Tank Incident 4: Explosion and fire caused by a forklift entering the tank area illegally

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This post was last edited by Chuyun Waichao on 2018-8-22 at 10:27. Incident details: At 19:25 on September 24, 1988, while the oil receiving team of Xingmen Refinery’s Labor Company was concluding the dehydration and oil receiving process in tank 107/1#, a 5000m3 light oil tank, the opening of the manhole cover in the tank allowed oil vapor to escape and spread. This resulted in a mixture of flammable gases in the area between tanks 107/1# and 106/2#, reaching the explosive limit. At that time, an explosion occurred and a strong smell was present; 3 people vomited. However, the team leader failed to realize the severity of the situation and did not take decisive action, continuing instead to organize the transport of used oil. Since the forklift did not have a fire shield, its startup caused an explosion, resulting in 5 deaths on the spot, 6 injuries, and 1 person falling (3 of whom suffered serious injuries). Cause of the accident: a. The safety officer failed in his duties; he did not check whether a fire shield was in place before allowing the forklift to enter the oil tank area, and he drove it illegally without a valid license during the operation ； When an abnormal odor appeared at the site, the cause was not identified in a timely manner, and necessary measures were not taken. b. Violation of the safety regulations for motor vehicles entering the tank area: the forklift was not equipped with a fire shield, it was started repeatedly, and sparks from the exhaust pipe caused an explosion. c. The rules and regulations are inadequate, with no written procedures and methods for tank cleaning and oil collection. Additionally, since the 25th is the Mid-Autumn Festival, everyone was busy completing their tasks. While a small number of workers and vehicles were still on site finishing up the work, the family members working there opened the manhole covers, causing the oil and gas inside the tank to escape and spread. This resulted in a mixture of flammable gases at the work site that reached the explosive limit. Lessons learned from the accident and measures taken: The low technical proficiency of the personnel on site, along with their lack of knowledge regarding safe production practices and self-protection awareness, were the main factors that led to the accident ； And inadequate rules and regulations, as well as violations of safety protocols, serve as painful lessons.