HSE warns on rise in UK chemical plant accidents

05 July 2006 13:20  [Source: ICIS news]

LONDON (ICIS news)--Serious concerns over the level of major incidents in recent years at UK chemical plants and other installations involving hazardous materials have been expressed by the UK’s Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

Kevin Allars, head of the chemical industries division of the HSE’s hazardous installations directorate, said that on average a major incident was expected once every three years.

However, he said there had been four major incidents in the last six years – at BP in Grangemouth (mid-2000), ConocoPhillips on Humberside (2001), the Buncefield storage depot fire (2005) and recently Terra Nitrogen’s ammonia plant explosion on Billingham.

Allars, who was speaking at the UK’s Tank Storage Association’s annual meeting on Tuesday, said there had also been a very close near miss when 15 tonne of hexylamine escaped from Invista’s plant on Teesside.

Fortunately, he added, the UK had been extremely lucky that the number of casualties involved in these major incidents had been very low.

The Invista leak was dispersed by the wind before the vapour found a source of ignition, he added, and the Terra explosion occurred at high level and went upwards, reducing effects at ground level.

The HSE, which on Tuesday asked operators storing hazardous substances in large tanks to carry out immediate checks on TAV branded level switches, will issue an interim report on its Buncefield enquiry on 12 July.

Allars said the findings suggested that up to 60 major hazard installations in the UK, which operate under Comah regulations, would have to widen their public consultation areas as a result of the Buncefield incident.

By: John Baker
+44 20 8652 3214

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