The Danger of Popcorn Polymer: Incident at the TPC Group Chemical Plant

A CSB safety video on the November 2019 incident at the TPC Group Chemical Plant in Port Neches, Texas. A series of explosions destroyed a portion of the TPC facility, damaged nearby homes and businesses, and prompted a mandatory evacuation of residents living within four miles of the plant. Several workers and members of the public reported injuries and fires burned at the facility for over a month. The incident caused $450 million in on-site property damage and $153 million in off-site property damage to nearby homes and businesses. Media reports indicated that the blast was felt up to 30 miles away.

[@billiondollardan]

I can't believe that a government agency makes some of my favorite KZbin videos. I've been watching these for years now

[@Cbd_7ohm]

Seems like they've upped the quality from the old days lol.

[@billiondollardan]

@@Cbd_7ohm man that's the truth!

[@ExaltedDuck]

They remind me of a show that's known under a lot of different names but was called Air Disasters when I used to watch it.

[@FayeVert]

Sometimes they do very specifically call out companies for ignoring repeated warnings to fix something before it turns into a massive fireball, and then surprise surprise, it turns into a massive fireball. One of the Chevron (Torrance? Richmond?) videos was like that.

[@cazomsdragons2625]

​@FayeVert While I do appreciate the efforts of the UCSB, the government has made them useless as all they can do is make "recommendations" or "suggestions". Regardless of how factual their assessments are, it seems their considerations are rarely considered, or worse, ignored.

[@hoodedferret]

USCSB is the only US government agency I have subscription notifications on for. You all have done fantastic work for these 25 years, even while your recommendations have been continually ignored by Congress, the API, the NFPA, and OSHA. It would be easy to give up and feel that it's all pointless, but I hope everyone at the USCSB feels proud that they have successfully transcended into and captured the interest of a new generation of Americans (a feat virtually no other government agency can currently claim.) Happy anniversary, and I hope that this newfound interest in the work of the USCSB leads to more voter interest in funding, maintaining, and expanding the investigatory and regulatory agencies of the US government that spend American taxes trying to keep Americans safe from real threats and gross negligence instead of using those taxes to send (mostly poor) Americans off to pointless wars.

[@Rietto]

Same here, this channel is amazing.

[@avgeek-and-fashion]

I'm not even American and I love this channel!!

[@cpt_nordbart]

Sometimes NASA releases interesting stuff.

[@Camell513]

Amen to this. These should be the things that our gov't talks about, not the shenannagans that is currently talked about!

[@DeKempster]

To think Trump even wanted to get rid of the USCSB

[@riverrebel1]

No deaths is insane. I work in a factory and it's easy to overlook and not have the knowledge to identify things, which is why getting that information out is so important

[@breedauterive340]

No deaths IS insane. The fact that it happened in the middle of the night probably helped with low staff on site. Our home is 3 miles down the road from this and it sounded like a freight train coming through our door. … there was a death via heart attack from a nearby city when they woke up and went down the road to see what happened, he just died from shock.

[@Henrymlee-po6sf]

So true bud when all you see is pipes and hoses all day its hard to notice one out of hundreds just remember don't be scared to get the hell outta there when something goes bad..

[@nirbhay_raghav]

I am not even a US citizen but from what we know about government agencies worldwide it would be more than safe to say that this organization has a benchmark of its own. After watching this video I have realized that not only did they analyzed the whole incident and recommended changes but they also took the pain to make this video. The animatio is top notch which is almost never seen in government videos. Thanks a lot to the team for sparking curiosity in us.

[@geoh7777]

I think it is interesting that this incident has an analog in an unexpected place. A certain nation is run by a cartel that favors running certain operations in unavoidable failure mode. The cartel is loading new population over the nation's borders in quantities much larger than new population numbers from the past. Too little vetting of individuals among the new population is taking place allowing undesirable individuals (i.e. criminals, terrorists) to enter. Concentration of the new population numbers in certain places is causing distress among parts of the native population members. Damages to the members of the native population are occurring. These damages can be expected to rise when the expectations of the new population are increasingly not met. Resources (i.e. economic, police, health care, food distribution, schools) are too short to cover the new needs. Pressures from rarefaction of government services (e.g. police who must deal with so many more people), health care (e.g. hospitals filled with many ill new population) etc. can be expected to strain relations between native members and members of govt. units. The pressures so caused by the cartel cannot be expected to result in smooth operation of the nation's society in the near and far future.

[@mattb6646]

The CSB is one of the few government agencies I'm glad my taxes go towards.

[@the_expidition427]

Saving this

[@NMaxwellParker]

​@geoh7777 try letting go of your fear and hatred for other people

[@LivvyHackett]

I only saw ‘the danger of popcorn’ and came running

[@lifestylecreep]

SAAME

[@krissp8712]

Popcorn lung is a horrid illness, and now the same chemical explodes, what fun! :o

[@germanshepherd6638]

I got all buttered up for this one!

[@Enzo_Gaming00]

Same

[@TomOConnor-BlobOpera]

I expected it to be about those high pressure popcorn makers that are doing the rounds again!

[@texasslingleadsomtingwong8751]

I live about 4 miles away . The blast was something out of this world . A couple thousand homes were damaged as well as many businesses. And for added fun , my wife , three sons and I spent Thanksgiving in my sisters spare room, while fractional distillation tanks tried to enter the space program. At that point we were about 7 miles from the refinery. For what its worth , ive spent alot of time in that refinery as well a couple of refineries next door to it . Butadiene is always in the air. They ran that plant like they could care less if it blew up . Run til it breaks policy . Its still shut down today , thank god.

[@johnchildress6717]

Spent a lot of time in refineries and never heard popcorn like this.

[@charmcitytoe]

Glad you and your neighbors are still around to tell the story. Sad that the companies that we keep in business do so little to protect their most important investment. You! Peace!

[@erinmcdonald7781]

Wow! I'm glad you all are ok! I remember hearing about this, but I don't think it got the coverage it deserved, "fractional distillation tanks trying to enter the space program!" I wasn't aware of that or the duration of fires/contamination. It should've been headline news and for longer. All that destruction, pollution, injury and job loss because they were trying to be cheap. I hope the decision makers were fined, sued, etc.

[@brendakrieger7000]

OMG, I lived over in Orange and we could hear it all the way over there🙀 Did you have any damage? It was definitely scary!

[@brendakrieger7000]

I'm glad to hear that it is shut down. My ex boyfriend's sister in law applied for a chemistry technician position there

[@ronvera]

I worked in a high purity 1,3 Butadiene unit for many years. We took exceptional care of the process to insure we did not have a popcorn polymer problem. We saw plenty of popcorn polymer over the years but we never let it get out of control . We washed ( rinsed/flushed, passivated) all equipment that had been open to atmosphere with a hot mixture of NPH ( NItrosophosphatehyroxylamine) and sodium nitrite after the unit had been "air-freed" Then we injected and circulated the same mixture in the final purification column and associated equipment to scavenge all the O2. We also injected TBC ( tertiary butyl catecol) to kill any popcorn. We also added rupture discs under every PRV/PSV to prevent O2 from migrating into the inside of the relief valve. If the relief valve lifted, the disc had to be replaced ASAP . Also had an exact measurement of the outside diameter of the heat exchangers and they were routinely measured to note any expansion.

[@evantilley6192]

We just added oxygen scavengers to our KLP unit a few years ago. Has worked wonders. Surprised we didn't have them sooner. We had some near misses when the PSV lines filled with popcorn.

[@BBQDad463]

I freely admit that I have neither knowledge of nor experience in this field; however, it sounds as though common sense was applied by those who did have knowledge and experience.

[@ashokathegreat4534]

Attention seeker

[@ronvera]

@@evantilley6192 we had a pair of UOP KLP reactors to covert acetylenes to 1.3 BD and Raff1 ( Isobutylene mostly to feed the MTBE unit) We shuttered those units and an Olefins cracker and a large world scale Aromatics unit in 2009 and turned it into razor blades just to get the Ethylene off the market and keep prices up. I had about $7,000,000 of new process equipment that was never used and the olefins cracker had a $23,000,000 project ready to put in service that was also cut up into pieces. I took chose a severance package and retired.

Finally, a good use of my taxes

[@Snarklz]

I am not involved in industrial process safety, but I do work in the MEP building systems field. Listening to these fascinating failures is very educational, and the CSB does a great job of making the videos compelling, even for those with limited technical expertise. Please continue to produce this content, it is very well done!

[@DannyGruesome]

​@@MFKR696i mean same thing for the delta p and underwater welders. I still hear guys go "BRO THEY MAKE 100 DOLLARS AN HOUR" not realizing exactly how taxing it is physically. Not to mention you have to either be stupid or a thrill seeker as its a 100 dollars an hour for potentially your life being taken away at any second.

[@DannyGruesome]

​@@MFKR696my point is people will always do dangerous shit for money

[@johnevans9751]

Using graphics technology to clearly explain industry failures. Well done. Stay the course.

[@boymouto]

I'm not involved in industrial process safety, but I do work in a convenience store and I agree.

[@hotmailcompany52]

I'm a programmer for websites and they're still interesting. They're like slightly technical mini documentaries and I always enjoy watching them

[@Esbbbb]

Can we get a moment to appreciate the production value here? The animations, narration and editing are just excellent.

[@erinmcdonald7781]

Absolutely agree!

[@danielpeterson1714]

I was gonna say the Animations are so good in some parts I thought it was live action b-roll

[@macdjord]

The live-action parts could use a little work, though. The delivery is wooden and stilted.

[@garyt3hsna1l82]

big ups to the 3d models and animation the camera work flying through the pipes was amazing.

[@vituperation]

​@@macdjordI was thinking that. It could be addressed by using the talking head interview format people are accustomed to in documentaries. For better or worse, the more compelling something is, the more likely the message will be received.

[@zqxzqxzqx1]

(Just an interested librarian here!) This channel is informative, interesting, and somewhat depressing, considering that your recommendations tend to be routinely ignored. When this video stated that the company accepted a recommendation, I almost fell out of my chair. Seconds later, we learned that they did nothing, as usual. Regardless, thanks for all you do. I like to dream of a world where human life is valued above the profits of a handful of sociopaths. It's a nice dream. Keep up the good work!

[@ladyrazorsharp]

My dad, grandpa, and uncles worked in construction as pipe fitters and welders all my life. I’m sure that they worked in many plants like this, and it brings home that following safety policies and procedures can save not only the lives of plant workers but folks who work on contract, like my family. I thank God that none of them were seriously hurt on the job. This video was excellently presented and the information was easy to understand even for a layperson like me.

[@tunatuna6723]

Our day is made! Thank you, USCSB, for continuing to produce such high-quality content. May we all take lessons from the loss of others.

[@theshib277]

Wow

[@annabobanaasmr8411]

Regs are written in blood in most industries.

[@ReflectedMiles]

Great videos, but they always forget to include a profitability analysis. Without that, showing how their recommendations will be less expensive / more profitable over, say, 30 years or more, than simply absorbing the cost of the disasters that occur along the way, along with any insurance they may carry, the companies have no reason to implement the recommendations. Safety is not really a thing for them without the bottom line being involved, and particularly anything that would impact the compensation packages of those in charge. That's why there were plans and processes for dealing with hazards that weren't employed after being recommended and demonstrated prior to this incident. They couldn't see any significant monetary value coming from them.

[@evilgibson]

Cringe

[@hamentaschen]

Um. Dude. You're not so smart, are you?

[@randomman057]

A month's long fire? Wow. It's interesting how you don't hear about many of these incidents on the national news. I really appreciate the USCSB creating such well produced informational videos for the public.

[@brendandor]

I wonder how much the manufacturers pay the media companies to shush.

[@richardgardin5367]

@@brendandor I live an hour away. It was all over the news when it happened. For local news most people don't need an update for every day something is going on.

[@Suiseisexy]

National news is political, neither side could derive political benefit from the accident nor was the timing right to use it as a distraction from something else.

[@Vsor]

This channel is why i scoff at people who acted like the Palestine derailment was an apocalyptic event. Sure, it's not good, but it is not that bad considering what happens in the course of a year.

[@JoDo777]

God forbid the media reports truth

[@Nickelbender]

I love these videos, for a person like me who looves to see how things work, being able to go inside the equipment and literarly see the flow of gasses and liquids just makes things soo much more interesting, also I find the accident investigations really fascinating, what happened where and why. I think animations like this should be used everywhere, in order to explain any sort of technical concepts, no matter if its an accident investigation or just teaching someone how a oil refinery works. I have been obsessed with these videos every now and again since I was like 7 and I remember having my dad try to explain me what happened when I didn't understand. Thank you CSB for teaching me and entertaining me for years.

[@dudeeee]

I've been watching these videos for a long time, and I'm always blown away at how far the animation has come.

[@JJSafetyLLC]

I agree, the animation on these is top notch!

[@TC-yx2ss]

I worked as a maintenance contractor in the petrochemical industry for nearly 30 years.I remember one of the plants had a graveyard for old equipment and there was a tank in it that had suffered a rupture like this.From a distance it looked like crumpled up alfoil but when you got up close it was made from 1" steel plate.That drove home the immense forces involved when something like this occurs.

[@terryloh8583]

That's incredible. I constructed a box from 1/4" plate steel and couldn't believe how heavy the little 18" squares were. Crumpled 1" steel boggles the mind.

[@DecrepitBiden]

Kinda like the fiberglass Titan crumple eh...

[@vikkimcdonough6153]

They should put that tank on display as a warning of the consequences of doing things wrong.

[@sethcourtemanche5738]

Maintenance contractor is the one of the most important jobs you can have at a Petrochemical plant

[@dannyverhamme7970]

😛@@DecrepitBiden

[@BrickImmortar]

Thanks so much USCSB for all that you do! 🙂

[@Syclone0044]

Hey everyone it’s Brick Immortar!! This guy is literally the only channel on KZbin I would put on par with USCSB videos, cannot recommend him strongly enough, I have even supported his Patreon, it’s that good.

[@welliguessimnew]

Your videos are also extremely informative. Thanks for all you do as well!

[@ltipst2962]

​​@@Syclone0044lright dude jeeeeez. They are good videos. He knows what we want and seeing him here shows we could all spend the Apocalypse talking about these things and die happy.

[@iViking90]

#YourSafetyMatters

[@blakemalley9053]

one thing I will never figure out, is companies not performing repairs or maintenance due to "slowing down production", when the obvious known risk is the loss of the whole plant or factory with everyone with it (which does more than just "slow down production")

[@Knocklehead]

Because apparently, "they too like to live dangerously," and they'd rather gamble with people's lives and maybe save a few extra bucks than do what's needed to ensure safety (short-sighted management).

[@Exarian]

USCSB has two kinds of fans: people who work industrial jobs and hate their bosses for being lax about safety, and Sickos (I'm sickos)

[@moe6313]

This is easily my favorite channel on KZbin. No sensationalizing, just straight facts, science, well put together animation that's easy to follow. Wish more documentary type channels did theirs like this when disasters. Thanks USCSB for keeping these up!

[@JeffWusch]

This is government at work... Private sector un-interrupted without any regulation results in 10's of more of these videos.

[@zigwil153]

The narrator's voice adds a chilling, seriousness to them... good stuff

[@nomchomsley854]

These are certainly interesting in a "mundane horror" kind of sense.

[@k-ray6989]

it's the descriptive video diagrams that do it for me

[@MortonLuvz2drum]

No sensationalizing except for the gruff voice narrator with menacingly irritated tone. He's hinting that someone here is a neglectful, lazy corporate type and should've just had the pump replaced immediately.

[@MrDael01]

I work in the petrochemical industry, with polymerizable substances that are quite similar to butadiene. The findings hit home. I will share this video tomorrow with all my colleagues in the plant management, who I am sure will appreciate it.

[@zerpblerd5966]

just stop become regenerative farmers synthetic chemical+textile production is nothing but bad

[@TheCuriousNoob]

Never cheap out on safety. That's why China has thousands of deaths in an identical situation where the USA has just a few deaths.

[@gregoryschmidt1233]

Uh huh.

[@WeldinMike27]

You're fucking fired.

[@victorowens9150]

Not if it interferes with production.

[@dagamercat1572]

I have watched these videos since I was young with my dad and these videos have always made me happy! The work that you guys put into the videos, the science, and the information is so much fun I love this agency!

[@orion3253]

Thank you for your continued vigilance and excellent efforts in educating the public. I can imagine that it's draining work for the investigators to study tragedy in such detail but the lessons learned absolutely will save life and limb for countless people.

[@sourhour3403]

The graphic upgrade is insane! These are the highest quality and most informative workplace accident breakdowns on KZbin. There are equals in other fields, but none get close in this one. Blessed be the regulations!

[@isbestlizard]

YESSSSS it's so good!!!

[@jenkem4464]

Yeah the lighting is really well done.

[@Rashad2038]

Facts

[@billthecat129]

They are not accidents.... accident suggest unavoidable and unforeseeable...these are predictable and preventable....these was a loss of primary containment

[@ferretyluv]

I miss before the upgrade. It was quaint.

[@render1802]

Just wanted to say that I really enjoy the narrator. His cadence and vocal tones add a lot of warmth and interest to what is (purposefully) a dry script. I respect the all-info, no nonsense aspect of this channel, and the engaging narrator plus excellent animations make it easy to pay attention to.

[@maka5065]

Sheldon Smith is truly a gift

[@scootermom1791]

I like the narrator's voice as well. He has a sweet, grandfatherly voice. ❤🙂

[@cainshaw4993]

I used to live half a mile from that plant and the way the explosion felt, it felt like a car crashed in to my house. Very scary

[@stacysedgewood9600]

Many of these technical documentaries are dry as the Sahara. The narration, animation, and explanation here is incredible!

[@krissp8712]

Thanks to Abbott Animation for producing the video, and thanks to the CSB for investigating!

[@pantherplatform]

Thank the narrator!

[@Dudeguymansir]

I was just thinking about the narrator. It’s not a CSB video without him

[@Xeonerable]

@@Dudeguymansir The David Attenborough of chemical explosions, wouldn't be the same without him.

[@pantherplatform]

Voiceover Actor *Sheldon Smith*

[@JosephLedbetter]

And thanks Mom! Thanks Dad! Also thanks for all the likes, or dislikes.

[@DampFrijoles]

The graphics used have always been stellar, but they really took it up a notch on this one. Incredible work by the graphic designers, and kudos to the CSB for these amazing videos.

[@DavidADII]

The (hopefully loudly) sung heroes of videos like this!

[@Riplee]

I've begun to learn CGI, and it was this that drew me to the channel in large part. I'd feel honored to do work such as this for the public good, so that it helps to better capture the imagination.

[@Omegashotgun]

The graphics were the first thing I noticed! I had to check the comments section to see if anyone else was talking about it.

[@mosquitobrainbutcool]

The liquids specifically were incredibly realistic

[@obsidianjane4413]

... for 2003. lol

[@donactdum6635]

Found this channel during a dark time of my life while in lockdowns, it legit helped me stay sane by giving me a new obsession to binge watch and do my own research on, their animations have gotten so much better since then they rlly care about contracting good video graphics

[@mikefromwa]

I appreciate these very straightforward explanations of various industrial accidents and errors that occur. Excellent graphics and a very clear explanation of what happened.

[@violentnomad7267]

I'm a hydraulic technician that's always going to sites like this to do work. These videos serve as stark reminders of workplace safety in and around these plants.

[@zqxzqxzqx1]

Or lack, thereof...

[@_ArsNova]

Whoever made the call to start putting out these USCSB animated videos is a genius. Highly informative and easy to understand! Never worked in chemical processing a day in my life, but these videos are fascinating.

[@questionablebackyardmeows]

AGREED.

[@draggonhedd]

They have the same vibe as the 90s discovery channel disaster documentaries.

[@kensmith2796]

LOL Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. I'm a tax accountant that works from home and here I am watching a KZbin video on safety procedures at chemical plants.

[@Angel9932]

@@kensmith2796 I do software support and just watched this on my lunch break. I will never work in a chemical plant in my life but love watching these types of videos.

[@zornbratton]

Interesting that they fail to mention the man across the street that died of a heart attack when the explosion happened.

[@jamesw9930]

This might have been the best animation you guys have released to date, the reflection in the puddles was a nice touch.

[@garyperkins3304]

I live in Nederland just over three miles from the plant. When the pressure wave hit, I thought someone had hit the house. I ran outside, and not seeing any damage, scanned the horizon thinking a plane had crashed nearby. I saw the smoke in the distance, and drove to see what happened. Most structures nearby suffered broken windows, and some even had structural damage. No one knew how bad the air was going to get, and my family evacuated. It was a strange few days

[@thndr_5468]

lol I was confused, thinking you were saying Netherlands

[@deanf7086]

I live just 2 miles away In Groves and thought something blew up in my house.

[@toasteddingus6925]

​@@thndr_5468😂 lolol me too, especially because Dutch people have hilarious accents in English and that's how it sounds when they tell you they are from the NEHDERLANDS

[@sneaky_krait7271]

As somebody who lives in Nederland I had no idea there was a Nederland in US.

[@garyperkins3304]

@@toasteddingus6925 Actually, there is at least one other in Colorado! And, while we now pronounce our city's name as [NEEderland], we were founded by Dutch settlers. We have had a Heritage Festival for many years to celebrate our heritage and history in front of the Windmill Museum.

[@gatsbye53]

USCSB Thank you for all that you do to help make this a safer world!

[@PaintballVideosNet]

You're welcome!!!

[@legitbeans9078]

You're welcome!

[@michaelnewton-1989]

I was working at TOTAL when this happened in port Arthur. The night it happens I was woke up from a Dead sleep in my rv trailer in bridge city about 8 miles away! Scared me to death!!!!The blast was so strong it was like a bomb went off outside! Rocked my trailer it seemed. Really scary. I’ve worked in a lot of petrochemical facilities and it’s crazy how some do not do the proper maintenance required when they have plenty of money to do so!

[@yelnaw]

Outrageous that these videos are so good. Thank you CSB.

[@wrench71]

I work in a completely different field (aircraft maintenance) however, these videos should be almost mandatory for anyone who works on anything. The parallels regarding missed opportunities, overlooks, ignorance, disregard, etc. are relevant to most any job. If people would simply think "how would this action kill me or someone else" maybe less accidents and fatalities could be achieved in all work places.

[@Calamity_Jack]

It's funny how disasters like this have happened repeatedly over the decades, yet few people seem to learn the lessons. Most plants think, "Ah, that's their problem, we're all squared away here." Some techs know differently, but either don't make enough of a fuss about it, or their management chain shrugs off or ignores the problems. After the disaster occurs, they act all surprised and then the CYA and finger-pointing starts. And the cycle continues.

[@alt3241]

Agreed alas my coworkers cannot understand the value of prevention only the requirements of " safety compliance " but not in the sense of preventative maintenance being regularly scheduled and have no way to handle delays or quality control in any stage of processes .

[@ridethepace6005]

A video shown to most senior management would have one effect, and that would be an uptick in the kind of emails they found when they investigated Enron in the wake of that collapse. The emails had a common theme, " I sure hope I'm not still here holding the bag when this all goes wrong ".

[@penguin12902]

Seriously. "Hey guys, this pump failed, should we replace it?" "Nah, It's probably not important, let's just leave it broken for 3 months!"

[@seanpoore500]

That’s why the CSB exists. To implement safety regulations and procedures to strictly adhere to. Plants that deal with flammable and toxic chemicals shall follow these guidelines if they plan on staying in business by being a safe work environment and efficient facility. Let us remember that accidents occur and maintenance does get overlooked. It is our job as professionals who work in the petro chemical industry to understand the systems in the plant, adhere to safety and operating guidelines, and perform shutdown and turnaround projects when needed. I remember a few years back when Philadelphia energy solutions had a major incident when a product lines wall thickness was inspected to be dangerously thin due to cavitation and pitting and a turnaround was overlooked and a catastrophic failure occurred resulting in the closing of the petrochemical refinery.

[@sailcat662]

An amazing service, thank you. When I worked at a copper mine in Yukon I would always replay your videos when it was my turn to give the safety brief and they were ALWAYS well received. Your videos save lives

[@krissp8712]

That's why I'm glad these videos are easily accessible to the public! Makes it so anyone can quickly share them and get the message out :)

[@sailcat662]

@@krissp8712 So many times incidents are caused by "not my job-itus". Which is why safety audits should be treated like an airplane takeoff/landing check-list. Gaps in the check-list cost lives.

[@annabobanaasmr8411]

​@@sailcat662Yes! Aviation regulations coincide with most other industries. Regs are written in blood 😔

[@SocialDownclimber]

I'm thinking about doing this with my team.

[@k1ng5urfer]

Please come back USCSB! You had some of the best content on youtube!

[@johnmills2629]

The quality and attention to detail are strong with this channel.

[@chillinwitheugene9014]

As a chemical engineering student at UCT we usually have these "Safety Moments" where each day a fellow classmates gives a presentation of some accidents in some chemical plant and those really inspired me to come here and just learn, we are learning a lot through these nicely edited videos, amazing visuals for you to picture the whole thing! Super grateful to the channel

[@ltipst2962]

Hey man good luck!!! You'll do amazing if you're brought here, definitely. I'm not in engineering whatsoever but I know educational content when I see it. You'll boss that qualification and get a great job keep going on

[@chillinwitheugene9014]

@@ltipst2962 wow this is inspiring, thank you so much

[@erinmcdonald7781]

Good luck in your endeavors! As someone with only a high school chemistry background, this is still fascinating. The fact that you're studying safety in depth is awesome. Sounds like you're being well prepared to make a difference in your field. 🍀

[@toasteddingus6925]

​@@erinmcdonald7781 just ask him out already 😂

[@chillinwitheugene9014]

@@toasteddingus6925 You are so wrong🤣🤣 @erinmcdonald7781 thanks a lot, good luck with everything

[@SerMattzio]

Doing a service to the whole chemical industry while also entertaining people with educational content. Fantastic.

[@JeffWusch]

I would argue, Chem industry doesnt want this govt org around. It costs them more money. They doing public work, not shareholder work

[@OmmerSyssel]

​@@JeffWuschyeah right, blowing up millions of dollars, polluting the environment and killing innocent people sure does increase shareholder values ... No wonder USA are going down the drain, with such worldview.

[@micosstar]

@@JeffWuschfax

[@BrownEyePinch]

The companies don't care

[@JohnC546]

@@JeffWuschyep, the companies are penny wise, pound stupid. They’ll cut these kind of corners to save money short term then this happens costing them way more in liability and repairs than it would have if they paid for preventative measures originally

[@user-bh6nd8jc6d]

These videos are SO interesting. And the Jack Webb Dragnet "just the facts ma'am" delivery by the narrator is spot on. Thanks to all of you!!😊

[@EShirako]

It's so wild how exciting it is to me when I see a new video from USCSB! \o/ It's always good info, with helpful explanations of what went wrong and how, and even though I'm not a 'process safety person' in any industry, these videos really help me to understand hazards that I might want to be aware of in any given job.

[@mikethompson148]

I’m running a safety training on Popcorn Polymer tomorrow. Our operations don’t involve butadiene, or hazardous chemicals, or anything related to the TPC Port Neches incident, but I feel equipped to explain the hazard to my employees, thanks to this video. Does a business management office want training on Popcorn Polymer? No. But do they NEED this training? Also no. They will get it though, that’s my commitment to the CSB.

[@Jablicek]

Businesses postpone safety upgrades because of expenditure, but when it's compared against plant outage and production downtime plus rebuilding costs, it might be possible to explain to managers how monitoring and maintenance improvements can be a long-term cost-saving measure. Who knows the ways of upper management - they are impenetrable.

[@user-ln7of9gs4s]

You should play the video. Even if you don’t have butadiene, videos like this make people think, and may recognize a hazard not realized.

[@MayaPosch]

It's honestly astounding to see yet another case at a chemical plant where safety procedures were delayed and/or ignored until the very reasons why those recommendations existed caught up with reality. In a way TCP ought to be happy that they just lost one unit, but I hope that the loss made them reconsider their casual approach to safety. Next time they may not be as lucky.

[@TheTrueAdept]

Given the general stockholders mentality these days? Not really.

[@ericlotze7724]

@@TheTrueAdeptthis was a part of the USCSB Drinking Game if I remember correctly too.

[@ecognitio9605]

They don't care and most plant workers do the bare minimum and head home.

[@mjmooney6530]

“Why should I spend 10M to save 2M?!” - Project Management making the design trade between the manual and remotely operated iso valves. “Because that 10M is going to seem like a bargain when a catastrophic event occurs.” - Design Safety & Reliability Engineer

[@JeffWusch]

@@TheTrueAdept It is not Stockholders. It is Corpo executives. Profit over safety

[@rhettlee]

Props to the video editor. Absolutely amazing quality.

[@neuroplush7657]

The details in the animations are so engaging and appreciated. From the body language of the workers, to highly accurate modeling, the whole team is on their A-game.

[@shyryTsr2k]

These are the only safety videos that I can watch for absolutely no reason other than the fact that they're so entertaining. They also are so educational even for someone who doesn't have any interest in working in this field.

[@mohamedismayl7247]

I watch these too, they are awesome, the narration and animations both are impressive and wonderful

[@matthewcandler4179]

I used to live 1 mile from this plant, so this one hits close to home. Great analysis CSB.

[@josephr5804]

Better than any executive report and easier to comprehend than any safety report.

[@Kashed]

Whoever wrote this script really loves saying “popcorn polymer”.

[@muffinman6048]

So glad to hear that no one died. Always nicer when safety is improved without some poor worker losing their lives.

[@jamesdesormeaux1074]

I'm from the area and lots of people had damage to their homes and vehicles. The explosion rattled my house from miles away. Some people had windows get busted and stuff.

[@Dude8718]

@@jamesdesormeaux1074still not the worst outcome!

[@jo.v-c]

I don't even work in the chemical industry, nor have I ever had any connection to it, nor has anyone in my family ever had any connection to it. Yet I still find these videos interesting and compelling. Well done, y'all.

[@antontyuin9410]

Some months ago I occasionalliy found one of videos of the USCSB, and they really impressed me, so I watched all of them, one by one. So hi-quality video; articulate and descriptive narrator. Very structured storytelling, and easy to understand, so even the person who is far from chemiscal industry probably will make right conclusions. Sometimes it is similar to National Geographics "Mayday: Air Crash Investigation", and I look your videos like a short thrilling disaster movies. In addition, I should thank you, that you successfully popularize rather highly-specialized (but important) industry sector to the public, as problems that you describe, are mostly international. In your videos I found parallels in accidents in Russia, where I live and work. So, thank You for your well-done job, I'll wait for your next thrilling videos. Be careful and congratulations on 25th anniversary!

[@prbrad514]

I was on duty at a chemical plant 1/2 mile away the night this took place. Our plant had live feeds (sending our products to them via underground pipelines) at the time of the explosions. That was some really scary shit. As a result of the explosion and live feeds our plant had to do an emergency shut down of the entire plant and kill the live feeds.

[@cvdheyden]

As one who studied chemistry, now working in the IT-Business, I always watch these. Very educative! Thanks for your good work, USCB.

[@notyou5557]

As a curious lookie look, I like explosions

[@cvdheyden]

@@notyou5557 well, some fume hoods could "feel" it.

[@notyou5557]

@@cvdheyden I don't see a fume hood here being the problem. Looks like routine maintenance of the dead leg with the pile of popcorn polymer was the major problem. You'd think a professional business that has a plant this size to do one thing would know all there is to know about that one thing. Reckless gross negligence

[@cvdheyden]

@@notyou5557 that was just a joke when I was studying chemistry. 😂. We of course tried to set up some small "explosions". I agree, it was of course reckless and gross negligence. I never get it: All these disasters have been avoidable by implementing basic rules and safety procedures.

[@notyou5557]

@@cvdheyden profit can't be the only motive for human existence. That's what alot of this boils down to

[@pinktooth5473]

Morbid fascination w USCSB videos crew checking in. Nice to see everyone again. Hoping y’all been safe out there 🤙

[@Papershields001]

I love that CSB makes these videos available to the public. Everything we learn makes the world safer, cleaner and more profitable.

[@jimeditorial]

The clarity of these videos is noteworthy. Well animated, scripted and narrated. This agency should be funded generously....100 percent value to taxpayers.

[@lanceduff]

Speaking from the perspective of someone that had to work around there and inside there a couple of times TPC was a RUST BUCKET!!! That company did the bare minimum to keep their equipment in halfway decent operational condition. It was all about making profits vs safety. Y’all should have seen the condition of their pipes! This video is a good representation of exactly how they operated for years. I’m glad no one was killed but so many chemicals got in our water ways and air from those folks! I hope they go out of business!

[@angiepangie989]

It's crazy that people can run a business with such disregard for people, cause a giant disaster because of obvious reasons, and walk away with a bonus and get hired as a board member at another chemical company.

[@epincion]

@@angiepangie989it’s Texas the owners just have to donate to the Governor and they can do what they like

[@texasslingleadsomtingwong8751]

Tpc was the worst of all the local Golden triangle plants I've been in . I've been in nearly all of them due to being affiliated with TCEQ ( public water safety stuffs) you are so right

[@texasslingleadsomtingwong8751]

@epincion oh no no no . Check this out ! About an hour after the explosion , the mayor of the town was on TV in his home casual clothes , spouting off hoe good TPC was for the community and how TPC would get everything back to normal. Meanwhile, this dear mayor is standing in his yard just in front of his severely damaged home . He lives across the street from TPC ! I wonder if he has kickbacks?

[@lanceduff]

@@angiepangie989 i definitely agree. It does happen. They should be in jail!

[@pointcuration1278]

Thanks for your hard work, USCSB. Doing these investigations and creating these presentations.

[@jkepps]

Love these videos. Some of the best, informational, attention holding, and visually attractive material on KZbin.

[@bkseventy]

Holy wow, the production value here is impressive. Keep up the phenomenal work!

[@fbwa32nxfan29]

This is literally the best government organization youtube channel

[@j81851]

Once again our good friend Sheldon Smith is the voice of CSB congrats on fantastic work! The animations are virtually the best bar none!

[@TanisHalfE1ven]

Attorney Tom sent me here but this is not the first time I have watched this channels videos despite not being anywhere near an industrial factory. Really cool to hear that Tom was involved with a case that became a USCSB video.

[@Mexicansheriff]

I understand this channel is for important information and dissemination but despite the horrible tragedies, this is my favorite channel and the narrator has a great voice.

[@Jonathan-do3wu]

Love the analysis and insights to these industrial disasters that the USCSB provides. Hope you stay well funded to continue commissioning these mini documentaries.

[@subparnaturedocumentary]

it's a downright miracle no one was killed in this incident. great findings as always.

[@texasslingleadsomtingwong8751]

As someone who's been in this particular TPC plant many times , you are so right . They ran that plant like garbage.

[@subparnaturedocumentary]

@@texasslingleadsomtingwong8751 looks to be one of the issues, and i'm glad your able to write this comment considering. stay safe out there

[@christinakaur8766]

This channel and WorkSafeBC are some of my faves! Extremely well produced and interesting! Cheers!

[@Jimmy_CV]

Every one of these videos are fire, seriously the animation and narration are an explosive combination.

[@JansenSmith]

The folks at USCSB know precisely what their niche in our society is, and i am delighted they have the resources to do their wonderful work. In particular, the music transitioning to spy thriller mystery themes treats the subject matter with applicable gravity.

[@matthewcantrell5289]

I’m just a facilities guy for a radio network, but these videos make me mindful of everything in my work environment, and have also taught me that when I see something wrong, and management doesn’t want to deal with it, that I have to keep making it a problem.

[@FayeVert]

Yes! That is what everyone should take away from these videos, no matter what line of work you're in - management isn't going to fix it the first time you notify them. At best they might fix it the 5th time. At worst they might let your entire jobsite explode and rain shrapnel upon the neighborhood while you and your coworkers are burned to smithereens. So, know how to report hazards to OSHA, your local buildings department, the fire marshall, etc

[@unkannyunkanny9232]

No. If something is wrong then you aren't making it a problem, it is already a problem. You're making it a priority. Because people didn't make controlling the popcorn polymer a priority, it became a half billion dollar problem. If you "make" problems, you're a troublemaker. If you're stopping problems before they get bigger, you're a problem solver.

[@rolux4853]

@@unkannyunkanny9232nope unfortunately he was right with his wording. That’s big corporations for you. They love ignoring problems that aren’t extremely urgent yet and if you constantly remind them about it, you become the problem in their eyes. It’s the utmost stupid behavior,but that’s American corporations for you.. Try working in Germany, I worked in many countries and Germany handles it the best way. They instantly take care of everything, no matter if a specially trained maintenance person reports something or a cleaning worker smells something funny. It gets prioritized and an investigation is conducted instantly to minimize the occurrence of a catastrophic failure.

[@22caught]

Like many others have said, please keep up the good work! And congratulations on 25 years!

[@calladioiniaferstar]

Thanks for making these videos

[@mapesdhs597]

A suggestion for a future video: how does the USCSB conduct its investigations? It must be an immensely complicated task - interviewing managers, personnel & eyewitnesses (some of whome may be injured or unable to talk until medical recovery, many doubtless afraid of blame being cast), gathering physical evidence, examination of onsite remains amid the continuing chemical dangers present (with the potential for bad weather presumably something that could ruin vital evidence), dealing with the politics involved (local politicians, jobs at stake, local population outrage, environmental protestors getting involved, media coverage, etc.) Congratulations on the anniversary and another excellent video. And hear hear to the comment by hoodedferret about the USCSB being the only US govt agency to which it is worthwhile being subscribed.

[@charmcitytoe]

I agree. I think that would be cool.

[@erinmcdonald7781]

As an educator, I can see where a video like that would be useful in a number of different classes. Introducing students to real-world applied science and the importance of safety. Also, the agency's videos demonstrate clearly what safety and regulatory bodies are supposed to do, perfect for government and economics courses. Since production quality is already there, I expect that a video or series elaborating on their investigation process would just as engaging.

[@mapesdhs597]

@@erinmcdonald7781 Indeed, I think it would be fascinating. There's obviously a lot of science behind trying to discern what happened, but also significant human engagement, visiting onsite, dealing with continuing risks, etc. That's one heck of a skill set for someone to have who's good at this. Or perhaps it's split into many roles, I've no idea. They say it's wise to learn from past mistakes, but rarely is that process of learning explored. We tend only to see the end result, the conclusions. Ditto for air crash investigations (I often watch the blancoliro channel for coverage on such reports). Speaking of whom, following the damage at the Oroville dam in 2017, blancolirio (Juan Brown, a 777 pilot) ended up doing an incredible series of videos covering exactly how the damage was repaired over the subsequent years, gaining the respect of the agencies involved, being invited behind the scenes, etc. Here's one of the playlists (there's another for the Phase II repairs, etc.): kzbin.info/aero/PL6SYmp3qb3uMCqXIp7mYmiAPeEVoazpUE ie. he detailed *how* such damage is repaired, why it's done in the way it is, the rationale behind the construction methods, aspects of the investigative process and so on. One can learn so much about a slice of life that is normally an unknown to most people. I see parallels between what blanco did with Oroville and the current unknown of how the USCSB conducts its investigations. I also think understanding the process would provide inspiration to the young in terms of potential careers, one of so many fields that are never mentioned at school when deciding one's direction in life (another example being materials science, something that has an impact on everything, including the issues with which the USCSB must contend).

[@blitz-n-chipz361]

While I can’t say how exactly they do an investigation. You can look at the date of some of these events they’ve made videos on and the date the video is posted to get an idea of how long an investigation takes as posting these videos is like closing the case file for them.

[@robosuit]

Thank you USCSB for always being so informative and high-quality

[@Brandon-rc9vp]

I appreciate what the USCSB does and especially how you take the time to share these investigation results. Unfortunately until penelties for negligence in the industry exceed the profits gained by taking shortcuts, these type of issues will never go away. Board members and management with executive authority should face jail time for serious lapses of safety or environmental protocols, and shareholders should suffer the full burden of complete cleanup and remediation activities. As long as profit continues to be prioritized over safety we will continue to see videos like this.

[@futureshock7425]

It’s always the goddamn management lock the bastards up

[@lumineer_3]

Man this explosion was near my friends house, I still remember when this day happened, also 1st year studying process operating here, hopefully we all stay safe my friends ‼️

[@psychogaming9908]

i live out here. since your studying it, ask someone what would have happened if indorama would have blown lol. we wouldnt be alive right now lol

[@lumineer_3]

@@psychogaming9908 lmao funny you ask! My step dad actually works there! He’s a control board Operator and he tells me all the time that he’s working with a bomb 😂 ofc it’s not funny if anything happens though lmao

[@freeguy7628]

Literally my favorite videos. These help identify and prevent future disasters. I have become more aware of my surroundings, and thank God I didn't die young. I did a lot of stupid things in my line of work.

[@JeffWusch]

OSHA For the Win

[@KB-ke3fi]

Well they make chemicals for products that include agrochemicals; alternative energy; home detergents and personal care products; adhesives and coatings; mining; and curing agents. They improve performance such as fade resistance, UV-blocking and the ability to repel water and stains in apparel, home, and technical textiles. So if you want to quit using deoderant and toothpaste and painting your house and quit wasing clothes and add solar power, you're gonna have to move to a cave. Oh and the rubber they make holds your socks up, and they make plastics for sandals and your car interior is made of every thing they make as well.

[@cascadianrangers728]

Wow. The modeling and portrayal of the behavior of the vapor cloud and smoke etc after the explosion is all very realistic and an exact depiction of what happens in real life, such close attention to detail and realism is one of the best parts of these videos

[@FRANKMUSIKOFFICIAL]

Glad I got recommended this video as I was pondering setting up a chemical plant in the next year or so.

[@viperch25]

please keep these videos going. this has to be one of the best uses of taxes ive ever seen they are well done, and to the point. no drama. no hype. just straight facts thank you

[@namseer]

CONGRATULATIONS on 25 years to the CSB! A quarter century of excellence in safety education and investigations. I have learned so much about industrial processes and the safety measures utilized (sometimes not successfully) by industry thanks to the brilliant videos produced by the CSB. Thank you for your hard work, CSB!

[@mareksicinski3726]

some criticize them for being too mild, not being able to put suffieicient pressure on industries so maybe sla k givern

[@Kloppin4H0rses]

Oh but I thought all safety agencies were terrible and stop GOOD OL BOYS from doing it the way they did it in the good ol days.

[@brendakrieger7000]

I remember the night that happened. I lived about 25 miles from the facility. We could here the blast. It rattled our house and scared the daylights out of my cats. Really terrifying situation🙀 It was the day before Thanksgiving. I saw videos of pieces rocketing into the air🚀 I've been past this plant many times.

[@xanderunderwoods3363]

You guys make some of the best videos on KZbin, outstanding video

[@larryperio2829]

This happened to the same plant in the early 2000s when the plant was called Huntsman Chemical. That is why we always switched pumps. Some of the same people who were out there then were out there when it happened this time

[@texasslingleadsomtingwong8751]

Huntsman was smart to sell off the butadiene production . That plant ( tpc) is a rat hole. Nearly wrecked Air Liquide next door.

[@MichaelGallagher97]

Hell yeah, the one youtube channel that doesn't make me hate the FEDs

[@357SWAGNUM_MAGA_X]

😂😂😂

[@CheshireCad]

It turns out that most of the federal organizations are just as necessary. It's just that the USCSB is the only one that corporations haven't tried to sabotage because it hurts their profits. The GOP actually tried to massively cut the USCSB's funding during the Trump administration. But chemical companies lobbied to *keep* it well-funded, because it's just that useful for identifying potential hazards.

[@mustafanoaman4832]

Please keep these videos coming; we value your hard work and contributions. I don't normally comment on KZbin videos, but I would for you.

[@cerealpuffsalmomd1625]

These videos are important, thanks for sharing

[@talicowart9577]

I'm not even in the Chemical field but I have always enjoyed the high quality analysis of disasters and accidents with the intention of helping educate members of your field to prevent future disasters. The animation is top notch and helps make an extremely clear what has gone on in the disaster. If I can make a suggestion, could you embed subtitles into the video? The auto generated ones are okay but I feel that helping make your content more accessible a worthy endeavor.

[@ryandavis1244]

Thank you CSB for all that you do. As an engineer and new supervisor at a production facility, I utilize your videos all the time to help teach the operators the dangers that we have lurking. You improve and save lives all over due to your work. Please, keep it up.

[@JJSafetyLLC]

Great Video. I love the 3D animation that was used. Very well done!

[@charmcitytoe]

If you had said "Popcorn Polymer" to me a few days ago, I would have laughed. Never judge a book by it's cover OR title. Excellent information, and thanks for sharing your findings. 👍

[@SkrixFox]

It's always a good day when a new USCSB comes out.

[@02markcal]

A good day for me would never have the need for this channel because companies take the safety of workers so seriously that these accidents stop happening.

[@satiricalzero]

No, it's a bad day since it means something happened.