(40bc) Sharon Tinker Process Safety Prize: Hydrogen Explosion at AB Specialty Silicones LLC

On May 3^rd, 2019, an incident occurred at the warehouse of AB Specialty Silicones, LLC in Waukegan, Illinois wherein an explosion destroyed the facility and resulted in the deaths of four workers. On the day of the incident, workers accidentally loaded a batch reactor using drums of XL 10, TD 6/12, and 10% KOH. These materials reacted forming copious amounts of hydrogen gas which escaped the reactor vessel and ignited. The resulting explosion leveled the warehouse, killed four workers, and injured one other worker. Investigations by the CSB determined the root cause was mixing of incompatible materials. The materials where all kept in close proximity in drums that where near identical, which is the likely cause of the accidental mixing. The reactor had hatch doors that could not lock shut, allowing the hydrogen to escape into the facility. There were no flammable gas detectors or alarms, so the workers were not aware of the hazard until it was too late. The primary recommendation is to broaden the scope of the company’s Process Safety Management system and Hazard Analysis to include reactivity hazards of all chemicals located on site. Different materials should be stored in unique containers, such as drums of different colors, and in different parts of the facility to increase the difficulty with which a worker may cause an incident. Furthermore, flammable gas detectors should be installed to serve as an early warning system.