"Chemical Safety Board Urges Changes After Fatal Ohio Refinery Fire"

"“Nearly everything that could go wrong did go wrong during this incident,” CSB Chair Steve Owens said."

"The Chemical Safety Board issued recommendations Monday after finding that miscommunication and errors hampered the response to a chemical leak and fire that killed two people at an Ohio refinery.

The September 2022 incident at the facility, then owned by BP, occurred after two refinery employees released flammable liquid naphtha from a pressurized vessel to the ground, the CSB said in its report. The vaporized naphtha ignited, triggering the flash fire that caused the fatalities and nearly $600 million in property damage.

But the independent agency also determined that other issues contributed to the incident, including the refinery’s ineffective efforts to avoid and control abnormal situations and an alarm system that overwhelmed operators, resulting in poor decision-making."

Ben Lefebvre reports for E&E News June 28, 2024.

Source: E&E News, 06/28/2024