BP America (Texas City) Refinery Explosion Investigation

Accident Description

Accident: BP America (Texas City) Refinery Explosion

Location: Location: Texas City, TX

Accident Occurred On: 23 March 2005 | Final Report Released On: 20 March 2007

Accident Type: Oil and Refining - Fire and Explosion

Investigation Status: The Board approved its final report by a vote of 5-0 at a public meeting in Texas City on March 20, 2007.

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.

Learn more about the CSB's BP Texas City investigation here: https://www.csb.gov/bp-america-texas-city-refinery-explosion/

Process Safety Video - What Caused the Giant Piper Alpha Oil Rig Explosion?

 Process Safety Video - What Caused the Giant Piper Alpha Oil Rig Explosion?

Remembering Trevor Kletz

 

Remembering Trevor Kletz, 1922-2013. This is excerpts from CSB video of Dr. Trevor Kletz, a world renowned expert in chemical process safety, who died October 31, 2013.

Information to Public

As part of the requirement in Occupational Safety and Health (Control of Industrial Major Accident Hazard) Regulation 1996 requirement, Information to Public (ITP) is required under Sub-Regulation 22 (1) and Schedule 3.

The information that need to included as part of the communication to public:

• (a) Name of manufacturer and address of site of industrial activity.
• (b) Identification by position held of person giving the information.
• (c) Confirmation that the site is subject to these Regulations and that the report referred to in subregulation 15(1) has been submitted to the Director General.
• (d) An explanation in simple terms of the activity undertaken on the site.
• (e) The common names or the generic names of the general danger classification of the substances and preparations involved on the site which could give rise to a major accident with an indication of their principal hazardous characteristics.
• (f) General information relating to the nature of a major accident hazard including its potential effects on the population and the environment.
• (g) Adequate information on how the population concerned will be warned and kept informed in the event of an accident.
• (h) Adequate information on the actions the population concerned should take and on the behaviour they should adopt in the event of an accident.
• (i) Confirmation that the manufacturer is required to make adequate arrangements on the site, including liaison with the emergency services, to deal with accidents and to minimise their effects.
• (j) A reference to the off-site emergency plan drawn up to cope with any off-site effects from a major accident. This shall include advice to co-operate with any instruction or request from the emergency services at the time of a major accident.
• (k) Details of where further relevant information can be obtained subject to the requirements of confidentiality laid down in any national legislation.

PGS 1 Methods for Determining Possible Damage (Green Book)

Methods for Determining Possible Damage known as The Green Book as part of the Publication Series on Dangerous Substances (Publicatiereeks Gevaarlijke Stoffen – PGS). (Link)

This publication (also known as the 'green book') presents damage models for determining possible damage to people and goods due to the release of hazardous substances. The use of the damage models will generally be preceded by the application of so-called effect models. With the aid of damage models, the calculated effects can be converted into damage to people or goods. Together, the 'red book' (PGS 4: probabilities), the 'yellow book' (PGS 2: effects), the 'purple book' (PGS 3: Quantitative Risk Analysis) and the 'green book' (PGS 1: damage) formed the series of standard works for risk analyses.

Please note that the coloured books will in principle no longer be updated, but will remain available for the time being as a historical reference work.

The file is available in Portable Document Format (PDF) which can be read from common PDF reader.