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,[...]
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[...]
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,[...]
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[...]
A tank glazed with 85% H2SO4 ruptured leading to a workshop to close down for five days in an explosives factory. Given the waste acid storage autonomy period of four days for production, 3 tank trucks hired in February and[...]
The number of casualties resulting from the Florrifoux silo explosions is high: 5 dead and 4 injured. Debris were scattered over a 100-m radius, windows were broken and damages to homes were observed as far as 300 m away. This[...]
In order to seal the sidewalls of a tunnel under construction, a mix of acrylamide and sodium silicate (ROCHA GIL) was employed. Injection tests were conducted in March 1997 without informing local authorities, the municipality or the region. On 24th[...]
In order to fill a lorry with phenol, an operator undertook the necessary steps but forgot to position the loading arm. The three detectors on the filling station were defective and did not indicate a flaw in the coupling manoeuvre.[...]
A 20-car convoy left a tunnel around 11:30 pm in order to cross a train station when 7 tanks carrying 80 m3 of gasoline derailed. An axle with an overheated roller bearing broke on one of the railcars. Traces on[...]
An extremely violent explosion occurred at 5:20 am inside a refinery operating normally; this blast, felt up to 30 km away, was followed by several others. The internal emergency plan was activated at 5:45 and rescue teams called to the scene.[...]
