Tank and Petroleum Use Mishaps

The Steel Tank Institute is unable to guarantee the accuracy of any information. Every effort has been undertaken to ensure the accuracy of information contained in this publication but it is not intended to be comprehensive or to render advice. Websites may be current at the time of release, however may become inaccessible. The newsletter may be copied and distributed subject to: • All text being copied without modification • Containing the copyright notice or any other notice provided therein • Not distributed for profit

By learning about the misfortunes of others, it is STI's hope to educate the public by creating a greater awareness of the hazards with storage and use of petroleum and chemicals. Please refer to the many industry standards and to the fire and building codes for further guidance on the safe operating practices with hazardous liquids. Thanks and credit for content are given to Dangerous Goods-Hazmat Group Network. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DangerousGoods/

USA, CA, SAN DIEGO APRIL 27 2007. ROAD REOPENS AFTER HUGE TANK TUMBLES OFF FREEWAY RAMP A Mission Valley roadway near San Diego is open to traffic again after a tank crashed down from a freeway interchange above and blocked off traffic. The incident happened Wednesday around 9:30 p.m., as a truck was traveling northbound on Interstate 805 at the Interstate 8 east connector. The 10,000-gallon tank fell off the trailer that was carrying it and landed on Camino Del Rio South. It stayed there for 15 hours. A section of the road under the 805 was closed so that the tank could be removed using a pair of cranes. Around 12:45 p.m., the tank was moved off to the side of the road, and Camino Del Rio South was reopened to traffic. The tank is 40 feet long, and officials said it would have to be moved away by a tow truck. According to fire department officials, the driver of the truck hit the interchange's railing, dislodging the tank, which fell over the edge. Officials said the tank was empty, but a hazardous materials team mopped up a spill from the 120-gallon fuel tank of the big rig on the freeway. The driver was uninjured, and officials said the guardrail needs repair. The CHP did not release the name of the truck driver. http://www.nbc4.tv/news/13207864/detail.html

USA, OHIO, ASHTABULA APRIL 27 2007. GAS TANK EXPLODES - WORKER INJURED IN EXPLOSION IN MORGAN Doris Cook An empty gas tank being removed at a Big Sky Energy well site on Route 45 exploded around noontime Wednesday seriously injuring a company worker. The gas well site is located just north of Sacred Heart Catholic Church. Morgan Hose Volunteer Fire Department Chief Vern Goodge said the worker, Owen Parabeck, 20, of Farmdale in Trumbull County was on top of the tank apparently removing plumbing when it blew up. Parabeck was thrown some 75 to 100 feet away from the tank into a wooded section. He is listed in guarded condition at St. Elizabeth Hospital in Youngstown after being flown from UH Geneva Medical Center. South Central Ambulance District emergency squad transported the injured man to the Geneva facility.

312, 313, 314, 315, 316, 317, 318, 320 1 Tank and Petroleum Use Mishaps

"We had mutual aid from Rome, Austinburg and Trumbull fire departments to help at the fire. I heard a boom shortly before noon and thought it was from the new school site. I came outdoors and looked north and saw the fire," Goodge said adding his pager went off about the same time. A second worker, Jeff Homkes was with Parabeck when the tank blew up and caught fire, Goodge said. Homkes was slightly injured as he moved a pickup truck from the flaming gas tank. "Parabeck was removing plumbing from the top of the tank from what we are told. An empty gas tank like that one is more dangerous than a full one. It was part of a separator unit. The two men were replacing the empty tank with another one," Goodge said. "There are gas fumes in an empty tank and a spark may have caused the explosion. We have to do more investigation to determine what actually happened," Goodge said. A blackened crumpled heap of metal of was all that was left of the exploded tank. The pickup truck was also damaged from flames, fire officials said. http://www.starbeacon.com/local/local_story_116072329

USA, MISS, NEWTON APRIL 28 207. MYSTERIOUS DEATH IN TANK IN NEWTON Andrea Williams A man was discovered around 1:30 p.m. Sunday inside a gas tank at Newton Regional Airport. Manager, Robert Gibbs, said he cannot release the name of the man at this time. However, Gibbs said the individual was there to service a fuel tank. He was found by a pilot who, at the time, was at the airport attempting to fuel his private plane. "Well, he said the service truck was here. The tools were laid out and the boxes were open but there's nobody here," Gibbs said Shortly after the pilot alerted Gibbs by phone about the abandoned truck, he says the pilot discovered the man dead inside the tank. In order to have gotten inside the tank, officials say the top would have had to have been removed. And in order to do that, a number of bolts would have had to be removed. Officials also said it's not necessary to go inside of it in order to service the tank. The question is how and why the man was inside. "Nobody knows why," said Gibbs. "They don't enter tanks. So, we don't know what happened." According to the coroner, a preliminary investigation shows that the man had been dead several hours before he was removed. The tank does not have oxygen inside it. "We've had the fuel extracted out of it and we're having the tank scrubbed and we're putting new fuel in it, getting it back up to aviation standards," Gibbs said. Gibbs said it's not known exactly how long it will take the service company, Eastern Aviation, to wrap up its investigation. However, the tank should be back up and running within the next four days. http://www.wtok.com/news/headlines/7188591.html

USA, NEW JERSEY, TINTON FALLS APRIL 28 2007. MAN RESCUED FROM GAS TANK IN TINTON FALLS Michelle Sahn Emergency workers rescued a man from an above-ground fuel tank after he was overcome by fumes and passed out this morning, authorities said. The man is now conscious and breathing on his own, and will be transported to the hospital, said Police Lt. David Nase around 9:15 a.m. Around 8:35 a.m. police received a call from Boyd Construction on Asbury Avenue, reporting an unconscious person in an above-ground fuel tank on the property, said Nase. He said apparently two workers went into the large tank, either to clean it or service it, and one of the workers was overcome by fumes.

312, 313, 314, 315, 316, 317, 318, 320 2 Tank and Petroleum Use Mishaps

Tinton Falls police, firefighters and first aid squad members, along with the Monmouth County HazMat, and the federal Occupational Safety & Health Administration, were notified. Both men are now out of the tank and breathing on their own, said Nace. He said the construction company has the tank on its property to store fuel for its trucks. http://www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070427/NEWS/70427013/1001/rss

USA, OK, OKLAHOMA CITY APRIL 28 2007. LIGHTNING STRIKES WYNNEWOOD OIL REFINERY, CAUSING EXPLOSION Andrea Kurys Just before noon Friday, lightning struck the Wynnewood Oil Refinery in Garvin county. Officials say it hit a large storage tank holding 25,000 barrels of light oil, sparking a large explosion. KTEN's Andrea Kurys was on the scene. Oklahoma Highway Patrol officials say two storms hit Wynnewood in less than an hour. Though they were small, they both produced giant lightning bolts. The explosion blew the roof of the barrel sky-high. Smoke could be seen for miles away. Luckily though, no one was injured. An emergency response team from the refinery was immediately on scene, as well as OHP officials, the Wynnewood police and fire departments and the Garvin County Sheriff's office. The oil fire was contained in under an hour, but continued to burn all day. Everyone at the refinery was evacuated as a precaution. OHP Trooper Doug George"We've currently shut down this portion of US 77. Of course, it includes the entire refinery section here from any though traffic. Only traffic coming out of the refinery are emergency crews going into the refinery." Twelve hours later, highways were still shut down. Officials were in the process of using a thermal imaging device to detect any hot spots. It turns out no one had to be evacuated from the town of Wynnewood, though crews were on stand-by in case the fire got out of hand. http://www.kten.com/Global/story.asp?S=6438824&nav=menu410_3

USA, MT, HAVRE APRIL 28 2007. EXPLODING GAS TANK SPARKS JUNKYARD Richard Peterson A junkyard fire that blackened the sky over Black Eagle for several hours Thursday began when an undrained gas tank inside a wrecked car, which was being crushed by a compactor, exploded, officials said. "It just blew up," said Nick Bradford, a spokesman for the Black Eagle Volunteer Fire Department. He said the gas tank of the vehicle being crushed was not drained properly, and the fire went out of control soon after it started. The fire is still under investigation and it was undetermined if the operation and compactor were insured, Bradford said. The fire, which began at about 10:45 a.m., only traveled 100 feet from the compactor but the flames worked their way inside five feet of debris at the car-crushing operation, which will keep the junk pile smoldering for days, Bradford said. Inside the debris pile are metal scrappings, plastics, seat cushions, insulation and old refrigerators, he said. Firefighters worked to keep a 250-pound propane tank from exploding in the junkyard, which is owned by Harley Huddleston. The junkyard's office building sustained severe smoke damage, officials said. No injuries were reported. Firefighters used approximately 50,000 gallons of water to douse the flames, Bradford said. About 25 firefighters from five departments were on the scene for over five hours. The responding departments were: Black Eagle Volunteer, Ulm Volunteer, Gore Hill, Montana Air National Guard and Malmstrom Air Force Base.

312, 313, 314, 315, 316, 317, 318, 320 3 Tank and Petroleum Use Mishaps

Firefighters cleared the scene at about 4 p.m. and the smoldering debris will be monitored over the next few days, Bradford said. http://www.greatfallstribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070427/NEWS01/704270321/1002

USA, OHIO, MONROE APRIL 28 2007. LUNA PIER STATION OWNER CHARGED IN LEAK OF FUEL INTO LAKE Benjamin Alexander-Bloch A man from New Boston, Mich., was charged yesterday in Monroe County District Court for failing to maintain insurance on diesel tanks that leaked about 3,500 gallons of oil into Lake Erie last year and caused more than $1 million in damage. Hassan Harajli, who is also facing two felony charges in Wayne County Circuit Court, let the insurance on his Sunoco station in Luna Pier, Mich., lapse on Sept. 1, 2006, according to assistant prosecutor Michael Brown. The Toledo Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit discovered the diesel spill on Nov. 17. The fuel station involved in the leak is the only one in Luna Pier. Its closure has caused inconvenience for local motorists and any I-75 travelers who may be seeking fuel between Toledo and Monroe. According to officials at the Michigan Department of Environmental Protection, Mr. Harajli operated 50 service stations in Michigan and Ohio, but his stations are in receivership, pending possible foreclosure. Mr. Brown said the misdemeanor charge in Monroe County could carry up to six months in jail, a $500 fine, and the responsibility to pay more than $1 million in cleanup costs. He said the Monroe County Prosecutor's Office is not charging Mr. Harajli with criminal negligence because the DEQ determined there was not sufficient evidence to show the leaks resulted from recklessness or that they were intentional. The DEQ determined the spill was caused by a broken underground line and there was no way to determine whether Mr. Harajli knew of the leak prior to the Coast Guard's findings. "It is clear that he didn't put the tank in, another company did, so it is not an issue of maintaining the tank because you don't maintain something that is underground and asphalted on top," said Mr. Harajli's attorney, Cyril Hall. "It is simply that the company that put in the pipes used inferior material." Mr. Harajli is also facing felony charges in Wayne County for allegedly hiring two men accused of assaulting his brother-in-law, Mohamad Ajami, in 2004 after a business deal over a Toledo service station went sour. The jury trial is scheduled for May 9. Conviction on the charges could carry up to 10 years in prison. Last November, the Coast Guard traced the diesel spill to the Sunoco station at 4180 Luna Pier Rd. and set up a containment apparatus. P.C. Lall, an environmental engineer for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, said most of the cleanup effort was finished last week but that an oil-water separator device will remain on the property to further mitigate some remaining contamination in the ground water. In addition to the diesel fuel found in Lake Erie, Mr. Lall said another 30,000 gallons of an oil-water mixture was found in the storm water system making its way to the lake. He said about 1,500 tons of contaminated soil was discovered on the property. Robert McCann, the Michigan DEQ's press secretary, said the DEQ has placed the Luna Pier property on its list for future funding to resolve long-term contamination issues that remain on the site. Mr. McCann said the DEQ has dealt with leaks at some of Mr. Harajli's other service stations, but he said the exact number was not available yesterday. Mitch Adelman, supervisor for the DEQ's Remediation and Redevelopment Division in the group's Jackson district office, said there were "numerous" other confirmed leaks. http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070427/NEWS03/704270386

USA, TX, HOUSTON APRIL 28 2007. TANKER FIRE WILL AFFECT RAMPS FOR WEEKS

312, 313, 314, 315, 316, 317, 318, 320 4 Tank and Petroleum Use Mishaps

Doug Miller and Alex Sanz One lane of the I-10 East ramp to Highway 59 North will be closed for up to two months after a fiery big rig accident, TxDOT officials said. The 18-wheeler, which was carrying diesel, flipped and blew up just after midnight on the Highway 59 South ramp to I-10 East. As a result, the I-10 East ramp to Highway 59 North was also shut down. The driver, 39-year-old Luis Perez, did not make it out and died. A massive truck fire at Interstate 10 and State Highway 59 could force the shutdown of the intersection for up to two weeks. At one point, the flames were shooting three stories high. The freeway inferno burned so bright, drivers saw for it miles. But the people who live around here felt it. "When it hit, you could feel the ground shaking, know what I'm saying?" said David Hutton. "It was just so loud, it shook the whole house," said Jennifer Denley. The tanker truck drove onto the ramp so fast, police say, the diesel fuel onboard shifted and the truck tipped over. Then, the volatile cargo erupted in a series of explosions. "I felt a huge thump and the back of my car came up. And I thought, 'Oh, Lord, somebody hit the back of my car.' And I looked around and there was nobody there," said Lloyd Morrison, HPD Accident Investigator. "Then I heard, boom, boom, boom, like a thunderstorm. And the flames are shooting over 100 feet in the air." By daylight, we could see the damage done by the intense heat -- so hot, it turned concrete into gravel. And by daylight, engineers could tell the repairs will take months. The ramp from 59 South to I-10 East will be closed for one to two weeks as TxDOT replaces decking and pavement. They tell us the Eastex Freeway southbound ramp onto I-10 eastbound will be closed for one or two weeks for decking and pavement repair. But on the ramp from I-10 eastbound to 59 northbound, one of the two lanes is expected to stay closed for about two months. That's because contractors will have to build four entirely new beams and then install them on the damaged interchange. It turns out the accident may never have happened had Perez stayed on his assigned route to away from downtown Houston. "When he got his truck loaded, he was supposed to hit directly to the Loop and then go around to Interstate 10 East," Officer Morrison said. "He chose to take a short cut through town, and going that high rate of speed, lost control of his vehicle." TxDOT said it plans to have the company Perez worked for pay for the repairs. "We will try to recover damages from the trucking company itself,We will pursue the actual cost of going out and replacing it," said Norm Wiggington, TXDOT spokesman. But for now, what was a relatively new freeway interchange is scorched with the evidence of a deadly inferno. http://www.khou.com/news/local/stories/khou070427_ac_tankerexplosion.127931fe.html

UK, CAMBRIDGE, RAF MILDENHALL APRIL 28 2007. OVER $100,000 OF FUEL MAY BE LOST IN Geoff Ziezulewicz Thousands of gallons of JP8 jet fuel lost when an underground pipe was punctured April 20 at this air base could result in a loss of more than $100,000. Base officials have said they won’t know the exact amount of fuel lost until the pipe is repaired and running again. But authorities have given estimates of up to 65,000 gallons. The fuel is valued at $2.43 a gallon, according to Mildenhall spokesman Master Sgt. Charles Tubbs, meaning that more than $157,000 in fuel may have gurgled into the ground.

312, 313, 314, 315, 316, 317, 318, 320 5 Tank and Petroleum Use Mishaps

Depending on where it is in relation to the groundwater, the fuel could be separated and usable, Ian Hill, an environment team manager with the British Environment Agency, said this week. But where the fuel is remains a mystery. For a seventh day, workers searched Friday for the missing fuel near the runway at Mildenhall. Air Force representatives have refused to release the name of the contractor involved, saying in a message Thursday night that the contractor was procured via the Defence Estates, an arm of the British Ministry of Defence that oversees military bases. But Walter Scott, a spokesman for Defence Estates, would not release the contractor’s name Friday, referring the query back to the Air Force at Mildenhall. Late Friday, Tubbs said the contractor’s name is not being released because of the British Environment Agency’s investigation of the spill and the Air Force’s role in supporting that work. Before the drilling that would eventually hit the fuel pipe, the contractor was provided with maps and a work clearance permit delineating where the fuel piping and other utilities were, Tubbs said Thursday in an e-mail. The contractor was drilling a hole horizontally underground when the rupture occurred, hitting the pipe at a 90- degree angle. Air Force representatives also have refused to release incident reports from when the spill was discovered about 9:50 p.m. on April 20. Earlier this week, shallow trenches were dug on either side of the rupture site and across the taxiway where the contractor’s drill initially bored a hole. Those trenches were dug to see if the fuel had moved laterally, said Lt. Col. Scott Hartford, commander of Mildenhall’s 100th Civil Engineering Squadron. No fuel was found there, and the holes being dug Friday were deeper to groundwater levels in hopes of finding the jet fuel there. Once workers reach the groundwater that collects in the crags of chalky rock three to four meters underground, the fuel’s location should be better understood, Tubbs said in an e-mail. The water levels for this groundwater are currently pretty high, meaning the fuel could be floating on top of that groundwater and may be able to just be pumped out, Hill said this week. The groundwater table is part of an aquifer that supplies water to the area. An aquifer is a layer of permeable rock, gravel, sand or silt that water can be extracted from. Representatives with Anglian Water, the utility that pumps the aquifer water into area taps, said there has been no evidence of fuel infiltration into the water supply at this point. There was concern earlier this week that the fuel could reach a nearby “bore hole,” which is basically a hole drilled into the ground through which water is pumped out. http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=45430

USA, TX, HOUSTON APRIL 289 2007. JUDGE ORDERS BP TO REVEAL WHAT MAY HAVE LEAKED Scott E. Williams BP has until next week to identify the “toxic substance” suspected of sending at least 112 workers to area hospitals last week. That was the order of U.S. District Court Judge Samuel Kent, in a case filed Monday by a group of workers. However, BP, city and state officials said there is no hard evidence a leak even occurred. Attorney Anthony Buzbee filed a negligence lawsuit Monday at Galveston’s U.S. district courthouse, originally on behalf of about 10 of the contractors. Buzbee said many of his clients suffered injuries April 19 after passing out and falling off of scaffolds and other structures. Workers also reportedly suffered nausea and what BP spokesman Scott Dean called “flu-like symptoms.” Since Monday, however, Buzbee said his office had been “flooded with calls and people coming by.” The attorney said his group of plaintiffs had swelled and now numbered about 40. The lawsuit claims BP was negligent because it had no device to detect, prevent or warn of a hazardous leak, among other reasons. BP spokesman Neil Chapman said the leak could have occurred elsewhere and drifted onto the company’s refinery.

312, 313, 314, 315, 316, 317, 318, 320 6 Tank and Petroleum Use Mishaps

“We’ve formed an investigation team and are investigating different leads, including possibilities onsite and offsite,” he said. Despite that probe and air monitoring that has gone on for a week, Chapman said BP still had not found the leak’s source. Kent’s order requires BP to “preserve all evidence, including correspondence, incident reports, logs, e- mails, readings from any measuring device” and any other material connected to the reported leak. Chapman said he did not want to speculate on what would happen if the leaked substance is still unknown on May 4, the order’s deadline. “I can tell you that we will carry on with our investigation,” he said. Buzbee said that he anticipated BP would have an answer by the judge’s deadline. “If there is no answer, we’d have to convince ourselves that they’re sincere, but if it really is impossible to comply, well, you can’t expect someone to do something that can’t be done,” Buzbee said. “However, I don’t think that’s going to be the case. Hopefully, we’ll know within the next 10 days what 112 workers were exposed to.” http://www.khou.com/news/local/galveston/stories/khou070426_tj_bpleakfolo.10d7f356.html

USA, CT, NEW HAVEN APRIL 29 2007. GLASTONBURY BARN OWNER DIES IN FIRE CAUSED BY GASOLINE VAPORS Authorities say the man who suffered a fatal heart attack after escaping from a burning barn Friday morning in Glastonbury was its 57-year-old owner. Glastonbury fire officials say Gary Nauss's family rented the former tobacco barn to an asphalt business. Nauss and one of the company's employees were working inside the barn Friday morning when a lamp apparently ignited a gasoline vapor, sparking the fire. Nauss collapsed after the men escaped. The asphalt company employee suffered burns on his arm when he dragged Nauss away from the barn. One firefighter also experienced minor respiratory problems at the scene. The barn on Naubuc Avenue housed tree cutting machinery and paving equipment. The Baker Oil Company was right next door. Neighbors say it was quite a scene. "I woke up, heard sirens, opened the window and saw fire," Tanya Lavallee said. "It was crazy." The property where the barn sits is on the East Hartford/Glastonbury town line, a historic district. http://www.wtnh.com/Global/story.asp?S=6440268&nav=menu29_2

SRI LANKA, COLOMBO APRIL 29 2007. LTTE ATTACK FUEL INSTALLATIONS The Tamil Tiger rebel group has claimed responsibility for the Saturday bombing of two fuel installations that prompted heavy security, a two-hour blackout in Sri Lanka's capital, Colombo, and disrupted activity at its airport. "These oil installations at Muthurajawela and Kolonnawa are supplying fuel to the security forces, particularly the air force," spokesman Rasiah Ilanthiriyan told CNN via satellite telephone from the rebel-held town of Kilinochchi in northern Sri Lanka. The two rebel aircraft that were involved in the attacks "successfully accomplished their mission," with two installations on fire, Ilanthiriyan said. At least five people, including three soldiers, were injured and hospitalized in the incident, and the Sri Lanka air force launched retaliatory strikes against rebel targets in the northern Wanni region. The attacks occurred as many people were awake, watching Sri Lanka's cricket team play Australia in the World Cup final on television, The Associated Press reported. Military officials confirmed the two targets. Officials said the bombing of a fuel storage complex in the northeast suburb of Muthurajawela breached a pipeline and triggered a fire that the fire brigade later extinguished. But no damage was caused by the bombing near an oil storage tank in the Colombo suburb of Kolonnawa, they said.

312, 313, 314, 315, 316, 317, 318, 320 7 Tank and Petroleum Use Mishaps

The incoming rebel aircraft were first reported by a detachment at Palavi, about 110 kilometers (68 miles) north of the main air base at Katunayake, the air force said. The report prompted a total blackout in Colombo -- the second in a week. Anti-aircraft fire was directed at the sky in several places, including the southern town of Ratmalana, where a military air base is located, and at the Katunayakeanti air base, near the Colombo International Airport. The incident was the third in a week. Fears of an air attack triggered a blackout in Colombo on Thursday and forced its international airport to temporarily shut down. Government officials had said the Sri Lanka air force received reports of three unidentified aircraft, believed to belong to Tamil Tiger rebels, flying over the town of Puttalam. A day earlier, rebel aircraft bombed an army engineers unit at Myliddy, home to the main military headquarters in the northern Jaffna peninsula, killing six soldiers and wounding 13. The Tamil Tigers have been fighting for a separate homeland for the Tamil minority in the north and east since 1983, citing decades of discrimination by the majority Sinhalese. About 65,000 people died before a 2002 cease-fire, which has been frayed by fighting between the military and Tamil Tigers in recent months. The government has vowed to dislodge the rebels from their eastern stronghold. http://www.lankaeverything.com/vinews/srilanka/20070429012210.php

USA, CA, OAKLAND APRIL 20 2007. TANKER TRUCK FIRE COLLAPSES BAY AREA OVERPASS Jesse Mckinley and Carolyn Marshall A fiery predawn tanker truck accident caused the collapse of a heavily trafficked freeway overpass near downtown on Sunday, sending hundreds of feet of concrete crashing onto a highway below and hobbling a vital Bay Area interchange. The driver of the truck, which was carrying 8,600 gallons of gasoline, was hospitalized with second-degree burns. No other injuries were reported from the accident, which occurred at 3:42 a.m. But even as the fire smoldered, transit officials said the accident could complicate the lives of commuters in both directions for months, raising the specter of circuitous detours to either the south or north. “It will make for a long trip,” said Will Kempton, the director of Cal Trans, the state transportation agency. The accident occurred in the heart of an unruly tangle of freeways known as the MacArthur Maze, where several major arteries converge at the approach to the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, which connects San Francisco with the cities on the east side of San Francisco Bay. The California Highway Patrol identified the driver as James Mosqueda, 51, from Woodland, Calif., near Sacramento. Officer Trent Cross, a spokesman for the highway patrol, said Mr. Mosqueda had just picked up the gasoline from a refinery and was headed to a gas station near the Oakland airport. The highway patrol believes that Mr. Mosqueda was heading south on Interstate 80 into an interchange with Interstate 880 when he lost control in a curve, hit a guardrail and flipped the truck on its side. The tanker exploded, which sent flames hundreds of feet into the air, witnesses said. The fire quickly buckled a three-lane section of Interstate 580 and caused it to collapse onto some lanes of Interstate 880 about 30 feet below. Michael Brown, the commissioner of the highway patrol, said the driver had been able to escape the burning truck, and he apparently took a cab in order to go to the hospital. Mr. Brown said there was “no indication of impairment of the driver” by drugs or alcohol, but that some legal issues are outstanding for both Mr. Mosqueda, and the truck’s owner, Sabek Transportation, based in San Francisco. He did not elaborate. Last June, according to records of the California Office of Spill Prevention and Response, a Sabek tanker truck jackknifed on an Interstate near Vallejo, spilling 4,500 gallons of diesel fuel, which contaminated a creek and vegetation. For some Bay Area residents, the accident evoked memories of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, which caused the collapse of a mile-long, double-decker section of I-880, near the site of Sunday’s accident. That collapse, which occurred during the evening rush hour, resulted in 41 deaths and more than 100 injuries, as cars on the lower level were crushed. Mayor Gavin Newsom of San Francisco, who visited the site on Sunday, called the collapse “a giant wake- up call to the region” about what may happen in a major temblor.

312, 313, 314, 315, 316, 317, 318, 320 8 Tank and Petroleum Use Mishaps

“It’s a matter of when not if,” Mr. Newsom said. This time around, the results were not deadly on I-880, but no less arresting to look at. Dozens of people converged near the collapse site to gawk, and rubbernecking drivers on remaining roadways slowed traffic. “I was on the road last night, so it’s kind of scary for me,” Anita Myles, 49, an Oakland resident, said as she peered at the damage through a chain link fence. Another onlooker, James Signore, a civil engineer from Oakland, said he had a professional interest in the damage. “I have not seen this kind of wreckage before,” Mr. Signore, 43, said. “And I’m really curious how something this stout could be taken down.” He was not the only one wondering how the overpass, which dates to the 1950s, had failed. At a noontime press conference held at a toll plaza near the collapse, Mr. Kempton said the heat from the fireball had most likely melted the steel girders and bolts that supported the concrete roadway. “If you have that kind of heat,” he said, “you’re going to have this kind of reaction. We’re not surprised by this result.” With a Monday morning rush hour looming, officials said they were trying to assess the damage as fast as possible. Even with fewer cars on a Sunday afternoon, traffic was slow coming off the Bay Bridge into the East Bay, a situation that will no doubt intensify as the workweek begins. On an average day, the two spans that were destroyed on Sunday morning carried 160,000 vehicles, Mr. Kempton said. Bay Area Rapid Transit, the train system connecting San Francisco and the East Bay, was not affected by the accident but said it would lengthen its trains to accommodate the rush on Monday. “We would encourage people to stay away from the maze,” Mr. Kempton said. “If experience tells us anything, it will take a day or two to get this sorted out.” Evaluating the damage will be the first step of a long process. Rebuilding the collapsed section of I-880 took nearly a decade, though Mr. Kempton called that situation “a much larger issue” involving neighborhood and environmental concerns. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger authorized money for ferries, buses and the rail system to carry commuters at no charge during Monday’s commute, The Associated Press reported. Mr. Kempton pleaded for patience, saying with this kind of complex highway system, “You’re not going to have a picnic every day.” http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/30/us/30collapse.html?em&ex=1178078400&en=f7fc273a99f11028&ei=5087%0 A USA, OH, ASHTABULA, MORGAN TOWNSHIP MAY 1 2007. GAS TANK EXPLODES - WORKER INJURED IN EXPLOSION IN MORGAN – AN EMPTY GAS TANK BEING REMOVED AT A BIG SKY ENERGY WELL SITE ON ROUTE 45 EXPLODED AROUND NOONTIME WEDNESDAY SERIOUSLY INJURING A COMPANY WORKER. Doris Cook An empty gas tank being removed at a Big Sky Energy well site on Route 45 exploded around noontime Wednesday seriously injuring a company worker. The gas well site is located just north of Sacred Heart Catholic Church. Morgan Hose Volunteer Fire Department Chief Vern Goodge said the worker, Owen Parabeck, 20, of Farmdale in Trumbull County was on top of the tank apparently removing plumbing when it blew up. Parabeck was thrown some 75 to 100 feet away from the tank into a wooded section. He is listed in guarded condition at St. Elizabeth Hospital in Youngstown after being flown from UH Geneva Medical Center. South Central Ambulance District emergency squad transported the injured man to the Geneva facility. "We had mutual aid from Rome, Austinburg and Trumbull fire departments to help at the fire. I heard a boom shortly before noon and thought it was from the new school site. I came outdoors and looked north and saw the fire," Goodge said adding his pager went off about the same time. A second worker, Jeff Homkes was with Parabeck when the tank blew up and caught fire, Goodge said. Homkes was slightly injured as he moved a pickup truck from the flaming gas tank. "Parabeck was removing plumbing from the top of the tank from what we are told. An empty gas tank like that one is more dangerous than a full one. It was part of a separator unit. The two men were replacing the empty tank with another one," Goodge said.

312, 313, 314, 315, 316, 317, 318, 320 9 Tank and Petroleum Use Mishaps

"There are gas fumes in an empty tank and a spark may have caused the explosion. We have to do more investigation to determine what actually happened," Goodge said. A blackened crumpled heap of metal of was all that was left of the exploded tank. The pickup truck was also damaged from flames, fire officials said. http://www.starbeacon.com/local/local_story_116072329

312, 313, 314, 315, 316, 317, 318, 320 10 Tank and Petroleum Use Mishaps

USA, NJ, TINTON FALLS MAY 2 2007. BERKELEY, BRICK MEN INVOLVED IN FUEL-TANK MISHAP Michelle Sahn Police have released the names of the two men who were taken to the hospital after they were overcome by fumes as they cleaned out a fuel tank at a borough business Friday. Alex Howski, 21, of Brick and Mark Perajino, 44, of Berkeley were treated at Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune and released, police said. Both men worked for Concord Environmental Services, police said. Around 8:35 a.m. Friday, police received a call from Boyd Construction on Asbury Avenue, reporting an unconscious person in a large, near-empty fuel tank on the property, police said. The above-ground tank was old and had to be cleaned before it was disposed of, Capt. David Trevena said. Howski and Perajino were cleaning the tank when Howski heard Perajino yell. Then Perajino passed out, police said. He was at the bottom of the tank, but there was also water and sludge at the bottom, so Howski went to Perajino to hold his head up so he would not drown, Trevena said. Then Howski was also overcome by fumes. A firefighter from the Wayside Fire Co., using an air tank, climbed into the tank, Trevena said. Meanwhile, the tank was being held up by wood, so other emergency workers removed the wood, and then rolled the tank to the side while the firefighter stabilized Perajino and administered first aid, police said. Then the emergency workers removed Perajino from the tank. He was conscious and breathing on his own after he was rescued, police said. Tinton Falls police, first aid squad members, and Monmouth County HazMat, also responded. The federal Occupational Safety & Health Administration was also notified about the incident, and that agency has initiated an investigation, a spokeswoman said last week. http://www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070501/NEWS02/305010004/1004/NEWS01

USA, NJ, NEWARK MAY 2 2007. EXCAVATOR FAULTED IN 2005 EXPLOSION THAT KILLED 3 Eunnie Park The National Transportation Safety Board has determined that an excavation company’s failure to protect a gas line while removing a fuel storage tank was the probable cause for a Bergenfield apartment explosion in December 2005 that killed three residents. During a board meeting Tuesday, Chairman Mark V. Rosenker called the incident a “comedy of errors,” caused by a combination of the American Tank Company’s excavation, PSE&G’s failure to oversee the project, and the borough emergency workers’ decision to not evacuate the building. “This was an unfortunate incident that clearly did not need to happen,” he said. “All of these people wanted to do the right thing, but execution was flawed.” Spokespersons for American Tank Company and PSE&G did not immediately return calls seeking comment. Bergenfield borough attorney Arthur Neiss said he will have to review NTSB’s findings with the Mayor and Council and fire officials before commenting. The explosion of the apartment building on Elm Street occurred on the morning of Dec. 13 while American Tank workers were removing an underground tank. The Bergenfield Fire Department were called to the scene but did not evacuate the building. When PSE&G technicians arrived, they detected a gas leak and were shutting down the line when the explosion occurred. Dozens of families were displaced. A few victims were hospitalized and had to undergo months of therapy for burns and other injuries. One service company worker was also injured. Some residents are still suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder. Several lawsuits have been filed on behalf of the survivors and the families of the three who died in the explosion — Frank Smith, Nicolas Vargas and Somsak Vichitlakakran.

312, 313, 314, 315, 316, 317, 318, 320 11 Tank and Petroleum Use Mishaps

NTSB members said American Tank Company workers, who had 10 to 25 years of experience at the time of the accident, should have properly evaluated the soil to determine the possibility of collapse. The company had contacted PSE&G to request that they shut off service, but excavation would have taken two days — at a time when temperatures dipped to 15 degrees — and PSE&G refused. However, they added, PSE&G should have offered alternative times when service line could be shut off. If not, the company should have had a worker at the site who could shut off the valve in case of emergency. As a result of the investigation, NTSB made several safety recommendations about training the workers and firefighters about dealing with gas pipelines. "Excavation damage continues to be a significant cause of dangerous gas pipeline explosions," Rosenker said. "There is a need for greater vigilance in preventing these accidents, and for increased emphasis on training service workers and first responders to deal with these emergencies when they unfortunately do occur." One of the former residents, Tom Phelan said he is not surprised by NTSB’s findings. “It was a lousy job,” he said, adding that the report doesn’t help him get back what he lost. “It doesn’t give me closure. I lost my life. I lost my awards.. my books… all my equipment. It’s like my whole life is gone.” RECOMMENDATIONS As a result of its investigation, the NTSB made the following safety recommendations: To the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs: Establish a requirement that all career and volunteer firefighters receive recurrent training on natural gas safety and incident response. To the Borough of Bergenfield: Establish written operating procedures for responding to natural gas incidents and emergencies. To the American Tank Service Company: Establish written procedures for safe excavation near pipelines, and provide initial and recurrent training on these procedures to employees. To the Public Service Electric and Gas Company: Modify its excavation damage prevention program and emergency plan to require site-specific risk assessments of excavators' plans. Put procedures in place to effectively manage the risk, such as increasing the surveillance of excavators and ensuring that gas shut-off valves are tested so they can be closed promptly if the pipeline is damaged. To the International Association of Fire Chiefs: Notify members of the circumstances surrounding the December 13, 2005 accident in Bergenfield, and urge them to establish procedures for emergency responders to rapidly assess situations involving natural gas leaks and to determine whether prompt evacuations are warranted. To the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration: Make the recipients of emergency planning and response grants aware of the circumstances of the Bergenfield accident for use in training on natural gas safety and incident response. http://www.northjersey.com/page.php?qstr=eXJpcnk3ZjcxN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXkzJmZnYmVsN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXk3MTI 2NzY5

USA, NY, KINGSTON MAY 2 2007. ROCHESTER OFFICIALS CONSIDER NEED TO REMOVE FUEL TANKS William J. Kemble The Rochester Town Board is reviewing steps needed for the removal of leaking fuel tanks and waste oil facilities at the Town Hall and transfer station. Questions about the tanks were raised during a Town Board meeting last week, when town Supervisor Pam Duke said the problems were identified as part of a report that found improper disposal of waste oil has damaged existing equipment. "Now we have to get a whole new pit because there's a hole that's been plugged," she said of the waste oil disposal pit. Officials are also considering whether the transfer station should continue to take waste oil because of costs involved with testing and said there are doubts about the ability of employees to handle liquids correctly.

312, 313, 314, 315, 316, 317, 318, 320 12 Tank and Petroleum Use Mishaps

"I'm not certain we should accept oil," Councilman Alex Miller said. "It sounds complicated. I'm still waiting, six or eight months now, for some sort of a plan from the gentlemen that run the transfer facility to work on scrap metal, and that's not even toxic." Duke said a 1,000-gallon fuel storage tank used for "heat in one little part of the shed" at the transfer station also needs to replaced. "It's a mess, it's old, it needs to be taken out," she said. "They need to put a new one in, a 500-gallon one ... with a meter. There's (currently) no meter, there nothing. We have no idea who's taking what out." A buried oil tank at Town Hall was also found during the review but information about its history of use was not immediately available and details about estimated costs for removal were not shared with the public. "No one even knew it was out there," Duke said. Officials said the current oil tank for heating fuel also needs to be replaced and procedures for monitoring all tanks need to be established. "They have to be monitored and they have to be recorded every single month on a form as to how they're performing," Duke said. http://www.dailyfreeman.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=18282045&BRD=1769&PAG=461&dept_id=74958&rfi=6 SINGAPORE MAY 5 2007. TWO DEAD IN FIRE AT EXXONMOBIL'S SINGAPORE REFINERY; OUTPUT NOT DISRUPTED Two workers are dead and another two sustained injuries after a fire broke out at ExxonMobil's oil refinery in Singapore, the company said. "The fire has since been put out. We regret that two people have died and two others were injured as a result of the fire," the company said in a statement. The fire broke out at 1:15 a.m. local time and was put out by the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF), the company and police said. Police said the two injured workers, who are from India and Bangladesh, are receiving treatment for their burn injuries at the Singapore General Hospital. The nationalities of the two dead workers were not immediately available, ExxonMobil said, adding the company was cooperating with the SCDF to investigate the incident. An ExxonMobil spokesman said production at the refinery, which has a daily crude refining capacity of 605,000 barrels, was not disrupted and the section of the plant affected by the fire has been shut down. "We continue to supply our customers," he told Agence France-Presse. The ExxonMobil refinery is located on Jurong Island, the man-made island built by Singapore to house the country's thriving oil and chemicals industry. Jurong Island houses major oil companies like ExxonMobil, Shell and Chevron, as well as petrochemical giants BASF, Celanese, DuPont, Mitsui Chemicals and Sumitomo Chemical. http://www.downstreamtoday.com/News/Articles/200705/Two_Dead_in_Fire_at_ExxonMobil_s_Singapo_3397.aspx

USA, UTAH, WOODS CROSS MAY 8 2007. WOODS CROSS OIL REFINERY HIT BY FIERY BLAST Russ Rizzo A furnace explosion sent flames shooting through a Woods Cross refinery Sunday night. Crude oil caught fire inside a furnace, causing the blaze at the Silver Eagle Refinery, 2355 S. 1100 West, around 7:45 p.m., said South Davis Metro Fire Deputy Chief Jim Rampton. No one was injured and few workers were at the refinery Sunday night, Rampton said. Firefighters contained the blaze within 15 minutes and had it extinguished 30 minutes later as refinery workers shut off oil valves, Rampton said. Rampton called the blaze "impressive," saying it engulfed the furnace, which is about 20 feet tall and 10 feet wide. The furnace is used to heat crude oil to extract petroleum and other derivatives. No homes were threatened by the flames, but the fire closed 1100 West in the immediate vicinity of the refinery. A 2005 blaze occurred at the Silver Eagle Refinery after a diesel line erupted inside a furnace. No one was injured in that fire.

312, 313, 314, 315, 316, 317, 318, 320 13 Tank and Petroleum Use Mishaps

http://origin.sltrib.com/ci_5835265

USA, NJ, WEST DEPTFORD TWP MAY 8 2007. BLAZE BURNS NEAR W. DEPTFORD OIL REFINERY In the Verga section at around 13:30 hours Station 6-2 (Verga) and Station 6-3 (Colonial Manor) were dispatched for the initial to Fifth Avenue along Red Bank Avenue for a reported brush fire. Upon immediate arrival of personnel and apparatus it was quickly realized that this was a well involved brush fire in the Sunoco Refinery Plant along the fences where they have several open acres of brush. Command worked against the clock to establish protection for the homes along Fifth Street where the fire was rapidly moving towards the backyards of the homes. High winds played a major role in the fight against this fast moving fire, practically fanning it into an almost impossible task. Mutual Aid was quickly requested to help with this incident. Units from Thorofare (West Deptford Station 6-1), National Park (Station 8-1), and Westville (Station 7-3) as well as several cover companies help make the call. For the firefighters on scene it was a difficult battle as high winds smothered with hot embers and a hot heat index worked against them. Small backfires were started to help destroy the moving fire from reaching homes and deck guns were put into service. The fire raged on for just under 2 and half hours before being placed under control. While this fire was being fought, smaller fires broke out almost a mile and half away in the industrial park of West Deptford on Grove Rd. Thorofare took the call in and made good work of the fire putting it out shortly after arriving. After extinguishing the minor fire, they made their way back to Refinery brush fire to again lend their assistance. http://www.firefightingnews.com/article-US.cfm?articleID=30306

MALAYSIA, PETALING JAYA, PASIR GUDANG MAY 8 2007. THREE WORKERS DIE AFTER BEING TRAPPED IN OIL TANK A Malaysian and two Nepalese workers died after they were trapped in an oil tank for nearly an hour. It is believed that the victims, all employees of Malayan Flour Mill Bhd here, went inside the 3m-tall tank at the factory to get some oil samples at 11.15am yesterday. Nepalese Balaram Bash Met and Surialal Golal and the local worker, Rahim Yaakob, slipped and fell in the midst of their task. Pasir Gudang fire station chief Rahmat Ajis said that eight firemen, assisted by 12 Johor Port firemen, arrived at 11.24am. “We managed to pulled out two of the victims after an hour and the third 10 minutes later. “All three had died by the time we managed to get them out,” said Rahmat yesterday. He added that investigations over the cause of the accident were under way, adding that their deaths could have been caused by suffocation. http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2007/5/8/nation/17658298&sec=nation

USA, WI, MILWAUKEE MAY 8 2007. FINES CHARGED IN FALK EXPLOSION Jenn Rourke and Mick Trevey A Malaysian and two Nepalese workers died after they were trapped in an oil tank for nearly an hour. It is believed that the victims, all employees of Malayan Flour Mill Bhd here, went inside the 3m-tall tank at the factory to get some oil samples at 11.15am yesterday. Nepalese Balaram Bash Met and Surialal Golal and the local worker, Rahim Yaakob, slipped and fell in the midst of their task. Pasir Gudang fire station chief Rahmat Ajis said that eight firemen, assisted by 12 Johor Port firemen, arrived at 11.24am.

312, 313, 314, 315, 316, 317, 318, 320 14 Tank and Petroleum Use Mishaps

“We managed to pulled out two of the victims after an hour and the third 10 minutes later. “All three had died by the time we managed to get them out,” said Rahmat yesterday. He added that investigations over the cause of the accident were under way, adding that their deaths could have been caused by suffocation. http://www.todaystmj4.com/news/local/7373016.html

USA, TX, HARRIS CO MAY 9 2007. 3,000 GALLONS OF FUEL SPILL AFTER PIPELINE RUPTURE Crews have cleaned up fuel that spilled out of a ruptured pipeline in northwest Harris County, KPRC Local 2 reported Tuesday. Harris County sheriff's deputies said a construction crew ripped a 2-inch extension of an 8-inch pipeline near Highway 6 and Jackrabbit Road at about 1:30 p.m. Monday. ExxonMobil officials said nearly 3,000 gallons of fuel poured out of the Baytown-Irving pipeline. Crews repaired the gash and are using special equipment to determine if there are any hairline cracks. Investigators said tests showed there is no environmental danger to the area. "We basically had non-detect levels of hazardous concentrations to the public," said B. J. Young with ExxonMobil. Several roads in the area, including part of Hempstead Highway, were closed to traffic. http://www.click2houston.com/news/13275060/detail.html USA, MASS, DANVERS MAY 9 2007. IN PRELIMINARY FINDINGS, CSB INVESTIGATORS SAY 2006 DANVERS, MASSACHUSETTS, EXPLOSION CAUSED BY SOLVENT VAPOR ACCUMULATION, LACK OF VENTILATION INSIDE BUILDING; FLAMMABLE LIQUID SAFETY STANDARDS WERE NOT IMPLEMENTED, CSB INVESTIGATORS FIND In preliminary findings released today, U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) investigators said that the November 2006 explosion which destroyed a local ink and paint manufacturing plant and damaged scores of nearby buildings was most likely caused by the inadvertent overheating of solvents left stirring overnight in an unsealed mixing tank, releasing flammable vapor which accumulated and ignited. The vapor built up in the facility because the solvent ventilation system was routinely turned off when workers departed the facility at the close of business each evening, an unsafe practice which investigators called the "immediate cause" of the accident. The explosion occurred at approximately 2:45 a.m. on November 22, long after all employees had departed the facility for the night. All fuel sources for the explosion other than flammable solvent vapor - including natural gas - were ruled out. The findings are set to be presented at a community meeting this evening in Danvers, beginning at 7 p.m. at the Sheraton Ferncroft Resort, 50 Ferncroft Road, with the five CSB board members in attendance. CSB Chairman Carolyn W. Merritt will preside. Following the presentation of findings, the Board will take comments from the public. The explosion during the overnight hours injured ten community members, damaged or destroyed more than 100 homes and businesses up to one mile away, and damaged numerous vehicles and boats. More than 50 families still have been unable to return to their homes, CSB investigators said. No workers were injured in the blast. "The Danversport explosion caused the most serious community damage of any U.S. chemical accident since the CSB was established in 1998," said Chairman Merritt. "But for the fortuitous timing of the explosion, nearby residents could have easily been killed by flying debris or the collapse of heavy building structures. We all have a strong stake in preventing such devastating accidents that disrupt communities." The Danvers facility housed two independent, privately held firms that split from a single company in 1985. CAI Inc. produced solvent-based commercial printing inks, while Arnel Corporation produced solvent-based stains and coatings. Only CAI was operating a solvent-based process the night of the explosion, when the facility was unattended, witnesses stated. The CSB investigation team noted that the facility did not comply with federal

312, 313, 314, 315, 316, 317, 318, 320 15 Tank and Petroleum Use Mishaps

and state regulations concerning the storage and use of flammable liquids and solids and also lacked related permits and licenses required under the state fire code. The building lacked floor-level ventilation systems to prevent the spread of flammable atmospheres from process equipment, as required under the OSHA flammable and combustible liquid standard. In addition, Massachusetts fire regulations require that flammable liquid storage equipment located inside buildings must be vented to the outside and must have approved automatic shutoff valves, and fire-resistant materials must be used for attached piping. These safeguards were not in place, CSB investigators said. Investigators said that the mixing tank likely overheated because steam heating valves either malfunctioned or were left open due to an operator error. The steam valves were evidently destroyed in the massive fire that followed the explosion, making it impossible to confirm an exact mechanism for the presumed overheating. However, it was determined that during the work day on November 21, a 3,000-gallon mixing tank operated by CAI had been charged with powdered resin and flammable solvents, including heptane and propyl alcohol, and heated by opening two manual valves on a connected steam piping system. The mixer was then left stirring overnight. "The operator told CSB investigators he believes he closed the steam valves before leaving for the evening, but because the valves were never recovered their actual position and functional condition cannot be determined," said CSB Supervisory Investigator John Vorderbrueggen, P.E. If the steam valves either leaked or remained open, 240-degree steam would have continued to heat the tank without restriction, evaporating off large quantities of highly flammable solvent vapor. During the overnight hours, vapor continued to flow out of the tank and throughout the building, eventually finding an ignition source, such as a spark from an electric device. "By the process of elimination, that's likely to be what happened," Mr. Vorderbrueggen said. "If the ventilation system had been left on, however, the accumulation of flammable vapor would have been greatly reduced. The practice of turning off the ventilation system at night - which was unsafe in a facility that handled large volumes of flammable solvents - was the immediate cause of the accident." "We noted that the companies lacked important safeguards for operating solvent-based processes. Such safeguards are critical to prevent a single foreseeable error or mechanical failure from leading to a catastrophic event," Mr. Vorderbrueggen said. For example, neither company used checklists or formal written procedures to help ensure the correct sequence of operator actions. There were no automatic alarms, shutdown systems, or interlocks to prevent overheating of the mixing tank. "When hazardous processes are intended to be left running unattended, it is particularly important to use multiple safeguards, sometimes called layers of protection, to prevent catastrophic accidents," Mr. Vorderbrueggen said. Investigators ruled out all other possible fuel sources for the initial explosion, including industrial-grade nitrocellulose stored on-site; heating oil that was stored inside the building; and all potential sources of natural gas. CSB Supervisory Investigator Robert Hall, PE, an engineer who formerly participated in Department of Transportation pipeline investigations, said, "We found no evidence to suggest that natural gas could have caused this accident. No gas line ran into the facility, and there is no evidence of any sufficiently large gas leak near the facility prior to the explosion." Mr. Hall said that the nearest the gas line was at least 150 feet away from the CAI/Arnel building, and that there was no credible scenario by which gas could travel along or inside a sewer pipe into the facility. "Even in the remote possibility of a low-pressure natural gas leak into the sewer system, gas would have flowed toward the houses on nearby Bates Street as well as the CAI/Arnel facility, and there was no indication that any of the Bates Street properties were affected by gas. In addition, structures have roof-level plumbing vents that would be expected to safely release any natural gas to the atmosphere before it entered the interior of a building," Mr. Hall said. "Furthermore, there was no tell-tale natural gas fire of the kind that almost always follows a major natural gas leak and explosion. Gas leaks simply don't heal themselves." Mr. Hall stated that the CSB's blast modeling confirmed the conclusion that the explosion was not fueled by natural gas. CSB investigators mapped hundreds of blast damage markers throughout the community and used these measurements to perform computer modeling of the explosion. At the community meeting tonight, investigators plan to show a diagram estimating the size and extent of the sudden blast wave that caused the widespread community damage. None of the damage to offsite buildings was caused by fire. Mr. Hall stated, "Even under optimal conditions for an explosion - with an ideal natural gas-air mixture filling the entire available building volume - a natural gas explosion would not yield sufficient energy to account for the community damage offsite. The CSB's blast modeling indicates that a natural gas explosion could not account for the blast effects that severely damaged dozens of buildings hundreds of feet from the explosion. However,

312, 313, 314, 315, 316, 317, 318, 320 16 Tank and Petroleum Use Mishaps

flammable solvent vapor from the mixing tank would contain enough energy to account for the observed community damage, according to our calculations." Chairman Merritt said, "We are acutely aware of how this accident affected the Danvers community. It is our hope that these preliminary findings will help inform citizens about what happened and provide information that will help other communities assure that companies handling hazardous materials are operating safely. We are committed to an open and transparent investigation and are keenly interested in the community's comments tonight." Mr. Vorderbrueggen said the CSB investigation will continue and that activities will include laboratory analysis of the volatility of ink mixtures produced at the facility, further explosion modeling, and analysis of opportunities to improve applicable codes, regulations, inspections, and enforcement. He said the team hopes to complete its final report within six months. The CSB is an independent federal agency charged with investigating industrial chemical accidents. The agency's board members are appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate. CSB investigations look into all aspects of chemical accidents, including physical causes such as equipment failure as well as inadequacies in regulations, industry standards, and safety management systems. www.csb.gov CANADA, ALBERTA MAY 10 2007. FATIGUE CAUSED PIPELINE CRACK - CLEANUP AND REMEDIATION OF SPILL SITE NEAR SLAVE LAKE CONTINUES hanneke brooymans An investigation into last October's pipeline leak near Slave Lake showed the line had cracked due to stress corrosion and fatigue and the external coating also failed, says the Alberta Energy and Utilities Board. The leak released approximately 7,500 barrels of sweet light crude oil in a remote area south of Slave Lake. The EUB investigation concluded public safety was not at risk during the incident. But Rainbow Pipelines Ltd. has committed to take a number of measures to increase public safety and environmental protection. In addition to meeting existing pipeline regulations, the company will lower the pipeline pressure, double the frequency of aerial surveillance, increase ground surveillance in specific areas, conduct internal line inspections, excavate, analyze and repair sites with similar characteristics, and continue to work with its corrosion experts on pipeline fatigue modeling. The board says it will track progress on these commitments. An analysis of the response determined the company's leak-detection monitoring equipment provided an appropriate alarm of the pipeline failure and the subsequent actions to shut down the pipeline were initiated promptly, the board said. Cleanup and remediation of the affected area continues and the environmental impact has been contained. The board will monitor the progress of the cleanup in co-operation with other agencies. The pipeline that leaked was 40 years old. There are about 373,000 kilometres of EUB-regulated pipelines in Alberta. More than 285,000 kilometres of pipe is at least five years old. http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news/story.html?id=c50ca82d-07e1-45a5-9968-75210cdbd6d2&k=4611

CANADA, EDMONTON MAY 12 2007. TEEN CRITICALLY HURT IN WORKPLACE EXPLOSION A teenager is in hospital in critical condition Friday morning after an industrial accident in Edmonton's west end. The young man was using a cutting torch on a 45-gallon drum at a truck and trailer repair and sales shop when the top exploded Thursday afternoon. A man was also injured. Nikki Booth, who speaks for emergency services, said the youth, who was in his teens, has "serious facial injuries."

312, 313, 314, 315, 316, 317, 318, 320 17 Tank and Petroleum Use Mishaps

Kevin Flaherty, a spokesman with the charitable organization Alberta Workers' Health Centre, said the provincial government isn't doing enough to protect young people in a province where children as young as 12 can work in the food service industry. "I'm just appalled," he said. "We really have to question at what age people are working on these jobs and what kind of training, but also education is critical to how they look at the job, whether they can assess the hazards." http://www.cbc.ca/canada/edmonton/story/2007/05/11/workplace-safety.html

312, 313, 314, 315, 316, 317, 318, 320 18 Tank and Petroleum Use Mishaps

USA, MN, AUSTIN MAY 12 2007. MPCA IDS SOURCE OF FUEL LEAK Karen Colbenson Leaky diesel pump dispensers at the Austin Auto Truck Plaza are to blame for a diesel fuel spill into East Side Lake earlier this week, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency said. Storage tank inspectors from the agency in Rochester inspected the gas station's island pumps and found dispenser lines were leaking onto the ground. The fuel was being washed down a ditch by rain; it then entered the lake. The MPCA reviewed several hours of footage from video surveillance of the pump islands at the station, and ruled out a large spill. "We did not observe any significant spill during a fueling or delivery, which means there is a chronic leaking problem," said David Morrison, an MPCA emergency responder. On Tuesday, the Austin Fire Department responded to a smell of fuel in the area near the plaza, which is about one-quarter mile from the lake. It is unknown how much fuel got into the lake, but Morrison said the lines had been leaking for awhile. The owner of the station was issued a citation requiring that all of the dispenser lines on the diesel pumps be immediately replaced. According to Morrison, the owner was given a list of corrective actions that need to be done within a specified time frame to avoid a $2,000 penalty. Costs of the clean-up are yet to be determined. A dike was built so that the water would flow through a pipe in order to get out of the holding area of the lake. Absorbent pads and pillows were placed where the water enters the lake. On Thursday, the MPCA replaced some oil-soaked pads. "The absorbent pads will remain in place until probably the first good rainfall," Morrison said. "The incident is not over yet." http://www.postbulletin.com/newsmanager/templates/localnews_story.asp?z=28&a=293803

USA, CA, FRESNO MAY 13 2007. BLAST NEAR COALINGA KILLS WELDER - HARRIS RANCH PACKING SHED PARTIALLY COLLAPSES. Denny Boyles and James Guy One man was killed and a 20,000-square-foot building partially collapsed after an explosion Friday afternoon in a Harris Ranch packing shed at Highway 145 and Colusa Avenue near Coalinga. The blast ripped through the building about 2:45 p.m. while one man was welding inside the structure, said Mike Bowman, a captain with the Fresno County Fire Protection District and Cal Fire. For a reason not immediately determined, the welding torch set off fumes inside the building, causing a flash fire and explosion, he said. The power of the blast lifted the building's second floor and sent it crashing back down onto the structure, Bowman said, leaving a mass of crumpled corrugated metal. The welder was dead when firefighters reached the scene. One other man was operating a forklift inside the building when the explosion occurred, Bowman said. The blast knocked him off the machine, but he was able to escape the building with only minor injuries. A third man outside the structure was uninjured. Firefighters were carefully examining the building for structural integrity and it was possible it might collapse further, Bowman said. He added that the blast was being treated as an accident and said officials from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration were en route to investigate. Harris Ranch officials and a farm labor contractor said workers had been welding in the packinghouse all week, preparing for the garlic harvest. Harris Farms CEO and Chairman John Harris said he heard the explosion while sitting in his office 1.5 miles away. He and several other employees rushed to the building. "Our first concern was whether there was anyone in there," he said. "It was a major explosion," Harris said. "It's hard to believe there could have been that much of explosion. It's terrible that there was a person in there, but fortunate that there were not others."

312, 313, 314, 315, 316, 317, 318, 320 19 Tank and Petroleum Use Mishaps

Seven engine companies, two ambulances and a five-person technical rescue team from the Fresno County Fire Protection District rushed to the explosion call, Bowman said. Firefighters initially believed as many as three people might be trapped in the building, but were told when they arrived that only one worker was inside. Bowman said fire crews had recovered the man's body by 4 p.m., but still searched through the rubble to make sure no one else was injured or killed. The packinghouse is operated by Harris Fresh and is used for packing fresh garlic. Garlic packing customarily starts in late July or early August. At the peak of harvest and packing, the building is occupied by 50 to 60 people. Harris said the explosion destroyed the building. Most of the roof was blown off, and some of the sides of the building were crumpled. "The basic beams are still there and that's it," he said. He estimated the building's value at about $100,000 and its contents also at $100,000. The building was formerly used as a cotton gin. It's about 50 years old and measured roughly 200 feet by 60 feet. Harris said no jobs will be lost as a result of the destruction of the packinghouse. "We'll figure out some way to make adjustments," he said. The victim was a farm laborer, according to his employer, farm labor contractor Piedad Ayala of Riverdale. Ayala said he was saddened to hear about the accident. "We lost a good friend and a good employee," Ayala said. "This is very painful for us." Ayala was in Phoenix for a meeting Friday and was flying back to Fresno that afternoon. He said several of his employees had been working at the packinghouse for more than a week, getting the facility ready for the garlic harvest. "This is the first time in 15 years that we have had a fatality in our company," Ayala said. His company is one of the largest farm labor contractors in the region, employing nearly 2,000 workers during peak harvest periods. http://www.fresnobee.com/263/story/47282.html CANADA, EDMONTON MAY 14 2007. EXPLOSION AT WEST SIDE WORKSITE - 16-YEAR-OLD SUFFERED SEVERE FACIAL TRAUMA Cary Castagna A 16-year-old boy suffered severe facial trauma Thursday afternoon in an unexplained explosion at a truck-parts company on the city’s west side, officials said. The teen was using a blow torch to cut the rim off a 45-gallon drum about 1:30 p.m., moments before the barrel exploded and shot steel into his face at Fort Garry Industries, said Alberta Occupational Health and Safety spokesman Barrie Harrison. The boy was taken in serious condition to the Stollery Children’s Hospital with “severe facial trauma,” but he was expected to survive the workplace mishap, said EMS spokesman Nikki Booth. Booth and Harrison couldn’t confirm initial reports that part of the teen’s face was taken off in the blast. “We just heard the bang,” said Shelley Klassen, a receptionist at the neighbouring plumbers and pipefitters union office building. “There was smoke and that was it.” Employees at Fort Garry Industries were visibly shaken up. The boy’s distraught co-workers gathered in front of the industrial complex at 16230 118 Ave., but angrily refused comment when approached by media. The company’s regional manager didn’t immediately return calls. Headquartered in Winnipeg, Fort Garry Industries – dubbed “The Truckers’ Best Friend” – is a leading supplier of truck and trailer parts and equipment to the transportation industry, as well as fire trucks and rubber products to customers across Western Canada, according to the company’s website. Occupational Health and Safety was in the preliminary stages of its investigation. http://www.edmontonsun.com/News/Edmonton/2007/05/10/4170484.html

312, 313, 314, 315, 316, 317, 318, 320 20 Tank and Petroleum Use Mishaps

CANADA, EDMONTON MAY 14 2007. SECOND TANK COLLAPSES AT FORT MCMURRAY WORK SITE - LABOUR GROUP CALLS FOR SITE CLOSURE David Howell A second oil storage tank has collapsed at the Horizon oilsands construction site north of Fort McMurray where two Chinese workers were killed in April. No one was injured in the latest collapse, which occurred around 6:30 p.m. Saturday, said James Frey, a spokesman for Alberta Employment, Immigration and Industry. Frey said the collapse was reported to Alberta Occupational Health and Safety by Canadian Natural Resources Ltd., the company building the $10.8-billion Horizon project 70 kilometres north of Fort McMurray. A CNRL official reached in Calgary on Sunday said he couldn't provide any information. On April 24, two Chinese citizens working for Chinese contractor Sinopec Shanghai Engineering died instantly when the roof of a large storage tank collapsed. Four other workers, also from China, were injured. The investigation into the April collapse is expected to take months. Nobody was near the tank that collapsed Saturday because a stop-work order from the April accident was still in effect, Frey said. "There wasn't any work going on the site." Saturday's collapse will be examined as part of the investigation that was launched in April, he said. Gil McGowan, president of the Alberta Federation of Labour, said he was told the tank that collapsed Saturday was located right beside the one that failed in April. Saturday's incident raises further questions about workplace safety at the Horizon site, McGowan said. "That contractor is still building tanks based on the same design, with the same construction practices, same materials and same work crews," he said. "We think it is reasonable to assume that if two tanks have collapsed, others may also collapse. "We think the site should be shut down until the safety of the workers is guaranteed." More than 300 delegates at an AFL convention voted unanimously Sunday to shut down the entire CNRL site. "What's happening on the Horizon site is unprecedented. We've never heard of a case where one major accident is followed by another in quick succession." http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news/story.html?id=b4a169be-2626-4267-8435- d25128b64ee6&k=42377

USA, TX, MERCEDES MAY 19 2007. THREE DEAD AFTER STORAGE TANK EXPLODES Amanda Harris Three people were killed and their bodies burned beyond recognition Friday when a liquid storage tank exploded in a field near Mercedes, Hidalgo County Sheriff Lupe Treviño said. “I’m going to estimate by their stature that they were between 13 years old to maybe 16 years old,” Treviño said. “They will most likely be identified through DNA.” Officials found two bodies near the explosion site and another about 30 yards away, he said. The explosion occurred between 2:20 and 3 p.m. off Pedro Martinez Road near Highway 281, officials said. “It appears that three young people, and I can’t tell you the age, not even the sex at this point, were messing around with the storage tank with some sort of petroleum-based liquid or oil,” Treviño said. “It appears that one of them got on top, opened the can and maybe either lit (a) lighter or a match and that’s when it exploded.” The tank was located in an empty field dotted with yellow wildflowers across from Waterfall Street, where concerned residents gathered and waited to learn the identities of the three victims. A dirt road runs through the field from Pedro Martinez Road toward where the tank was located. Although there is gate at the entrance to the dirt road, near Waterfall Road, there was no barrier around the tank itself, Treviño said. “It was totally unsecured,” he said. “There is not a fence, not a gate — nothing to prohibit anyone from entering the site.” Investigators found no vehicles at the scene, leading them to believe the victims walked there, Treviño said. 312, 313, 314, 315, 316, 317, 318, 320 21 Tank and Petroleum Use Mishaps

When the tank exploded, part of it was blasted away from the explosion site into the field. “You can tell that (the portion of the tank) didn’t tumble over there,” Treviño said. “It flew up into the air and landed there.” Treviño said an investigator located a lighter in the field near the explosion, but it was not immediately clear if that was what ignited the tank’s combustible contents. The tank, which was cylindrical and measured about 10 feet in diameter, was almost three-quarters full of an unknown petroleum-based substance, based on the line marking the portion of the tank that landed in the field, Treviño said. There were also footprints on the top of the tank, as if someone had been standing on it, he said. Treviño said one person may have stood on the tank and lit a match or sparked a lighter, which could have caused the explosion and launched that person away from the blast site. The other two people were likely standing near the base of the tank when it exploded, which could be why their bodies were found nearer the site of the blast, he said, Officials were still investigating the explosion scene Friday to determine the official cause of the blast, Treviño said. Mercedes resident Joe Piñon, 26, lives near the site and was in the area when the blast occurred, he said. “I was at home and I was walking to my brother’s house when I heard the explosion,” Piñon said. “I ran and got into my truck and drove over here. It was pretty bad. You could see all of the smoke and the fire.” Students from the Mercedes school district gathered near Waterfall Street in the late afternoon, concerned that the deceased were their classmates. Some sat on the side of the road in the grass, crying and hugging one another. A portion of the tank was marked with graffiti, and beer bottles were scattered near the site, indicating the spot was probably a gathering place for area teens, Treviño said. Mercedes resident Vidal Vallia, 18, lives in a house at the intersection of Waterfall and Pedro Martinez Road, and affirmed local teens frequent the area near the tank. He never thought there was any danger near the tank, since it wasn’t fenced, he said. “Everybody walks out there to hang out,” Vallia said. He said he heard the explosion and was part of a group of Waterfall Street residents and other Mercedes teens who attempted to walk through the field to the site to try to identify the bodies, but Hidalgo County sheriff’s officials stopped them. “They told us that they were collecting evidence and to leave and that we weren’t helping them any,” Vallia said. Treviño said the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s office would continue working with the fire marshal to piece together what happened. http://www.themonitor.com/news/tank_2496___article.html/trevi%C3%B1o_site.html

NORWAY, BERGEN MAY 25 2007. Norway Oil Storage Tank Explodes A petroleum storage tank exploded at an industrial area across a fjord from Norway's largest oil refinery Thursday, reportedly causing flames to shoot 60 meters (200 feet) into the air, police said. There were no reports of injuries in the 10 a.m. (0800 GMT) blast, which witnesses said started when a petroleum storage tank exploded. The area near Norway's second largest city, Bergen, on the west coast, was evacuated. District sheriff Henry Indreboe said all eight people known to be working near the tank were unharmed. The Mongstad oil refinery, operated by Statoil ASA, was not threatened because it is on the other side of the fjord, separated from the blaze by water, Indreboe said. The tank was owned by petroleum services company Vest Tank, which cleans contaminated drilling mud from offshore oil drilling rigs and processes leftover crude oil from tankers. The cause of the explosion was not immediately known. Local resident Rigmor Solheim was dropping her daughter off at a nearby ferry dock at the time of the explosion. "Right when she got out of the car, there was a powerful explosion. I thought it was war. Right after that, I saw black smoke and flames," she said on the NRK radio network.

312, 313, 314, 315, 316, 317, 318, 320 22 Tank and Petroleum Use Mishaps

Indreboe said all available firefighters were trying to control the blaze, and that supply ships from Mongstad were using their water cannons to cool off the area. News reports also said an empty oil tanker moored near the fire was being moved away to safety. http://cms.firehouse.com/content/article/article.jsp?sectionId=46&id=54856

312, 313, 314, 315, 316, 317, 318, 320 23