said.

About seven hours later, a frantic neighbor burst into the workers' home announcing that "something at BP blew up." The worker said he grabbed the phone and called the ISOM unit control room. An upset computer specialist, who wasn't normally there, answered and gave the tragic news. For nearly two months, the worker said, he continued to report for work. In between his duties he was interviewed five times by federal investigators and BP management.

Clearing out lockers

On May 16 he reported for work and found the control room operator who had worked the day of the accident clearing out his locker. He had been fired, and one by one so were four others that day. Two more were fired later that month. On May 17, BP Products North America President said in a high-profile press conference that workers made "surprising and deeply disturbing mistakes, including a failure to follow procedures. Worker error was called a root cause of the accident. Officials modified that statement a week later after the United Steelworkers accused the company of scapegoating the workers and it was reported that the nation's respected industry association generally does not deem such error as a justifiable root cause. For his part, an angry worker blames the accident on BP's refusal over the years to equip the blowdown stack with a flare, which federal investigators have said may have safely burned away the excess hydrocarbons and vapors.

Thirteen years ago, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration field then-Amoco for having such vent stacks in place and suggested flaring them to protect the environment and workers. But the fine was dismissed, and Amoco and later BP kept the stack on the isom unit in place, even though many other refinery operators began removing such outdated equipment on their plants.

'Out of date'

"Blowdown drums are out of date for this day and age," the worker said. He said that about two and a half years ago, BP began work on a project to equip the blowdown drum and stack with a flare, but that the project was halted for budget reasons. "Eventually everything was to go to a flare," he said. "They made all the tie-ins and then they pretty much put a halt to it. After that, it was just over and that's the last we heard of it." BP's spokesman disputed that. He said that a project was begun to drain liquids from the drum during shutdowns to a so-called closed system, but it did not involve a flare. "Had that project been built, it would not have changed what happened on the 23 of March," he said. He added that the project, in fact, called for the stack to remain in operation as "the emergency pressure relief system." In addition, BP Products North America President has said that while the company had two opportunities to flare the stack and decided not to do so, officials believed the blowdown drum and stack were safe. But the worker said the company may have often preached safety, but on several occasions rejected his and others' suggestions in favor of saving money.

Letter pointed to danger

In 1997 the worker said in a letter to then-Amoco's Ideas in Action program that he thought a faulty pump on the blowdown drum was dangerous and needed replacing. In a written response two years and two months later, the workder was told the idea was not "cost effective," according to a copy of the response letter. The worker said he and other union members also opposed the company's decision in 1997 to reduce the number of operators in the control room from two to one. And, more recently, he said there was widespread concern among BP workers that the construction trailer in which several contractors were killed was parked so close to the isomerization unit.

BP spokesman said the number of operators on duty March 23 was not a contributing cause of the accident. And the BP Products North America President said that while the trailer's location increased the number of casualties, officials deemed it a safe location afterconducting a hazard review.

CANADA, BRITISH COLUMBIA, JUNE 21 2005. AUDIO SLIDE SHOW OF AN H2S ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION

Truck driver almost killed by H2S

A WCB Occupational Hygiene Officer, walks you through an accident investigation where the driver of the tanker truck was almost killed by deadly H2S gases in theatmosphere while filling his tank.

CHINA, SICHUAN PROVINCE, MEISHAN CITY, HONGYA COUNTY, JUNE 21 2005. CHEMICAL PLANT BLAST IN SICHUAN KILLS 7

Seven people were confirmed dead with eight others injured from a Monday detonator explosion at a chemical plant in Hongya County of Meishan City, southwest China's Sichuan Province, local police sources said on Tuesday. Another two people are still missing, the sources said. Three out of the eight wounded are seriously injured and hospitalized in the provincial capital of Chengdu.

The blast happened on Monday morning, leveling a row of bungalows at the chemical plant. Local police are clearing up the site, searching the two missing persons. Preliminary investigation shows the accident was caused by operation error when workers were fixing detonators, according to the police sources.

There were about 13,000 detonators when the accident took place, the sources said. Provincial public security and work safety authorities are jointly probing into the cause of the accident. The plant, Hongya Qingyijiang Chemical Co., Ltd., was built in 1996 to produce mirabilite, or Glauber's salt, in Hongchuan Township.

USA, GA, ARCADE, JUNE 21 2005. FATAL OIL COMPANY FIRE ACCIDENTAL

An explosion and fire that killed a worker at the Joe Sikes Oil Service company in Arcade, Ga., Sunday night is believed to be accidental, authorities said.

A cigarette or static electricity could be to blame for the 10 p.m. blast that killed the victim. The victim's body was found in the rubble after firefighters doused the flames that resulted from the explosion. One neighborhood had to be evacuated, but residents were allowed to return home after the fire was brought under control, according to a Lt. The investigation will continue. Early estimates determined the blast caused at least $500,000 in damages at the plant off Highway 129.

The owner of the company suffered serious chest pains after learning one of his favored employees had died in the fire. The owner, a former mayor of Arcade, Ga., where the company is located, was treated and released from a local hospital.

USA, CA, LOS ANGELES, COMPTON, JUNE 22 2005. CHEMICAL EXPLOSION TRIGGERS A FIRE

Chemical explosion at a hazardous-waste recycling plant trigged a fire.

About 40 Compton firefighters had the flames contained by 1:10 this morning. Firefighters today knocked down a fire triggered by the explosion of a tank filled with anti-freeze at a hazardous-waste recycling company in Compton, authorities said. No one was injured.

Forty firefighters sent to the DeMenno- Kerdoon plant at 541 E. Pine St. at 11:58 p.m. yesterday extinguished the flames in about an hour, according to the Compton Fire Department. The cause of the explosion was under investigation. A damage estimate was not immediately available. Deputies had prepared to evacuate nearby residences in case hazardous chemicals were released into the air, but no evacuation was deemed necessary, said the Sgt. of the sheriff's Compton Station.

According to the California Environmental Protection Agency, DeMenno- Kerdoon is a hazardous-waste recycling facility that treats, stores and transfers used oil, oil/water mixtures and used antifreeze received from refineries, manufacturers and other sources.

CHINA, SICHUAN PROVINCE, MEISHAN, JUNE 22 2005. DEATH TOLL RISES TO 9 IN SW CHINA CHEMICAL BLAST

The death toll rose to nine in a chemical blast on Monday in southwest China's Sichuan Province, and the searching work ended on Wednesday, according to the Meishan municipal government.

The two missing bodies were recovered, and the eight injured are out of danger, according to the local government. The accident occurred at about 10:20 a.m. on Monday when workers were packing the detonators at the Hongya Qingyijiang Chemical Company Limited in Hongya County in Meishan.

The explosion flattened the workshops and threw the nearby eatery's ceilings away, damaging the motor vehicles and bicycles nearby. The plant was built in 1996 and mainly produces mirabilite, or Glauber's salt. A preliminary investigation has found that the accident was caused by worker error when fixing detonators, according to local police. The workshop housed about 13,000 detonators, butonly 3,000 detonators were found unexploded after the accident.

View full story here

RUSSIA, MOSCOW, NOGINSK, JUNE 15 2005. EXPLOSIONS RIP THROUGH PETROLEUM STORAGE SITE OUTSIDE MOSCOW; TWO KILLED, ONE INJURED

Two explosions ripped through a petroleum storage depot outside Moscow early Wednesday, killing two workers, injuring another and forcing the evacuation of hundreds of people from nearby homes and a hospital, emergency officials said. reliminary investigations indicated that a technical problem sparked the explosions at the depot in the town of Noginsk, about 60 kilometers (35 miles) east of Moscow, said Sergei Vlasov, a spokesman for the Emergency Situations Ministry.

The blasts ripped through a chemical laboratory at the depot at around 5:50 a.m. (0150 GMT), he said. Two tanks of petroleum products inside the lab then caught fire and the blaze spread to four nearby cargo rail cars that contained oil products. Two laboratory workers were killed and one was in critical condition, said the spokesman for the Emergency Situations Ministry.

Russian television broadcast footage showing firefighters spraying foam over a wide areaof industrial equipment and thick black smoke rising from burning rail cars. Moscow regional prosecutor said that the criminal investigation was focusing on safety violations and negligence. The fire had been contained by 9:30 a.m. (0530 GMT) but not before it had spread partially to a nearby maternity hospital, where nearly 200 patients and workers had to be evacuated, he said. More than 800 people from nearby apartments and a school were also evacuated, he said.

Emergency workers dispatched a helicopter and a specially outfitted firefighting train to the scene. The reports gave no indication that authorities were considering terrorism as a cause, but Russia has been on edge following Chechen rebel claims to be targeting utilities, theaters and other facilities to dramatize their cause.

On Sunday, a bomb caused four cars on a train traveling between the Chechen capital Grozny and Moscow to derail about 150 kilometers (90 miles) south of Moscow. No one has claimedresponsibility.

View article #1 here

View article #2 here

View article #3 here

CANADA, ALBERTA, CALGARY, JUNE 15 2005. WATER LEFT IN TUBE LED TO HUB OIL EXPLOSION

Water left inside a heater tube after a maintenance shutdown led to a huge explosion that took the lives of two Hub Oil workers, according to an agreed statement of facts given to the court Monday.

Last week, the company pleaded guilty to two charges of common nuisance causing injury and one count of public endangerment. Five other charges were dropped. Two workers were killed in the August 1999 explosion, which also injured five others and forced the evacuation of the neighbourhood.

The blaze from the massive explosion at the plant was so intense that at one point emergency crews were told to evacuate the area and firefighters abandoned an aerial ladder truck because they feared for their lives. The statement of facts gave the first glimpse of what went wrong that day. The oil recycling plant had closed for three weeks for routine maintenance, and as part of that work two tubes were replaced in one of the heaters. Water condensed inside one of the tubes, and workers tried to remove it by blowing it out with compressed air and by evaporating the water with extra quantities of compressed air.

According the statement, all the water wasn't removed, which wasn't known to the operators. Dry oil was then circulated through the heater, which carried the water into a 10-metre tall still. It sank to the bottom and boiled, then flashed to steam, which increased the pressure inside the still. Pressure inside the still reached 201 pounds per square inch – it normally operated at 15 pounds per square inch – and exploded. The still didn't have a pressure release valve, which it was legally required to have, but the statement of facts adds that a valve could not have adequately relieved the pressure that built up before the explosion.

The statement of facts also says some of the plant's procedures were inadequate, including that no manual in the plant identified how important it was to remove plugs in the heater to make sure all the water was removed. One victim's mother says learning the details of the explosion only fuels her anger about his death. "He didn't die,he was killed," she said. "This should never have happened. Never." The Silver family read victim impact statements in court Monday, outlining the impact the victim's death has had on their lives. "When a child's born, a mother's born," The victim's mother said outside the court. "When your child dies, part of the mother dies with them. There's a big empty hole, even though I have other children. "I don't have my complete children." The victim's family took the opportunity to tell the court how his violent death affected them, before the company is sentenced for its role in the explosion and fire.

The second victim's family will read their victim impact statements Friday. The second victim's sister told the judge her children worry they will forget their uncle. "None of us have ever been the same since August 9th," she wrote. "There were many angry, bitter, lonely, empty, tearful days. "I ask myself every day 'will I ever forgive?' My answer is never. Then I ask, 'will I forget the emotional destruction that was caused?' No. Do I wish I could forget what happened that day? No. "Because I will not forget Ryan and what he meant to my family and myself." There are no minimum or maximum guidelines for what fine the judge can impose, but the company's lawyer says Hub Oil is bankrupt.

The owner of Hub Oil, appeared shaken after hearing the the first victim's comments. "We're very sorry for this whole event," she told reporters as she left the court.

USA, TX, GALVESTON, JUNE 15 2005. FINAL BP BLAST AUTOPSY REPORTS RELEASED

Autopsy results from the Galveston County Medical Examiner`s Office show that 14 of the 15 people killed in the March 23rd explosion at the BP refinery in Texas City, died of blunt force trauma. One victim died of smoke inhalation.

The findings appear to confirm the initial belief that the most of the victims died instantly. The blast injured more than 170 others. An investigation into the cause of the explosionis ongoing.

View full story here

USA, WASHINGTON, JUNE 14 2005. ADMINISTRATION TO SEEK ANTITERROR RULES FOR CHEMICAL PLANTS

Voluntary efforts to protect chemical plants from terrorist attacks are inadequate, Homeland Security Secretary has concluded, and Congress should adopt federal standards to do so. The call for legislation is to be presented at separate House and Senate hearings on Wednesday by, a top deputy to Mr. Chertoff. It gives greater momentum to an effort already under way in the Senate to impose minimum security equirements on thousands of chemical facilities across the country. "The existing patchwork of authorities does not permit us to regulate the industry effectively," the assistant secretary of homeland security, says in testimony he is to deliver at the hearings. "It has become clear that the entirely voluntary efforts of those companies alone will not sufficiently address security for the entire sector."

The department envisions a federally enforced scale of protective steps, with the greatest security restrictions imposed on plants deemed the most vulnerable to attack, and on those where a release of chemicals would pose the greatest danger to surrounding ommunities. A Senator the Maine Republican who is chairwoman of the Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee, and anothe rSenator, a New Jersey Democrat who has advocated chemical plant legislation, said Tuesday that the department's decision was a shift for the Bush administration. "For the first time," the Senator said, "the administration is stating clearly before Congress that current laws are not adequate to the task of improving security of chemical plants. Federal legislation is needed." But other Congressional officials and the leader of an environmental group that has been urging federal regulation of chemical plants for several years said that even with its announcement on Wednesday, the administration would not yet be coming forward with a specific regulatory proposal.

"There is finally starting to be more of a recognition that this is a serious threat," said the environmental advocate Campaigns Director for Greenpeace USA. "It is sort of like being an alcoholic. The first step is to recognize the problem. Then you can act. So far, I hear recognition. There should be action at this point." After the Sept. 11 attacks, the homeland security adviser to President Bush, and the then administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, pushed for chemical plant safety rules. But the effort stalled, the then administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency has said, after industry objections. Instead, the industry, led by the American Chemistry Council, set up a voluntary system that encouraged plant owners to conduct selfassessments and take steps to eliminate vulnerabilities: installing security cameras, fences, barriers or other means of controlling access. But on 1,100 or so of the 15,000 plants with large amounts of dangerous chemicals participated in the voluntary program, according to a recent report by the Government Accountability Office, the auditing and investigative arm of Congress.

In 2003, the administration expressed support for legislation that would have adopted the chemical industry's voluntary standards, essentially codifying a program based largely on self-assessments by plant owners. But the testimony by top deputy to Homeland Security Secretary indicates that the department now believes the government should play a more active role. "The department should develop enforceable performance standards based on the types and severity of potential risks posed by terrorists," a top deputy to the Homeland Security Secretary written testimony says. The department "remains concerned about the potential public health and economic harm should an attack occur." The greatest danger lies in areas where large chemical plants operate next to urban centers. One such plant, outside New Orleans, is a Chalmette Refining facility that stores about 600,000 pounds of hydrofluoric acid.

Another is a plant in Kearny, N.J., that E.P.A. records say poses the potential of lethal threat to 12 million people who live within a 14-mile radius. Federal data show that nationally, there are 123 chemical plants that, in a worst case circumstance, could each expose at least a million people to a cloud of toxic gas if attacked.

The American Chemistry Council has most recently expressed support for federal regulations that would give the department the power to enforce a set of national standards. But as will be clear at the hearings on Wednesday, opposition remains.

Witnesses on the House side will include an individual testifying on behalf of the National Petrochemical and Refiners Association and the American Petroleum Institute, which maintain that plant owners are already doing enough under the voluntary system. "Industry does not need to be prodded by government mandates to take aggressive and effective steps to secure its facilities," an advance copy of the individual's testimony says.

"Chemical security legislation would be counterproductive." But the Senator said the Bush administration appeared to recognize that it must help force more improvements in plant security or risk being blamed, at least in part, for any future catastrophe. "There is a grave vulnerability for the administration: an exposure to a very well known and identified risk," he said. The other Senator said that working with the administration, she would like to have a bill drafted by the end of this summer and approved by the Senate before the end of the year. "That may be optimistic," she said. "But that is my hope."

View full story here

USA, OHIO, MINGO JUNCTION, JUNE 15 2005. W-P BLAST INJURES THREE WORKERS

Three contract laborers working at Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel Corp.'s Mingo Junction Plant were transported to Trinity Medical Center West on Tuesday following a small natural gas explosion. At approximately 4:07 p.m. Tuesday, the Mingo Junction Fire Department responded to the Cogeneration Plant at the Mingo Junction works.

According to the Fire Chief three workers were transported for medical treatment. He said one man sustained minor burns, another was treated for smoke inhalation and a third worker was sent for observation. "Today is a down day at the mill," the Fire Chief said, adding no steel production was in progress at the time. Two trucks, two squads and 10 emergency personnel responded to the scene, which was cleared at 5:31 p.m. A wheeling-Pitt spokesman said the workers were testing a pipe when another crew working in the area caused a spark that ignited the gas. "There was kind of a flash from the pipe," the spokesperson said. "It didn't affect any operations." The cogeneration plant uses waste gases from the steelmaking process to produce electricity.

USA, LA, JUNE 14 2005. REFINERY TANK LEAKS CHEMICAL - RESIDENTS URGED TO STAY INDOORS

ExxonMobil employees who are members of the company's volunteer fire team work at the top of a hydrocarbon storage tank Monday at the plant on Scenic Highway. They fixed a tool to the top of the leaking tank that could spray foam directly into the tank to blanket any naphtha vapors, said a company spokesman.

Emergency response officials closed a portion of Scenic Highway Monday afternoon after an ExxonMobil Baton Rouge Refinery tank leaked the gasoline additive called naphtha. No one was injured in the incident but an off-duty police officer working security for ExxonMobil was transported to a hospital as a precaution, said a spokeswoman for ExxonMobil. The spokesman said foam was sprayed on top of the leaking tank to keep the vapors from escaping. That foam helps hold the vapors inside until the tank itself can be fixed, she said. The spokesman said there also was a liquid leak from the tank, but it was contained within the fire wall around the tank and routed into the facilities' sewer system.

The facility's industrial hygiene staff were monitoring the area and not finding any significant off-site impacts from the leaks, according to an ExxonMobil news release.

JAPAN, SENDAI, JUNE 14 2005. NIPPON OIL SAYS FIRE AT REFINERY SHUT SECONDARY UNIT

Nippon Oil Corp., Japan's biggest oil refiner, said a fire today at its Sendai refinery in northern Japan shut a secondary unit. The fire started at 6:55 a.m. local time, closing a sulfur collection facility used by a fuel oil desulfurization unit, the Tokyo-based company said.

Nippon Oil said the blaze was put out at 7:12 a.m. and nobody was injured. The 145,000 barrels-per-day main crude distillation unit at the refinery in Miyagi prefecture,190 miles north of Tokyo, is running normally after the fire, the company said. Nippon Oil said operation of the affected 52,000 barrels-per- day fuel oil desulfurization unit is under review.

View full story here

INDIA, VADODARA, JUNE 15 2005. ANOTHER FIRE BREAKS OUT IN GUJARAT REFINERY

A major accident was averted at the Indian Oil Corporation's Gujarat Refinery on Wednesday evening when officials managed to isolate a fire that broke out in one of the pipelines connected to the newly rebuilt fluid catalytic converter (FCC) plant. One person escaped with minor burns.

The fire broke out barely eight months after a major accident on October 29, 2004 in which the FCC plant was totally damaged and two persons were killed. "We successfully managed to isolate the pipe in which the fire broke out," said the executive director KK Acharya. "Although it is difficult to assess the extent of the damage now, we don't expect it to be much."

Sources added that the refinery officials were planning for a start-up of the FCC plant when chemicals passing through the pipes caught fire. The executive director said they were planning to start the plant on Friday but after the fire, they will have to postpone the process indefinitely.

The refinery had suffered heavy losses in the October 29 blast. Both the state government and IOC's internal committee had investigated the blast, both coming out with divergent views.

View full story here

MOSCOW, JUNE 17 2005. RUSSIAN OIL SPILL THREATENS MOSCOW WATER SUPPLY

Fuel oil spilt in a Russian rail crash has spread to the River Volga and is threatening to pollute the Moscow water supply, officials said on Thursday. The train was derailed on Wednesday night, and almost 30 of its oil wagons tumbled down a hill towards the River Vazuza - a tributary of Russia's mighty Volga.

The crash took place in the Tver region about 200 km (125 miles) from Moscow. "The Vazuza is one of the sources of the Moscow city water supply, with the water going along the Moscow canal to the pumping stations," said the head of the Emergency Ministry's Moscow accidents and environmental centre. "And if you believe this information that 300 tonnes of fuel oil poured into the Vazuza, then this raises a huge danger for our biggest megapolis - Moscow," he told NTV television.

It was not clear how long the oil would take to reach Moscow but any water supply problems would be a major embarrassment for city authorities after a power cut last month paralysed Russia's political and financial capital. NTV showed viscous black oil trickling out of the capsized wagons and running in a heavy slick down to the river. Teams of workers were struggling to prevent more oil reaching the river, and bulldozers were pulling wagons back up the hill.

Officials told Russian media that as much as half the surface of the Volga - which runs all through European Russia to the Caspian Sea - immediately below its confluence with the Vazuza was covered in oil. The emergencies services had deployed two boats on the river to try and break up the oil spill and halt its advance, news agencies reported.

Accidents within Russia's infrastructure are common. They are often caused, like the power cut, by poor maintenance and ageing equipment and the management of Russia's state-owned railway company blamed Wednesday's accident on repair workers. "The rails tipped more than they should, causing the train to leave the rails. The local engineer service bears the responsibility for this," said deputy president of Russian Railways, in televised comments. Much of Russia's oil - the country's main export product - is sent by rail as companies strive to avoid bottlenecks inpipelines, which are pumping at capacity.

View article #1 here

View article #2 here

View article #3 here

CHINA, HUBEI PROVINCE, WUHAN, JUNE 16 2005. CHEMICAL PLANT EXPLOSION KILLS 1 IN HUBEI

An explosion claimed one life and injured three other people in a chemical factory in Shishou City of central China's Hubei Province on Wednesday, according to local media reports. The accident happened at around 10:30 a.m. in a workshop of the locally-based Chuyuan Group, followed by leakage of a large amount of poisonous nitric

acid. One person died on the spot. All the three injured were hospitalized with one person still in critical condition. The explosion also left a hole with a diameter of five meters on the wall of the accident-hit workshop as well asblew many mechanical facilities to pieces.

View full story here

USA, AZ, PHEONIX, JUNE 16 2005. JET CARRYING EXPLOSIVES CRASHES IN AZ

Four 500-pound bombs were removed safely and hundreds of evacuees returned home after a Harrier jet carrying the explosives crashed in a Yuma neighborhood while trying to land at a Marine base. The jet pilot ejected safely before the crash Wednesday, and no one on the ground was seriously injured.

Nearly 1,300 homes were evacuated while a military explosives team dismantled and removed the bombs from the crash site in Yuma, about 185 miles southwest of Phoenix. All but the occupants of 52 residences were allowed to return home Wednesday night, said a spokesman for Yuma County's Emergency Operations Center. The Harrier jet was coming in for a landing at Marine Corps Air Station - Yuma when it crashed and burst into flames about a mile from the base, a Marine Cpl. said. "I was just sitting here. It was a low soaring sound. It got real low, it was like a rumbling and I heard an explosion," said a resident who lives about four houses away from the crash site.

The jet was carrying four 500-pound bombs and 300 rounds of 25-milimeter ammunition, none of which exploded. Two homes had structural damage, the resident said. One civilian suffered a minor cut, and the pilot was taken to a hospital for treatment of minor injuries, authorities said. The pilot, who was based out of Yuma and returning from a training mission, was "up walking around" after ejecting, the Marine Cpl. said. The name of the pilot was not released. Marine investigator were trying to determine what cause the crash, the Marine Cpl. said.

The AV-8B Harrier, a light attack aircraft that can take off and land like a helicopter, was the fourth such jet from the Yuma air station to crash in recent years. A Harrier crashed in Yuma on Dec. 2 and two crashed in December 2003. In each case, the pilots ejected safely.

UK, JUNE 17 2005. REVISION OF MAJOR ACCIDENT HAZARD REGS AMENDMENTS TO THE CONTROL OF MAJOR ACCIDENT HAZARDS REGULATIONS WILL COME INTO FORCE AT THE END OF THIS MONTH.

The Health and Safety Commission said the new regulations will broaden the scope to take into account recent industrial accidents and the results of research on carcinogens and substances dangerous for the environment. It also said the amendments would broaden the application of the regulations at mines, quarries, boreholes, and landfill sites.

The key revision regards changes to the lists of named dangerous substances, including:

• A redefinition of ammonium nitrate to cover lower percentage composition, and new classes covering selfsustaining decomposition and reject material
• A new named category for potassium nitrate fertilisers.
• Specification of seven new carcinogens, and raised thresholds for all carcinogens.
• A new category for petroleum products to include gas oils such as diesel, naptha, and kerosene including jet fuels, with thresholds that are half those of the previous automotive petrol category
• The redefinition of the classes for explosives.

The Head of the Health and Safety Executive's Major Hazards Policy Group, said: "The changes to COMAH brought about by these amendments reflect the lessons learnt from accidents in France, the Netherlands and Romania, and EC recommendations about the major accident potential of high and medium-potencycarcinogens and substances dangerous for the environment." The amendments were laid before Parliament on7th April this year and come into force on 30th June.

View full story here

USA, MD, GLEN BURNIE, JUNE 17 2005. ARUNDEL MAN BURNED SIPHONING GAS WITH VACUUM - AFTER LEAVING KEYS IN IGNITION WITH CAR RUNNING, HE SOUGHT TO SHUT OFF ENGINE

An 82-year-old man was badly burned after trying to siphon gas from his car with an electric vacuum cleaner while the engine was running. Fire officials said the vacuum cleaner caught fire and the man suffered first and second degree burns to 20 percent of his body Thursday, primarily to the left side of his abdomen, chest, hands and face.He was in stable condition at the Bayview Burn Center in Baltimore Thursday. "The vacuum not withstanding, it's not advisable to siphon gas while the car is running," said a spokesman for the county fire department, told The Annapolis Capital.

The spokesman said the fire could have spread to the gas tank, blowing up the entire vehicle. "It certainly would have been possible," he said. The man had returned home from grocery shopping Wednesday evening and locked his keys inside the vehicle while it was still running, the spokesman said. Unable to get them out, the man left the car running in his driveway and went to bed. The next morning, the car was still running. Determined to stop the car, the man pulled out an electric vacuum cleaner around 7:30 a.m. and attempted to drain the gas tank. The vacuum cleaner's electric motor caused a spark and ignited the gas, the spokesman said. Authorities would not release the man's name. They said he lives with his son and daughter-in-law, who were not home at the time

USA, IOWA, SHEFFIELD, JUNE 19 2005. ANHYDROUS LEAK INJURES FIREFIGHTERS, CAUSES FISH KILL

Iowa State environmental officials say two firefighters were injured after an anhydrous ammonia tank unhooked from a tractor, releasing as much as 850 gallons of the chemical in the air.

The incident happened Thursday near Sheffield, and caused officials to shut down Highway 65 for about two hours. The firefighters suffered minor chemical burns when they tried to shut off the valves to stop vapors from escaping from the one-thousand-gallon tank.

According to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, the tank belongs to a resident of rural Sheffield. The incident happened when he was applying fertilizer to fields north of Chapin. A vapor cloud hovered in the area, wiping out plants and causing a fish kill in a nearby creek.

The investigation was continuing and the D-N-R says it may ask for restitution for the fish kill.

View full story here

USA, TX, DENTON, JUNE 19 2005. MAN DIES AFTER ACCIDENT AT BAYTOWN CHEMICAL PLANT

A man who had worked as a contractor at Bayer's Baytown chemical plant since 1989 died following an accident at the chemical plant Saturday morning. Specific details of the accident were not known Sunday but external and internal investigations to determine the cause were getting under way, Bayer spokeswoman said. "There was no fire or explosion," she said. "It was an accident with a single employee." The employee was injured and later died. He worked as a maintenance mechanic and was doing routine work in the plant's plastics manufacturing area, the Bayer spokesperson said.

The Bayer spokesperson said the victim worked for KBR for two decades and been at the industrial park since 1989. A KBR spokeswoman confirmed that the victim worked for the company,which she said was deeply saddened by the "sudden and tragic loss."

Counselors arrived at the plant Saturday and continued to assist Barba's colleagues on Sunday, The KBR spokeswoman said in an e-mail, adding that employee safety is KBR's top priority.

The Bayer site manager, said the victim "was a friend to all of us here at the plant." "Our thoughts and prayers are with his family," he said.

Raw materials used in the automotive and construction industries are produced at the facility, which is located 30 miles east of Houston and has 2,000 employees. The company describes the plant, located on 1,500 acres, as the flagship of its U.S. chemical operations.

The Baytown Sun reported Sunday that on Feb. 13, 2004, an explosion and fire occurred during the restarting of the reactor in the part of the Bayer plant that manufactures toluene diamine. No one was injured last year but the blast could be heard miles away. Bayer officials determined the explosion resulted from an over-concentration of feedstockchemicals in the reactor.

View full story here