Industrial Incidents Caused by Relief System Failure¶
Relief system failures — including undersized relief valves, blocked or isolated relief paths, and relief devices that discharged to unsafe locations — allowed pressure to build to vessel failure at the very moment the system was relied upon most. CSB investigations consistently find that relief system adequacy reviews are incomplete and that management-of-change processes do not always trigger revalidation after process modifications.
Incidents (18)¶
| Incident | Date | Location | Key Hazards |
|---|---|---|---|
| T2 Laboratories Inc. Reactive Chemical Explosion | 12/19/2007 | Jacksonville, FL | Runaway Reaction, Thermal Runaway |
| Optima Belle Explosion and Fire | 12/08/2020 | Belle, WV | Explosion, Fire |
| First Chemical Corp. Reactive Chemical Explosion | 10/13/2002 | Pascgoula, MS | Runaway Reaction, Explosion |
| Isotec/Sigma Aldrich Nitric Oxide Explosion | 09/21/2003 | Miami Township, OH | Explosion, Chemical Release |
| Bayer CropScience Pesticide Waste Tank Explosion | 08/28/2008 | Institute, WV | Runaway Reaction, Explosion |
| Cuisine Solutions Ammonia Release | 07/31/2024 | Sterling, VA | Ammonia Release, Toxic Release |
| Dow Louisiana Operations Explosions | 07/14/2023 | Plaquemine, LA | Explosion, Fire |
| Praxair Flammable Gas Cylinder Fire | 06/24/2005 | St. Louis, MO | Fire, Explosion |
| Goodyear Heat Exchanger Rupture | 06/11/2008 | Houston, TX | Overpressure, Chemical Release |
| Midland Resource Recovery Explosion | 05/24/2017 | Barbour County, WV | Explosion, Runaway Reaction |
| Kuraray Pasadena Release and Fire | 05/19/2018 | Pasadena, TX | Chemical Release, Fire |
| Veolia Environmental Services Flammable Vapor Explosion and Fire | 05/04/2009 | West Carrollton, OH | Explosion, Fire |
| MFG Chemical Inc. Toxic Gas Release | 04/12/2004 | Dalton, GA | Runaway Reaction, Toxic Release |
| D.D. Williamson & Co. Catastrophic Vessel Failure | 04/11/2003 | Louisville, KY | Overpressure, Explosion |
| Morton International Inc. Runaway Chemical Reaction | 04/08/1998 | Patterson, NJ | Runaway Reaction, Thermal Runaway |
| KMCO LLC Fatal Fire and Explosion | 04/02/2019 | Crosby, TX | Vapor Cloud Explosion, Flash Fire |
| BP America (Texas City) Refinery Explosion | 03/23/2005 | Texas City, TX | Explosion, Fire |
| Sonat Exploration Co. Catastrophic Vessel Overpressurization | 03/04/1998 | Pitkin, LA | Overpressure, Fire |
Common Patterns¶
Across these 18 investigations, the CSB consistently found relief system failure alongside these co-occurring failure modes, industries, and hazard types:
Co-occurring failure modes: Design Deficiency · Procedural Failure · Training Deficiency · Human / Operator Error · Management of Change Failure
Primary industries: Chemical Manufacturing, Food Processing, Oil And Gas Production
Associated hazard types: Chemical Release · Overpressure · Explosion · Fire
Data sourced from CSB.gov public investigation reports. This site is an independent project not affiliated with the U.S. CSB.