Pipeline Accident Brief

Accident Type: Pipe was weak because of corrosion
Location: Detroit-area chemical plant, Riverview, Mich.
Date and Time: July 14, 2001
Owner/Operator: ATOFINA
Fatalities/Injuries: Three workers were killed
Damage/Clean Up Cost: $6.2 million

The Accident

Please see http://www.ntsb.gov/Publictn/2002/HZM0201.htm for a more complete report

Story Filed: Wednesday, June 26, 2002 6:21 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The federal government does not adequately regulate loading and unloading of hazardous material from truck and railroad tanks, the National Transportation Safety Board said Wednesday in its report on an explosion at a Detroit-area chemical plant that killed three workers.

The July 14 explosion at ATOFINA Chemicals occurred when 74 tons of poisonous methyl mercaptan gas leaked through a fractured pipe used to unload it from a railroad tank car.

The NTSB's investigation found the pipe was weak because of corrosion. The board said the accident was due to ATOFINA's failure to properly maintain and inspect its cargo transfer equipment and inadequate federal oversight of the unloading of hazardous materials.

The board found the accident could have been prevented if ATOFINA did not rely on an excess flow valve to stop leaks during unloading. Excess flow valves are designed to prevent leaks during a crash, but may not work when transfer pipes are connected to remove the cargo, NTSB investigators said.

The workers probably would have survived if they were wearing suits with oxygen tanks, according to the investigation.

``The lack of some basic safety precautions in this operation was disappointing and proved tragic for the three men who lost their lives last July,'' said NTSB chairwoman Marion Blakey.

The explosion sent a fireball about 200 feet in the air. The fire took more than five hours to extinguish, and about 2,000 residents surrounding the plant in Riverview, Mich., were evacuated.

Shift superintendent Edwin Wrobleski and operators Kenneth Cox and Terry Stein were killed. Nine others were injured.

Residents of Riverview have filed a lawsuit accusing the company of negligence. The state of Michigan reached a $6.2 million settlement with the company last month that included $500,000 in penalties and $5.7 million in safety improvements, training and community donations.

Jane Crawford, a spokeswoman for Philadelphia-based ATOFINA, said the company is making safety improvements to prevent future accidents.

The NTSB called on the Department of Transportation, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to develop safety requirements for transferring hazardous materials. The regulations should cover inspection and maintenance of transfer equipment, emergency shutdown measures and protective gear for workers, the board said.

On the Net:

National Transportation Safety Board: http://www.ntsb.gov/Publictn/2002/HZM0201.htm

ATOFINA Chemicals: http://www.atofinachemicals.com