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Inspection Detail
Inspection: 110419348 - Mobil Oil Corporation/Chalmette Refinery
Inspection Information - Office: Baton Rouge Area Office
Site Address:
Mobil Oil Corporation/Chalmette Refinery
500 St. Bernard Hwy
Chalmette, LA 70043
Mailing Address:
Pob 1007, Chalmette, LA 70044
Union Status: Union
SIC:2911
NAICS: 0
Inspection Type: Accident
Scope: Partial
Advanced Notice: N
Ownership: Private
Safety/Health: Safety
Close Conference: 03/25/1991
Planning Guide: Safety-Manufacturing
Emphasis:
Case Closed: 05/20/1991
| Type | Activity Nr | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accident | 360333074 |
| Violations/Penalties | Serious | Willful | Repeat | Other | Unclass | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Violations | 1 | 1 | ||||
| Current Violations | 1 | 1 | ||||
| Initial Penalty | $900 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $900 |
| Current Penalty | $900 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $900 |
| FTA Penalty | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| # | Citation ID | Citaton Type | Standard Cited | Issuance Date | Abatement Due Date | Current Penalty | Initial Penalty | FTA Penalty | Contest | Latest Event | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 01001 | Serious | 5A0001 | 04/22/1991 | 04/25/1991 | $900 | $900 | $0 | - |
Investigation Summary
At approximately 11:30 p.m. on November 4, 1990, Employee #1, an assistant operator in the hydrocracker unit (HCU) of a refinery, was manually opening a bypass valve to increase the flow rate in the unit. The bypass was being used because the second-stage charge motor control valve was not working properly. As Employee #1 was opening the bypass valve, he heard a "whooshing" sound in the unit, to his west. A heat exchanger, identified as E2314, ruptured on the shell side, releasing vapors that were ignited by the first-stage prefeed heaters. Employee #1 sustained first-, second-, and third-degree burns over 70 percent of his body. The shell side of the exchanger had thinned to 0.1 inch, and failed at the normal operating pressure of 255 psi. The accident investigation revealed no connection between the failure of the heat exchanger shell and the operation of the manual bypass valve.
Keywords: FLAMMABLE VAPORS, WORK RULES, EQUIPMENT FAILURE, EXPLOSION, HEAT EXCHANGER, BURN, HEATER, FIRE, RUPTURE, REFINERY
| # | Inspection | Age | Sex | Degree of Injury | Nature of Injury | Occupation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 110419348 | Hospitalized injury | Burn/Scald(Heat) | Occupation not reported |