560:
218:
from ruptured lines in the plant were out of reach in the burning wreckage. No remotely operated fail-safe isolation valves existed in the combined plant/firefighting water system. In addition, the regular-service fire-water pumps were disabled by the fire which destroyed their electrical power cables. Of the three backup diesel-operated fire pumps, one had been taken out of service, and one ran out of fuel in about an hour. Firefighting water was brought in by hoses laid to remote sources: settling ponds, a cooling tower, a water main at a neighboring plant, and even the
174:
52:
132:
140:
1236:
115:
would have been open while the switch in the control room was in the "valve closed" position. After that, the valve was opened when it was expected to stay closed, and finally passed the reactor content into air. A vapor cloud formed and travelled rapidly through the polyethylene plant. Within 90 to 120 seconds, the vapor cloud came into contact with an ignition source and exploded with the force of 2.4 tons of
272:
1019:
264:
606:
1248:
217:
water system at the HCC was part of the process water system. When the first explosion occurred, some fire hydrants were sheared off at ground level by the blast. The result was inadequate water pressure for firefighting. The shut-off valves which could have been used to prevent the loss of water
114:
During routine maintenance, isolation valves were closed and compressed air hoses that actuated them physically disconnected as a safety measure. The air connections for opening and closing this valve were identical, and had been improperly reversed when last re-connected. As a result, the valve
35:, and the resulting fires took 10 hours to bring under control, as efforts to battle the fire were hindered due to damaged water pipes for the fire hydrants from the blast. The initial explosion was found to have resulted from a release of extremely flammable process gasses used to produce
155:
employees and 129 contract employees). In addition to the loss of life and injuries, the explosion affected all facilities within the complex, causing $ 715.5 million worth of damage plus an additional business disruption loss estimated at $ 700 million. The two polyethylene production
87:
material used to make milk bottles and other containers. Approximately 1500 people worked at the facility, including 905 company employees and approximately 600 daily contract employees, who were engaged primarily in regular maintenance activities and new plant construction.
238:
Search and rescue efforts were delayed until the fire and heat subsided and all danger of further explosions had passed. These operations were difficult because of the extensive devastation in the HCC and the danger of structural collapse. The
160:
nearest the source of the blast were destroyed, and in the HCC administration building nearly 0.5 mile away, windows were shattered and bricks ripped out. The initial explosion was equivalent to an earthquake registering 3.5 on the
938:
1316:
243:
requested, and the FAA approved and implemented, a one-mile no-fly zone around the plant to prevent engine vibration and/or helicopter rotor downwash from dislodging any of the wreckage. The
435:
near 924 Jefferson Road, Pasadena, Texas was dedicated on the first anniversary of the disaster, and was declared by company officials to be open to the general public at all times.
43:
fined
Phillips Petroleum Company $ 5,666,200 and fined Fish Engineering and Construction, inc, the maintenance contractor, $ 729,600. The event killed 23 employees and injured 314.
888:
1351:
942:
518:
and 12 serious violations with a combined total proposed penalty of $ 729,600 to Fish
Engineering and Construction, Inc., a maintenance contractor on the site."
198:
40:
1356:
495:
1346:
222:. The fire was brought under control within about 10 hours as a result of the combined efforts of fire brigades from other nearby companies, local
151:. A powerful and devastating explosion and fire ripped through the HCC, killing 23 people—all working at the facility—and injuring 314 others (185
652:"OSHA: Phillips 66 Company Houston Chemical Complex Explosion and Fire: A Report to the President, U.S. Dept. of Labor, Washington, DC (1990)"
123:
storage tank, then by the catastrophic failure of another polyethylene reactor, and finally by other explosions, probably about six in total.
980:
202:
189:
association (CIMA). Cooperating governmental agencies were the Texas Air
Control Board, the Harris County Pollution Control Board, the
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119:. Ten to fifteen minutes later, that was followed by the explosion of the 20,000 U.S. gal (76,000 L)
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20:
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Today, the facility continues to manufacture polyethylene. This complex employs 450 workers for the production of
1071:
973:
536:
80:
36:
914:"Chevron Phillips Chemical Company LLC - Worldwide Operations (hotlink sequence: Polyethylene, Texas, Pasadena)"
1336:
1134:
289:, and official date of death (following recovery and identification of remains or eventual death from injuries)
275:
Granite memorial (close-up). A few of the names differ slightly from the official death records shown at left.
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51:
32:
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863:
837:
811:
147:
The incident started at approximately 1:05 PM local time on
October 23, 1989, at 1400 Jefferson Road,
19:
On 23 October 1989 at approximately 1:05 PM Central
Daylight Time, a series of explosions occurred at
1341:
1240:
966:
580:
252:
219:
55:
Aerial view of the
Phillips plant prior to the explosion, looking from the southwest to the northeast
28:
1144:
1087:
619:
107:. More than 85,000 lb (39 t) of highly flammable gases were released through an open
1092:
785:
763:
735:
548:
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507:
351:
131:
103:
gases that occurred during regular maintenance operations on one of the plant's polyethylene
1048:
624:
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244:
194:
104:
100:
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341:
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917:
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and 9 serious violations with a combined total proposed penalty of $ 5,666,200 to
271:
337:
James
Deowens Hubbard, 45, Houston, 25 October 1989 (listed as James Hubbard Jr.)
255:. OSHA preserved evidence for evaluation regarding the cause of the catastrophe.
1043:
1033:
989:
939:"Docket H054A, EX. 50-1-2-24, 24.0 Chromium Catalyst Users, page 24-5 (5 of 20)"
263:
1018:
889:"02/12/1991 - Investigation conducted by OSHA at the Houston Chemical Complex"
601:
485:
Proximity of high-occupancy structures (control rooms) to hazardous operations
1282:
1269:
838:"Vital Records - Harris County, TX - Deaths 1989 (Hernandez through Johnson)"
767:
739:
422:
409:
864:"Vital Records - Harris County, TX - Deaths 1989 (Stancil through Vardaman)"
120:
97:
812:"Vital Records - Harris County, TX - Deaths 1989 (Acosta through Berleth)"
531:, OSHA agreed to delete the willful characterization of the citations and
506:"At the conclusion of the investigation (April 19, 1990), OSHA issued 566
700:"Explosion and Fire at the Phillips Company - Houston Chemical Complex"
84:
958:
494:
Insufficient separation between the reactors and the control room for
39:, a plastic used for various consumer food container products. The US
1038:
558:
286:
270:
262:
251:
fire boats evacuated to safety over 100 trapped people across the
172:
138:
130:
108:
50:
962:
786:"Vital Records - Harris County, TX - Deaths 1989 (root folder)"
285:
Fatally wounded, listed by name, age, city of residence within
400:
John
Medrano, 30 October 1989 (listed as Juan Trejo-Medrano)
267:
Granite memorial (far) at 924 Jefferson Rd, Pasadena, Texas.
16:
1989 flammable gas explosion accident in
Pasadena, Texas, US
539:
procedures at HCC and the company's sister facilities at
477:
system not maintained in an adequate state of readiness.
762:. Pasadena, Texas: PCL Publishing Company. 1990-10-23.
734:. Pasadena, Texas: PCL Publishing Company. 1989-10-26.
583:, including 150 operations and maintenance personnel.
363:
Cipriano
Rodriguez Jr., 42, Pasadena, 27 October 1989
185:
fire brigade which was soon joined by members of the
1317:
Industrial fires and explosions in the United States
331:
Delbert Lynn Haskell, 43, Deer Park, 29 October 1989
177:
Aerial photo of complex as seen from north to south.
1204:
1173:
1153:
1112:
1105:
1080:
1064:
1057:
1026:
996:
471:
Inadequate ventilation systems for nearby buildings
360:
Gerald Galen Pipher, 39, Deer Park, 30 October 1989
357:
Mary Kathryn O'Connor, 34, Houston, 29 October 1989
586:The facility experienced additional fatalities in
535:agreed to pay a $ 4 million fine and to institute
465:Lack of combustible gas detection and alarm system
376:Nathan Gene Warner, 30, Deer Park, 24 October 1989
373:Lino Ralph Trujillo, 39, Pasadena, 29 October 1989
347:James Arthur Nichols, 40, Baytown, 27 October 1989
96:The accident resulted from a release of extremely
334:Scotty Dale Hawkins, 32, Houston, 28 October 1989
328:Mark Lloyd Greeson, 30, Pasadena, 28 October 1989
453:Inadequate standard operating procedures (SOPs)
779:
777:
730:"Death toll now 5, missing Phillips workers".
315:, 7 November 1989 (listed as Eloy Albert Arce)
974:
527:As a result of a settlement between OSHA and
199:Occupational Safety and Health Administration
41:Occupational Safety and Health Administration
8:
753:
751:
749:
481:Additional factors found by OSHA included:
386:Fatally wounded and official dates of death
325:Eloy Gonzales, 36, Houston, 1 November 1989
165:and threw debris as far away as six miles.
1109:
1061:
981:
967:
959:
31:. The initial blast registered 3.5 on the
181:The initial response was provided by the
1352:October 1989 events in the United States
459:Inadequate maintenance permitting system
294:Stephen Donald Huff, 21, 25 October 1989
694:
692:
690:
688:
686:
684:
682:
680:
678:
640:
488:Inadequate separation between buildings
646:
644:
397:William Scott Martin, 25 October 1989
135:Map of area affected by the explosion
7:
1247:
462:Inadequate lockout/tagout procedures
280:Phillips Petroleum Company employees
203:U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
1357:1989 disasters in the United States
394:Jose Lara Gonzalez, 23 October 1989
391:Juan Manuel Garcia, 30 October 1989
758:"Looking forward, thinking back".
502:Quoting from a key OSHA document:
23:Houston Chemical Complex (HCC) in
14:
862:Mahaffey, Chuck H. (2001-08-25).
836:Mahaffey, Chuck H. (2001-08-25).
810:Mahaffey, Chuck H. (2001-08-25).
784:Mahaffey, Chuck H. (2001-08-25).
443:OSHA's major findings included:
59:The HCC produced approximately 15
1347:Urban fires in the United States
1246:
1235:
1234:
1017:
604:
664:from the original on 2008-02-27
563:Site of Phillips explosions of
191:Federal Aviation Administration
1196:2001 Humber Refinery explosion
318:James Henry Campbell Jr., 30,
297:Ruben Quilantan Alamillo, 35,
230:foam trucks and fire brigade.
1:
187:Channel Industries Mutual Aid
1140:Rodeo San Francisco Refinery
630:List of industrial disasters
468:Presence of ignition sources
21:Phillips Petroleum Company's
350:Jesse Thomas Northrup, 43,
1373:
1217:Phillips Petroleum Process
868:Texas Department of Health
842:Texas Department of Health
816:Texas Department of Health
790:Texas Department of Health
760:The Daily Pasadena Citizen
732:The Daily Pasadena Citizen
575:(as photographed in 2008).
533:Phillips Petroleum Company
529:Phillips Petroleum Company
512:Phillips Petroleum Company
381:Fish Engineering employees
241:Phillips Petroleum Company
228:Phillips Petroleum Company
183:Phillips Petroleum Company
153:Phillips Petroleum Company
1322:Chemical plant explosions
1230:
1072:Chevron Phillips Chemical
1015:
537:process safety management
491:Crowded process equipment
456:Non-fail-safe block valve
366:Jesse Oscar Trevino, 33,
81:high-density polyethylene
37:high-density polyethylene
1135:Rockies Express Pipeline
304:James Edward Allen, 38,
111:almost instantaneously.
1191:2000 Phillips explosion
1186:1999 Phillips explosion
1161:Immingham Power Station
449:process hazard analysis
423:29.733111°N 95.182528°W
1181:1989 Phillips disaster
1009:Phillips Petroleum Co.
576:
520:
404:A granite memorial at
311:Albert Eloy Arce, 34,
276:
268:
178:
144:
136:
56:
1283:29.72806°N 95.18139°W
562:
504:
428:29.733111; -95.182528
274:
266:
176:
142:
134:
79: t) per year of
54:
47:Prior to the disaster
1174:Industrial disasters
581:speciality chemicals
253:Houston Ship Channel
220:Houston Ship Channel
29:Houston Ship Channel
1327:Explosions in Texas
1288:29.72806; -95.18139
1279: /
1145:Wood River Refinery
1088:Tidewater Petroleum
990:Phillips 66 Company
870:. USGenWeb Archives
844:. USGenWeb Archives
818:. USGenWeb Archives
792:. USGenWeb Archives
620:1990 ARCO explosion
419: /
1307:Explosions in 1989
577:
496:emergency shutdown
340:Richard Leos, 30,
277:
269:
259:List of casualties
179:
145:
137:
57:
1262:
1261:
1169:
1168:
1125:Billings Refinery
1101:
1100:
1093:Tosco Corporation
549:Woods Cross, Utah
370:, 30 October 1989
354:, 28 October 1989
344:, 29 October 1989
322:, 26 October 1989
308:, 2 November 1989
301:, 25 October 1989
234:Search and rescue
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941:. Archived from
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916:. Archived from
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891:. Archived from
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705:. Archived from
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625:Chevron Phillips
614:
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245:U.S. Coast Guard
224:fire departments
195:U.S. Coast Guard
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1337:Pasadena, Texas
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1222:Phillips, Texas
1200:
1165:
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1130:Humber Refinery
1120:Bayway Refinery
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475:Fire protection
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249:Port of Houston
236:
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201:(OSHA) and the
171:
149:Pasadena, Texas
129:
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72:
70:
62:
60:
49:
25:Pasadena, Texas
17:
12:
11:
5:
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1332:Fires in Texas
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1212:Phillips 66ers
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1205:Related topics
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555:Facility today
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169:Early response
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1312:1989 in Texas
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1002:
1001:
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991:
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979:
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972:
970:
965:
964:
961:
945:on 2011-05-20
944:
940:
934:
931:
920:on 2008-02-14
919:
915:
909:
906:
895:on 2011-03-23
894:
890:
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712:on 2007-11-30
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545:Borger, Texas
542:
541:Sweeny, Texas
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439:OSHA findings
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163:Richter scale
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69: lb (6.8
68:
53:
46:
44:
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38:
34:
33:Richter scale
30:
26:
22:
1264:
1251:
1239:
1180:
1058:Subsidiaries
997:Predecessors
947:. Retrieved
943:the original
933:
922:. Retrieved
918:the original
908:
897:. Retrieved
893:the original
883:
872:. Retrieved
867:
857:
846:. Retrieved
841:
831:
820:. Retrieved
815:
805:
794:. Retrieved
789:
759:
731:
725:
714:. Retrieved
707:the original
666:. Retrieved
612:Texas portal
585:
578:
564:
526:
505:
501:
480:
442:
414:95°10′57.1″W
411:29°43′59.2″N
403:
237:
215:firefighting
212:
209:Firefighting
180:
146:
113:
95:
76:
66:
58:
18:
1342:Phillips 66
1286: /
1034:Phillips 66
498:procedures.
426: /
193:(FAA), the
27:, near the
1301:Categories
1274:95°10′53″W
1271:29°43′41″N
1106:Facilities
949:2008-02-22
924:2008-02-22
899:2007-12-06
874:2008-06-23
848:2008-06-23
822:2008-06-23
796:2008-06-23
716:2007-12-04
668:2007-12-04
636:References
352:Brookshire
226:, and the
127:Explosions
83:(HDPE), a
768:0896-3320
740:0896-3320
313:Deer Park
143:Site plan
121:isobutane
98:flammable
1241:Category
659:Archived
598:See also
514:and 181
447:Lack of
368:Pearland
342:La Porte
306:Pasadena
105:reactors
1253:Commons
1113:Current
1065:Current
516:willful
508:willful
320:Baytown
299:Houston
205:(EPA).
101:process
85:plastic
1154:Former
1081:Former
1039:Conoco
1027:Brands
766:
738:
547:; and
197:, the
158:plants
710:(PDF)
703:(PDF)
662:(PDF)
655:(PDF)
287:Texas
109:valve
92:Cause
764:ISSN
736:ISSN
592:2000
590:and
588:1999
573:2000
571:and
569:1999
565:1989
247:and
213:The
1044:Jet
117:TNT
1303::
1049:76
866:.
840:.
814:.
788:.
776:^
748:^
677:^
657:.
643:^
594:.
567:,
551:.
543:;
73:10
63:10
982:e
975:t
968:v
952:.
927:.
902:.
877:.
851:.
825:.
799:.
770:.
742:.
719:.
671:.
77:^
71:×
67:^
61:×
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