Wake Up Call: Refinery Disaster in Philadelphia

A CSB safety video about the June 21, 2019, fire, explosions, and toxic hydrofluoric acid (HF) release at the Philadelphia Energy Solutions refinery in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. A severely corroded pipe elbow ruptured, releasing process fluid into the refinery’s HF alkylation unit, which then ignited. The incident caused the release of over 5,000 pounds of highly toxic HF, launched a 38,000-pound vessel fragment off-site, and resulted in an estimated property damage loss of 750 million dollars.

[@LANless]

Kudos to that shift supervisor, walking into that to turn on the sprayers is very brave.

[@HarryBalzak]

I'd like to think I would do the same considering the safety measure he was activating could potentially save 10s of 1000s of lives.

[@ReverendTed]

Putting on a bunker suit and heading toward the place where things are unpredictably exploding is commendable. You have to wonder how things might have gone without that intervention.

[@58209]

that's a straight-up cinematic "big damn hero" moment.

[@Don2006]

Refinery ERT are built different.

[@avineshputash5812]

I'm horribly offended by the comments here. As depicted in the animation, the female supervisor (as shown by the 3D female model) bravely endured the mental stress and did everything she could to mitigate the issue and to prevent it from becoming a major disaster. Yet, here, people are only complimenting the shift supervisor (surprise, surprise... a 3D MALE model) for his bravery. The comments here are all focused on him and commending him, while not giving a single bit of attention to the brave and decisive female supervisor. I'm disgusted by this sexism. I am going to call welfare services and tweet this to WHO's Director-General Tedros..

[@solstice6505]

Overall, this accident was far better than could have been expected. The onsite staff did everything correctly, activating safeguards remotely and manually. It's rare to see an accident that doesn't involve operator error on the USCSB channel. Excellent breakdown and thankfully no deaths or severe injuries.

[@ericlotze7724]

Yeah! This video surprisingly left those partaking in the “USCSB Video Drinking Game™️©️®” still safe for Sober-October!

[@voicetest6019]

Really hope those critical staffers(the operator that isolated what they could, and the supervisor that braved the flames to turn on the pumps, and whoever else), got some good compensation for saving the company.

[@TheAgamemnon911]

@@ericlotze7724 Eh, I'd take one shot for "Management inertia against safety and modernisation efforts"

[@dickJohnsonpeter]

I agree. And there was no fault on the employee. I gave up working with molecules that make oxygen.

[@ericlotze7724]

@@TheAgamemnon911 True lol. Why do it the safer way / just *inspect our pipes* when we can make number go up?

[@BWillsIncognito]

I was also a console operator on a Alkylation unit. A few things I’d like to point out. 1.) It’s actually insane that no one was seriously injured. I was actually driving across the commodore Barry bridge after a night shift and witnessed the sky turn from night to day from the explosion. At the time I didn’t know what it was but it was absolutely intense how bright it got. 2.) So much respect for this console operator and her ability to dump the HF out of the unit. With the explosions that acid could have traveled miles. 3.) I ended up working with a lot of PES guys after this explosion and they were all incredible to work with and extremely experienced. 4.) You hate to say it but a lot of times corners are cut or things are rushed in the hopes to save or make money. 99% of the time we get away with it but that 1% chance something like this will happen. In a perfect world no corners should ever be cut and it seems that it’s the people on the business end that are making the calls from hundreds of miles away in office buildings out of harms way. 5.) The two refineries I worked at had constant x-raying/thickness reading taking place. Once they finished the whole unit, they would start over again on a steady rotation. Even then it’s possible not to catch everything because a compromised flange or valve or etc. can become an issue almost immediately with forewarning. Glad no one was seriously harmed. Great video.

[@kriegscommissarmccraw4205]

I think having bi-yearly inspectations on All the piping would probably cost more than repairing the damage in this incident. How much revenue do these facilities generate, that these requirements can be leveled against them?

[@ConnerOfRS]

@@kriegscommissarmccraw4205 In 2017, Oil refineries in the US generated $15.3bn in revenues, with $13.2bn operating costs, or $2.1bn in net profits, an enviable 15.9% margin. Most operational costs consisted of purchasing of crude oil. There is plenty of room for investment in safety for workers, the general public, and least importantly future revenue for the oil industry.

[@jomagoto]

As an NDT technician, the POD of flaws with thickness measurement is extremely low. Other tests like LRGW (qualitative inspection) are better but expensive. And is always about the money, unfortunately.

[@scottieb6442]

@@ConnerOfRS refiners have vastly vastly different levels of profits. Answer for this one

[@argumentum-ad-absurdum]

proof that companies cant regulate themselves

[@walkie1985]

The CGI in this is absolutely incredible. What ever investment / effort your team made for this was worth it, it kept me hooked the entire video. Very impressive

[@Thorium_Th]

It was maybe done in Unity. Looks really impressive.

[@noahjones3147]

@@Thorium_Th or UE5?

[@Thorium_Th]

@@noahjones3147 Oh yes, could also be UE5. Both UE5 and this video came out in 2022 ^^

[@milesedgeworth132]

​Why would they use video game engines for the animation? They probably used Blender or Maya.

[@daltoonybob]

It took them over 2 years to produce.

[@Tonatsi]

The on-site team did atypically well to mitigate problems considering how frequently we get negligent workers making the problem worse.

[@andrerenault]

I was thinking the same. Of course, the events were catastrophic and there are lots of sources of risk, but my armchair thinking was "this could've been a lot worse". I hope this means that regulators and corporations are taking safety to heart, which is a win.

[@nasonguy]

Big props to that shift supervisor that literally put his life on the line to get those water cannons online.

[@georgesconyers9769]

@@nasonguy The hero we shouldn't have needed, but are glad we had.

[@d00dEEE]

I wonder if this team had better training than what we typically see for cases analyzed on this channel? That would be an interesting video, analyzing how this one went relatively well (no one killed!) versus the usual N-dead videos.

[@Don2006]

@@d00dEEE It probably depends on the refinery. The one I worked at had top-tier operators, and even in emergency situations, I was always confident that the situation would be under control. I've also heard of neighboring refineries with lazy operators, though that's not to say they weren't trained on all emergency procedures.

[@shaunburke]

It takes a special kind of person to walk into that to turn on some pumps. I’m in awe of their bravery

[@gregoldman6134]

In bunker gear. A true hero

[@classicalroach]

And their yearly salary is barely equivalent to a single day’s pay of the big management old fart

[@fragoutrambo6381]

That worker deserves praise and a huge fat bonus. Not only did they have the tenacity, but the intuition to tackles the problem with the best gear and action possible.

[@camibabyy]

@@fragoutrambo6381 the refinery filed for bankruptcy and closrd after the explosion so he probably just got a fat lay off

[@SabbaticusRex]

I'm surprised they let him work there at all since his giant brass balls likely didn't pass the metallurgical requirements for working around HF alkylation units . Heck , HF alkylation units should be terrified to work around his brass balls is more appropriate .

[@sliceoflife5812]

4:52 Props to the graphic designers to make his entry that of the boss that he is👏

[@Painrunner]

Yeah, working with HF is always fun, remember doing a job for 3M where we had to expand the current storage facilities on-site. The HF was brought in on railway carts but the unloading of the carts was done in airtight bunkers, the piping between facilities was all done underground and the storage tanks were also placed in airtight bunkers. even so there were still walkways between all facilities 4 stories in the air to be able to get around with any gas clouds forming above ground. There was also a rule that no machinery that pumps HF could be operated as long as there was a person inside of those bunkers.

[@Chironex_Fleckeri]

HF is the scariest common industrial chemical. No doubt

[@josephbrands6303]

It eats the calcium in your blood & bones.

[@Painrunner]

@@josephbrands6303 that's one part of it, Yes, trace vapor amounts of HS get in your system and strip it of calcium. It's also a highly potent acid that turns to a heavier than air vapor at room temperature, has a violent exothermic reaction to water, is highly flammable/explosive and half a coffee cup's worth spilled over your wrist even with immediate medical intervention can kill you in under 24 hours.

[@TGFMusic]

As a 3M research employee, we take HF very seriously and have constant monitors when even a chance of a ppm could be in the air, and have several countermeasures in place to prevent accidents.

[@bloodofchristjesuscoversme1878]

Fk HYdrogenFlouride

[@mu11668B]

THIS is how you make public safety reports! Not only informative but engaging to watch even as an outsider!

[@crapisnice]

LANG LEBE AMERIKA!!!! 750 MILLIONEN TOILETTENPAPIER VERLOREN, BETE FÜR JERUSALEMS PETROL CHURCH GOTT, WIR WERDEN DIE WELT MIT PETROSHIT KONTROLLIEREN UND IN GROSSE HÖHEN STEIGEN, WENN DER WASSERSPIEGEL STEIGT. BLEIBEN SIE NORMAL UND FÜLLEN SIE DIE KAUTION, LEUTE ( I USED NATIVE LANGUAGE OF NATIVE GERMANS ASS "SETTLERS" GENOCIDES OF AMERICAN PEOPLE)

[@TheWizardGamez]

@Jon VB need more regulations? idk man. Its a once in a 50 year piping check based on what they said. and it also was a strong retrospective check. many of the issues come from not having good papers on pre-digital construction. which is what caused this problem. if they did know, they would have likely changed it. and the CSB cant just make regulations, they reccomend standards. which can then be moved to be passed as law or just as doctrine

[@lelanddthompsonlll8560]

These petrochemicals will never do the proper maintenance to the proper safety thing is will always kill people in America because they just don't care. Greed Greed Greed There's usually a wake up call every year. They are still asleep!

[@lelanddthompsonlll8560]

@Jon VB they pay the politicians to make sure that the inspection people are always a year or too late.

[@crapisnice]

@@lelanddthompsonlll8560 germans will fix it, the german squatters that committed the american people's genocide can do anything, included learning english and fake nation history book propaganda

[@jb1996BLOP]

I'm a simple man, I see a new USCSB video, I click

[@FerroequinologistofColorado]

Same here

[@danielwdunn]

Same

[@antwonstewart3457]

Agreed

[@qwerty112311]

Good man

[@WilliamHollinger2019]

Same

[@CalmDownShh]

I was on the highway about a half mile back. The explosion was so large I thought it was a nuclear bomb the first few seconds with the shockwave being so loud it was just mind bending. Came to my senses a few seconds later realizing what actually happened.

[@Spit823]

“I thought it was a nuclear bomb”……..

[@Zach-lz1zh]

@@Spit823think of how huge the cloud was and the flash of all that gas igniting at once, at night… i’m with jimmy on this one it would take me a second to think the shockwave isn’t about to flatten me

[@abe_linc02]

Was this close too the bridge and harbsion exit ? If so I live close too this

[@Vanya2893]

@@abe_linc02 no that's the Advansix phenol plant. the refinery was down by the airport. it was like 5-10 times bigger by area

[@abe_linc02]

@@Vanya2893 wow. Insane. Hey so what would happen if the advendix. On blew up. Will it get too my house ? How safe will Frankford be

[@billschannel1116]

I greatly appreciate these videos. I do not work with chemicals but I am a big proponent of cross industry learning. You would probably be shocked at how many times I've referenced one of these videos while discussing an actual situation we face in the technology space. Just wanted to let you know that your driving value in completely different directions than intended. Thank you for all your awesome work!

[@alisonwilson9749]

I find that investigations in the airline industry are great for that sort of cross-industry learning- especially their emphasis on CRM (Crew Resource Management- basically, how people ought to work together in safety critical situations; I wish medicine in particular would take CRM on board). There's a chap called Mentourpilot on youtube who is especially good at analysing aircraft incidents, without drama, but with a lot of emphasis on CRM.

[@billschannel1116]

@@alisonwilson9749 Hah, that was literally who I was thinking about mentioning to you as I'm all over MentourPilot as well as other aviation channels. He does a great job. It's also worth pointing out that it doesn't have to be disaster info either. I go out of my way to learn different industries and have been much more successful because of it. Like for example... Something I learned from a swat team member. Each member has a portion of the room that they cover. Say your the guy covering the left of the room. As you enter the room you see a guy in your crosshairs who is to the right and he's about the fire. You do not fire at them. Why? Because if you do that who does that leave coving the left of the room? No one... So years later I inherited a team that was paralyzed because everyone made every decision, and everyone focused on each others work rather than their own. Having that analogy helped.

[@EgonFreeman]

@@billschannel1116 Yeah, that seems counter-intuitive until you remember that you're *all* supposed to be trained professionals, and one person can't deal with everything (if one person _could,_ we'd be sending one-man teams). You trust your team members to have your back, just like they trust you to have theirs. But I don't think it's something you can just learn without training for it.

[@EgonFreeman]

I do the same thing, actually. It simmers somewhere in the back of my head, and then shows up as a technical recommendation on some process or backup system. It's not about the particulars of the solution, but rather _a way of thinking about safety_ - much like how learning to program isn't about learning a programming _language._

[@Moose6340]

How do you all manage to make process safety videos simultaneously understandable, educational, AND entertaining? Unreal. Thank you for yet another video!

[@danielwdunn]

Good writing. Good animations. Good narration.

[@qwerty112311]

Take one year for each video

[@peel_out_baw]

This is the greatest use of tax dollars ever

[@TriColorMonk]

Tax dollars well spent

[@MerchantsOfMisery]

It starts with good funding. The USCSB clearly is well-funded and lead by competent people. You get what you pay for.

[@67fairlane90]

The Console Operator is the true hero in this incident. Her actions saved the lives and health of the entire surrounding community. The fact that she had the wherewithal to dump the acid within 30 seconds of the incident is absolutely incredible. From one console operator to another, I salute you.

[@ericluffy7970]

I didn't notice it was a woman. That's great.

[@BeingMe23]

I am sure she was trained to do so.

[@birdlady2725]

@Karl with a K The company CEO's should have required all upgrades be reviewed and then inspect and upgrade to new standards, as safety should be #1 priority, not their bottom line or not getting their yearly bonus or upping shareholder amounts.... Where are the regulatory agencies in all this? Why are they not inspecting and demanding upgrades for safety??? Bought n paid for? Wrong on so many levels. I pray any other facilities learn and make necessary upgrades. Be safe out there!

[@AuxiliaryPanther]

@@birdlady2725 safety can never be the top priority. If you want true safety, don't work around anything dangerous.

[@russiancommy]

@Karl with a K yep and as a industrial electro mechanic, I get to see engineering go to shit everyday, you're absolutely correct about people getting moved up or "grandfatherd" into the position even if they don't deserve it, they have just been there for so long. in 5 years time when all these 60-63 year olds retire we are so fucked by current management. Our machines are verified by engineers to be safe, yet we have mechanics still have jaws ripped off by robot arms because the safeties don't fuckin work.

[@Ski4974]

Holy shit these animations are beautiful, just look at those reflections of the explosions in the water. The production quality just keeps getting better and better.

[@ih8bombs]

I work as a systems engineer across every industry imaginable. I specialize in Medium Voltage Variable Frequency Drives, but I also tend to handle advanced applications or large applications of industrial automation control/visualization, industrial networks, and safety system programming. (If anyone has seen "how its made" I typically program and control all of those types of facilities) I have watched everyone of your videos as I feel that most of the issues could have been mitigated through proper alarming and shutdown controls which are usually one of my core focuses in my line of work. These videos help me remain diligent and aware of control strategies that prevent or detect these failures. I can not express how much I value these videos, they have helped me refine a few of my control system safety programming and controls. I have even worked on a leak detection algorithm that can be used to predict leaks in production facilities (still needs some work). A lot of strategies I have implemented and adopted originated from me watching your videos. Thank you all for your work! I could not think of a cooler job than one that investigates these happenings and presents them to people to help them prevent the same from happening to them. I would do anything to join your investigation & development team in a control system capacity! You guys are incredible. You guys are awesome, I can not say it enough. I never take the time to comment anything on youtube but I felt that I needed to let you know that the work you do with these is incredibly valuable and appreciated, thank you!

[@03056932]

thanks for probably saving a lot of lives by honing your craft.

[@vanguard9067]

It is always good to see the many ways things can go south in a hurry. I am sure every scenarios you encounter helps build your expertise portfolio. That expertise will not be directly replaceable, all we can hope is that as your career advances, you will pass along as much of it as possible to the next generation. Doing that, you will continue doing good in the world for many years into the future. A tremendous legacy Mr. Croop.

[@ih8bombs]

@@vanguard9067 thank you for the compliment, I do appreciate it.

[@ih8bombs]

@@03056932 and you as well, sorry I did not see it until now.

[@dimetime35c]

Mad respect to the supervisor for risking his life to go in and turn the water system on.

[@allthingsharbor]

Mad respect to all the staff, from the console operator taking action immediately, to the supervisor walking in that inferno area to turn on the water system, to other staff shutting valves to stop chemical flow. So many people would have just run for their lives.

[@hgbugalou]

@@allthingsharbor Yep. Those explosions would have been massively loud and frightening that close to ground zero and the operator getting the HF stowed may have saved 1000s of lives and the supervisor likely saved the plant from additional explosions which could have caused damage to spread.

[@MaplePanda04]

I will never get over the strange juxtaposition between wanting more of these beautifully animated videos, and wanting fewer of these incidents to occur.

[@ceoatcrystalsoft4942]

That's why Hollywood is supposed to exist

[@idiotidiot5821]

Same thing with great natural disasters. You just stare in awe while realizing the implications

[@codonbyte]

I feel the same way about episodes of Air Crash Investigation

[@FayeVert]

I wish this team would take on other types of workplace safety incidents and other industries. The videos are just so good.

[@EShirako]

Yes, exactly! I enjoy these...'grudgingly' is maybe the best word for it, and I wish I had less of an ongoing supply of these excellent videos. They are definitely quite insightful, thorough, and useful! If I have to watch them, I'm glad that these skillful folks are taking care of things. Video AND situation-wise both, really!

[@rahmanaulia6284]

Props for the bravery of the supervisor, risking his life to control the accident.

[@JoinTheTechnicians]

Case Closed, The jury is in. USCSB is my new favorite channel. This content is so informative, that it in my opinion the presentation style was beyond sufficient for identification and remediation of these preventable incidences and this content should be considered the gold standard for industrial safety training education.

[@calyodelphi124]

Holy smokes the studio that the CSB has been contracting all these years has SERIOUSLY stepped up their game between just the last video and this one! This is an excellent overview of the entire incident, and it's refreshing to see one where there were no fatalities and the incident was overall handled competently.

[@Slavolko]

This video was randomly recommended to me, so this is the first I've seen from them, but I was immediately impressed with the quality of the CG. Great lighting, textures, fluid simulation, and they managed to map out enough of the city to make it feel alive.

[@b.c.102]

@@Slavolko If you go back through the channel history you can see how far they've come with their animation, it's very impressive.

[@Slavolko]

@@b.c.102 The ones from even a few years ago still look good. Comparing to their early works, I can definitely see a massive improvement.

[@MyNathanking]

It's fine they stepped up their game for as long as the game continues in that stepped-up state. In this day and age of negligence especially with KZbin video editing, you never know what's temporary and what's permanent.

[@nonyanonya6389]

Sounds like a cover up

[@CaelanAegana]

As a chemical engineer and hazard analyst, I deeply appreciate these videos not just for their value to me, but because they're friendly to being shared with non-experts (visually interesting and using understandable terminology). Thank you for your efforts!

[@itsacorporatething]

How do you learn hazard analysis?

[@XxfishpastexX]

Any good sources for reading/learning about hazard analysis? What are some case studies that you find interesting or important?

[@CaelanAegana]

@@XxfishpastexX The Center for Chemical Process Safety (CCPS) is an excellent resource for case reports from all types of facilities. And the CSB does a great job of highlighting key cases and common issues found in facility operations as well. The Texas City refinery as well as the full case reports on Three Mile Island stick with me the most.

[@CaelanAegana]

@@itsacorporatething This is the classic resource: Center for Chemical Process Safety Guidelines for Hazard Evaluation Procedures 3rd Edition There are various methodologies in use depending on your location and industry. This text may also be informative: Guidelines for Process Hazards Analysis (PHA, HAZOP), Hazards Identification, and Risk Analysis (Hyatt)

[@warrenpuckett4203]

I worked turnarounds for 10 years. Probably more dangerous than getting combat pay. HF unit is not a good thing to work in or around on good day. Someone opened a propane line that was being aired out(out gassed) to do a welding operation. Liquid propane looks like sky blue water. Helped a HF worker get clean and moved to to triage and he went to the hospital in the 1st load. I was working on the cat cracker. Another day and another refinery. Was present when a 20 inch line let go feeding into the top of the reformer unit. Then the gas hit the flare-----. I was one mile away in another part of the refinery Almost got blown off the top of separator tower. 900psi and + accompanying heat with h2 and h4c will do that. Worked another job and the the foreman did not believe in wasting time with walking the line out before placing a blind.. (Contract job, not a time and money job) He was insisting in place the blind on the live side of a h2s line. Got lucky and did not get fired. A stillman got involved and yelled at ME to stop. "DO NOT open that. You will kill us all." Sometimes it is taking short cuts that is the biggest problem. Oh and I did not have a h2s meter. Just a Mark 1 eyeball that read the h2s sign on the valve at the other end of the line. Instead of going to bull pen and taking a smoke break after the 1st job was done. I was asked to stay around for unit start up. Left that morning. Explosion and fire. Saw it on the news in a motel 2 states away, that evening. I was the only survivor of that crew. It was my last refinery job.

[@SnailGs]

I remember being able find interesting and educational stuff like this on TV when I was a kid, I really enjoyed this.

[@ChungusTheLarge]

In west philadelphia born and raised. At the refinery where I spent most of my days. I was chillin out maxin relaxin, all cool and all dumpin some process fluid inside of the pool. When a couple of pipes that were up to no good, started leaking HF in my neighborhood. I started one little fire and the government got scared. CSB said "What do you expect when your facility is in disrepair?"

[@ChungusTheLarge]

Will smith slapped me :c

[@cyrilshell4493]

Underrated comment

[@TheEmeraldMenOfficial]

I have never watched a full episode of Fresh Prince. I still heard the theme.

[@Travelinmatt1976]

I love watching these videos! I work in a plant environment and these videos have helped me keep an eye on my workplace's safety shortcomings.

[@thesaddestdude3575]

Fantasticly no one was hurt.

[@FrozenHaxor]

Don't let the corporate greed kill you. Stay safe.

[@crapisnice]

LANG LEBE AMERIKA!!!! 750 MILLIONEN TOILETTENPAPIER VERLOREN, BETE FÜR JERUSALEMS PETROL CHURCH GOTT, WIR WERDEN DIE WELT MIT PETROSHIT KONTROLLIEREN UND IN GROSSE HÖHEN STEIGEN, WENN DER WASSERSPIEGEL STEIGT. BLEIBEN SIE NORMAL UND FÜLLEN SIE DIE KAUTION, LEUTE ( I USED NATIVE LANGUAGE OF NATIVE GERMANS ASS "SETTLERS" GENOCIDES OF AMERICAN PEOPLE)

[@texasslingleadsomtingwong8751]

These should be categorized by process and then made mandatory by process . So if a unit does x process , then x process related videos should be mandatory. But , I don't believe that will happen . I have done Site Specific for so many different units within plants . Some units are insane with the types of chemicals in process. Tetr buta lithium and hydrogen cyanide come to mind . Plant life , good times.

[@crapisnice]

@@texasslingleadsomtingwong8751 you can build an anthrax power plant instead, it has some benefits as well, you could call it jerusalem' german colony' american colony anthrax limited using english instead german as your greatgrandfather

[@Nareimooncatt]

This video hit a little close to home, as a worker was recently killed at a local Wisconsin paper mill when a boiler steam pipe ruptured as he was walking by it. I was suppose to make a chemical delivery there that day, and the incident happened not long before I showed up. As one of the workers put it when I was back with another delivery some time later, it was a 50 year old pipe that they were told was designed to essentially last forever. As always, such an informative and well produced video.

[@rels3565]

Glad you were safe.

[@Simon-xi7lb]

no equipment lasts forever... but paying for maintenance and upkeep is less expensive than paying for the disaster its failure will inevitably cause. I wish more of these companies would realize that.

[@CybershamanX]

Gotta please those shareholders by showing perpetual financial growth, obviously at any cost. These companies make BILLIONS upon BILLIONS of dollars, so in their mind it's more profitable to do the barest minimum in the long term and then just clean up any messes afterwards. If an accident happens on your watch while you're in charge, you become the sacrificial lamb, while everyone else hides behind a shield of ignorance. Billions... Many people have a hard time visualizing that much money. A good guide is the following: a million seconds is a little over 11 days, while a billion seconds is over 31 YEARS. Accidents like these are just the cost of doing business to them. 😕

[@MattyEngland]

​@@CybershamanX Yep, all about the shekels for the shareholders.

[@vidclicker]

@@Simon-xi7lb As the saying goes, regulation is written in blood.

[@kstpdaft5440]

17:26 No, sir. Thank YOU and the rest of the CSB for making these amazing postmortem accident analysis.

[@ct92404]

It's a huge relief to see one of these videos where no one was seriously injured. This could have been horrific.

[@asclepi]

The new CSB leadership is only 3 months in, and here is already the first safety video. Hoping this means videos will be published more frequently again. Thank you for these valuable learning resources; these videos are the billboard for the vital work of the CSB.

[@albinoorca]

Public servants truly and faithfully doing their jobs for the betterment of society is one of the few things that makes this cynic feel happy. I hope we see more videos from them too.

[@mikemcmikemcyeahok4977]

Actually I think I e heard them (the CSB) that they have no power to change laws , they can make recommendations to the industries, and the Government agencies , EPA, PCA, etc.

[@joshuabrunetti2001]

I for one hope that we see fewer accidents, but I agree the videos are quite valuable indeed

[@ZaHandle]

@@mikemcmikemcyeahok4977 They usually send recommendations to OSHA

[@danielbloemker4871]

I worked at this site when this accident occurred. The video leaves out some of the more harrowing bits for the field operators. That is contained in the CSB's full written report if anyone is interested.

[@TheRedRaven_]

The men who risked their lives to manually open those water valves are hero's. Can't imagine how hellish the environment was at that moment.

[@3613jeremy]

I ran fuel delivery for almost 15yrs in Detroit, Michigan and saw everything from questionably sketchy to down right run for your life scary stuff at these fuel terminals and it's always been surprising to me on how few incidents there was specially the older plants that have been in use since the 70s

[@tiffanyribbons]

What’s the worst you saw?

[@Joel-qo6gt]

Better question: what's the funniest/weirdest fix you ever saw?

[@mrvwbug4423]

Incidents are not few. I lived in Cheyenne, WY for 30+ years and the refinery there would average 1-2 fires a year, had a few tank explosions, and questionable gas releases at least every few months. They also had a sizeable cancer cluster near the refinery as they almost constantly released benzene into the atmosphere. The most ominous was the few times that huge yellow clouds would vent out of the top of a cracking unit, no idea what it was but I doubt it was anything good for you.

[@3613jeremy]

@lovemetrueblue2109 worst I ever saw from complete stupidity was a guy flying into the sunoco terminal with his brakes and axles on fire as he ignored it and started fueling up his trail while all of us driver where screaming and running away luckily the terminal manager kicked him out before anything really bad happened

[@3613jeremy]

@Joel-qo6gt a driver brought his dog to work and while he went to use the bathroom his dog somehow kicked the truck into gear, causing the tanker to drive its self straight into the fully loaded BP refinery terminal luckily it hit a concrete post a foot before the 12" fuel pipe

[@Sarah.Riedel]

Philadelphia resident here. I was living in South Philly at 6th and Oregon at the time, and the detonation literally woke me up out of a sound sleep. I initially thought it had been a natural gas explosion from a house nearby and only realized it was the PES refinery almost two and a half miles away when I turned on Action News at 6am. By then there was a massive column of smoke almost exactly due west of my apartment that I could easily view from the rooftop. Given the sheer violence of these explosions and the proximity of the refinery to the densely populated neighborhoods in Passyunk, Greys Ferry and further out, it is mindboggling that no one was killed or maimed. The tank that was launched clear across the Schuylkill was the size of a school bus and could have easily landed on a residential building if it had taken a different trajectory.

[@TopShot501st]

Nothing makes my day more than a USCSB Disaster video...My favorite government agency, no cap

[@zakp.2759]

Do they read the comments? That's what I want to know.

[@UltraGamma25]

@@zakp.2759 Yes they do

[@Orchids.and.Endlers]

@@UltraGamma25 How do you know? I’m genuinely asking, I don’t think I’ve seen them respond before

[@n3ishere]

@@Orchids.and.Endlers They've favorited a few comments before on other videos

[@fredashay]

In that case, you'll probably also like _Fascinating Horror_ and _Plainly Difficult._

[@biggsly]

The supervisor who went into the inferno to turn on the pumps deserves a medal.

[@williamgibb5557]

They did their job and did it well! Other employees take the paycheck and could care less about performance.

[@carmengomez3748]

His job was not to risk his own life to open a valve that should had been openned remotely. The guy was very brave and he deserves recognition.

[@williamgibb5557]

@@carmengomez3748 he had a job to do and since he couldn't remotely, he took his job to the ultimate goal and did it while risking his life. Others would not take the risk. He did and it was worth what he saved from disaster.

[@jeffreyt991]

As a contractor at refineries, in the safety orientation we are told that in an emergency to not follow the operators. They are running TO the problem while we should be running from it.

[@marctipp]

I worked on this unit for years. No one ran into any flames…and definitely not in a damn bunker suit. The fire mitigation controls weren’t inside the fire.

[@dropsofKarma]

The visual effects are looking great! I love watching these videos with my hubby since he used to work at an oil refinery

[@hauntedshadowslegacy2826]

Maaaad props to that console operator! Holy cow. She got on it real quick, doing everything she could to minimize damage. What a baller.

[@BudgiePanic]

This channel has done more to make me embrace safety culture in engineering than any course ever has

[@raidone7413]

Most on the job safety training is to simply call the worker or work crew a bunch of dumbasses and getting on with their work, not realizing that they are overlooking a potential hazard as well

[@4YHUH]

That is good to hear 😊

[@BubblewrapHighway]

It all started with steamboat regulation in the 1800s. They kept exploding.

[@Wulfjager]

They should play these videos _in_ engineering courses

[@winstonbrown5220]

This is a great statement. Unfortunately, unless it is a Chemical Engineering program, most engineering curriculums do not include courses in operations or process safety.

[@LurkMoar101]

And once again, Abbott Animation and Sheldon Smith make most animation studios look second rate. What a fantastic video presentation. The day after we received news of this failure, our crew that were on our own refinery's Alky unit were just that little bit more on edge than usual. I cant help but think that this incident, along with covid and BP's rapidly spiraling reputation at the time, led to our refinery's eventual shutdown announcement shortly after. 65 years we survived, and I can guarantee that a lot of our pipework was just as old, only to be switched off and turned into a tank farm over the following 2 years.

[@antonberglund117]

What was the name of the refinery you worked at?

[@LurkMoar101]

@@antonberglund117 BP Rockingham / Kwinana Refinery, Western Australia

[@OutbackCatgirl]

@@LurkMoar101 eyyyy wa rep

[@letsburn00]

@@LurkMoar101 I was under the impression that Kwinana was a loss maker for decades. It only really survived because the government gave it kickbacks to ensure garden island had a safe supply.

[@DescendDab]

Respect to the cameraman who filmed this entire ordeal from tens of angles simultaneously

[@jayrose6312]

Excellent video and analysis! I live in the surrounding suburbs, yet I somehow never heard about this mess! I think the five points are spot-on as they address the weaknesses very well, some that should be simple common sense and others that are just pure laziness, along with those mitigation best practices that would hopefully ensure the prevention of future disasters. The Schuylkill River is a rather large waterway and the fact that a 19-ton object was ejected onto the land at the other side is frankly amazing and so is the fact that only a handful of people sustained injuries as this could have been far worse for the workers and neighboring communities! “Dangerous” is an understatement in this case! Though the prevention should have been discovered long ago through inspections or even records that could have indicated the outdated parts that were ridiculously out of current standards, I think the console operator did what she needed to do and she did it quickly! All-in-all, the staff that was on that shift seems to have tried everything that they could possibly do, sadly the system prevented some of their quick and effective thinking from going into action!

[@rels3565]

As someone who works in an industrial setting, I am so appreciative to stumble across the USCSB and their videos. Not only do I learn something new when watching these videos, they are also satisfying to watch. Although I do feel sad for the victims and their families.

[@bend8353]

Hardiee's

[@LeCharles07]

That's why regulations are so important; they are written in blood. It's disrespectful to the dead to ignore lessons learned the hard way.

[@rels3565]

@@LeCharles07 correct. The solutions are there. These accidents are preventable. Prevention is much cheaper in the long run compared to treatment.

[@Liebe-Futurel]

Big props to the investigators who have the skill to rummage through the remains to find that pipe and figure out exactly what went wrong.

[@dfdemt]

Keep up the amazing work on the narration/animation with these informative videos! Such a valuable tool presented in an amazing way!

[@guidedbygreen1480]

That operator was a hero, for quickly moving the HF to a save vessel before it exploded shortly thereafter. this single action saved so many lives.

[@haikgharapeti-nercessian9859]

And I thought the animation in the Mixed Connection and DuPonte La Porte incident videos were good, this is superb. Not to make light of a serious situation either, as having clearly displayed and well-animated videos like this helps to better communicate and distribute technical information to all sorts of people. They say dynamic visuals that change as you add more information are the most efficient way to teach, and this is by far the most mold-setting example of that phenomenon. Keep up the fantastic work USCSB!

[@funguy74]

the DuPonte video was really good. They could make a thousand duponte video. They always make huge mistakes.

[@avineshputash5812]

I'm disgusted by your myogynistic and sexist comment. All because this time they put a 3D FEMALE as the supervisor, you leave such a comment to compliment. What about the other finely-made videos but all the staff are 3D men? Nope. Only this... when they placed a 3D female model. I'm so horribly disgusted with the modern society now. Such sexism and twisted thinking. I'm calling the ambulance and tweeting this to India's PM Modi.

[@wendyrosee]

I HAVE INCURRED SO MUCH LOSS TO TRADE ON MY OWN,I TRADE WELL ON DEMO BUT I THINK THE REAL TRADE IS MANIPULATED. PLEASE ADVISE.

[@vincentstewart1843]

You are absolutely right. I have same issue loosing in real trade but win in Demo.I think about giving up sometimes.

[@maureen...]

I always advice new members to have an orientation on how it works before getting involved. Trade offers more benefits than just holding.

[@maureen...]

Kate Floretta Face book

[@maureen...]

She Trade for Celebrities and super stars you know & could Mentor you.

[@janejane386]

you must have these things in mind 1. Have a long term mindset. 2. Be willing to take *risk*. 3. Be careful, if you're not spending to earn back, then stop spending. 4. Never claim to know - Ask questions and it's best you work with an assistant.

[@FNKB888]

I have been watching these videos since 10th grade, I am a senior now who is about to graduate and hopefully get a scholarship to work for DOW chemical. happy to know that I now have a lot of background knowledge thanks to these fantastic videos!

[@Blahsheep]

It's honestly a miracle that an explosion that big had no fatalities. Also, fragment 4 might have landed in the water since it wasn't found elsewhere.

[@raven4k998]

yeah, well that's why it's a wakeup call they should not be so careless about maintenance to prevent corrosion like that to get that bad cause it could have killed many if people were in the radius at the time, it happened

[@Galactipod]

It was big, but not centered inside a group of skyscrapers full of people or something similarly dense.

[@58209]

@@Galactipod but that cloud of HF would have traveled into the downwind populated areas if not for the onsite crew manually turning on the water canons and shutting off the other valves. that was way too close to being a mass fatality event.

[@elmuerte17]

It would've been so much worse if it happened during the day shift; rather than just a few operators in the plant there'd be hundreds of workers present and probably at least a few dozen within the alky unit.

[@FarnhamJ07]

@@58209 This. Yes, there weren't any high rises immediately adjacent to the site...but for reference, central Philly's signature skyscrapers were only about 3 miles away, and the neighborhood immediately adjacent to the site has a population density of 18,115 people per mi². This _easily_ could've lead to thousands hospitalized or worse, and had the stars and especially wind and clock been lined up just right, it could've been far more heartbreaking than that! Thank god the people in this weren't the usual types you see in CSB videos. The plant shift supervisor deserves a literal medal for risking his life to turn on that pump if you ask me; I hope he at least got a promotion and bonus for minimizing damage and casualties.

[@JCDentonAU]

While there was massive damage to plant, it’s amazing there was no loss of life or serious injuries.

[@ooglek]

Excellent work! Someone in the US Government needs to give the US CSB some teeth to FORCE API and the EPA to make changes and ramp up enforcement. In 1995 when the API standards changed for the pipes, every company should have been given 1-3 years to re-certify meeting the new standards, not wait 24 years to find out WHY the standards changed.

[@OMFGTrexKyle]

Yall do so good with these videos. They are very informative, and also entertaining. Keep it up!!

[@SerMattzio]

As a Chemist turned 3D animator, I love these videos. Educational _and_ beautifully animated.

[@baloog8]

That lady was a chemist turned into a 3d animation. Very sad..

[@christopherseigel8908]

Any guesses as to what this was animated in?

[@miketaboo7579]

@@christopherseigel8908 Maya or Blender.....welder turned 3d animator

[@christopherseigel8908]

Much appreciated

[@SerMattzio]

@@miketaboo7579 Hahaha I turned myself into a meme without even realising :P

[@jakebrodskype]

This is not the first time that HF alkylation has been in the CSB spotlight. There was a 2015 explosion in Torrence, CA where, had it not been for a lot of scaffolding around the modified HF tank, it likely would have been been ruptured by the heavy flying debris from an electrostatic precipitator. It was only dumb luck that the tank wasn't ruptured. Thanks again to the CSB for producing yet another video outlining the safety and design concerns of process control. Further, the operators deserve our gratitude for containing this situation and keeping it from being a whole lot worse than it was.

[@visualverbs]

Sustainably great videos. Great job to the production team, writers, and talent. Great work!

[@imjody]

Your renders are on a whole other level! 🔥Amazing work with the videos overall. New sub!

[@priestofsyrinx6681]

CSB videos are not uploaded often (obviously because of all the work that go into them), but, when they are, you realize the wait was well worth it. These videos are so informative and help me in any health and safety tasks I undertake at work.

[@alisonwilson9749]

Indeed, very educational, and as someone from outside the US, I hope my own HSE (my country's equivalent of the CSB) keep tabs in them. In Britain, we tend to be stricter than most on safety regulation, or have been in the past-. It's a pity the current tory government here is trying to undermine all that, by not enforcing the laws, and cutting the numbers of inspectors.😕

[@JnxakaBeasie]

Yet a regular youtuber child can produce the same in a day or 2 lol they just lacking

[@callunas]

I don't work in industry, but I'm obsessed with your videos. They're so entertaining and educational and easy for an outsider to understand. I'm pleasantly surprised at how not-disastrously this accident went, thanks to competent humans and a bit of luck.

[@cameaston5632]

It certainly was a disaster for the company and everyone who worked there. Yes no one was killed but the all lost their jobs within a few days and I think the company went out of business pretty soon after.

[@LWRC]

An oil refinery is one of the most dangerous places to work at!!! Some of these incidents happen at a blink of an eye with no prior notice. It would be just a matter of luck if any operators are around the area that would be killed!!!

[@emmad4308]

Something about HF not mentioned, is the fact not only does it give you chemical burns (as it's an acid), it also has the fun ability to leach calcium from your bones, which causes all kinds of fun and potentially lethal health problems. It has the nickname amongst some chemists (like me!) As bone hurting juice.

[@larseep]

While it is true that HF seeks calcium, it will kill you far faster from a heart attack. There is calcium in your blood stream and your heart relies on it to keep its electrical pulses steady. Once enough HF bonds with the calcium ions in your blood, you suffer heart failure. It's a big misconception by many people that it will impact your bones and it will over time, but if left untreated it will usually affect your circulation system first, along with destroying any tissue it comes in contact with.

[@arbitrarylib]

I know absolutely negative 0 about chemistry or engineering, but I love CSB videos. It's as engaging as forensic files.

[@bulbouscorm]

The animations are amazing, they've really increased the quality lately

[@glenmartin2437]

Thank you. I worked as a chemist. Most chemists and non-chemists do not get sufficient safety training. This plant crew did well. Keep putting out these great videos.

[@euroschmau]

I live rather close to this. I was startled awake when it exploded. The news was covering it live already since the initial fire happened. The following morning, I saw the plume stretching over my neighborhood and smelled burning. Luckily (and not normally for summer, for Philly has dreadfully humid summer mornings), the dry and windy conditions meant the worse particulates floated high enough away so as not to impact the neighborhoods. There were odd gas smelling leaks all over the city now/then for the next many months. In fact, one bad one occurred in early March 2020 that caused my office building to go into shelter-in-place due to the smell of gas in Center City, which has direct feeding pipes from the refinery; the next week we went into Covid lockdown, it was one of the last pre-pandemic at-the-office memories I have.

[@red_d849]

damn bro

[@iCrapBubbles]

Wow! CSB really stepped up their game with these recreations. This looks incredible!

[@username-tv6uw]

The graphics you use are outstanding and make these incredibly easy to understand and watch

[@roippi3985]

😱 After hearing “release of 5k pounds of HF” I was pretty sure we were going to have to watch a Raiders of the Lost Ark reenactment. Glad nobody was harmed, HF is top 3 most terrifying chemicals

[@stefanhoimes]

But people were harmed. My zip code and those surrounding the refinery have higher than average rates of lung issues and cancer than everywhere else nearby. People are still dying as a result and no one with power cares to listen.

[@brandonbecker8707]

Thanks you for the information. Thanks for the workers who did their jobs. Amazing how much technology their is and how complicated it can be.

[@thirdwheel1985au]

I recall the words of a great man... "if you think safety is expensive, try having an accident".

[@johnnyplayz920]

The amount of detail in the animation from where you guys started from is outstanding! Keep up the great work!

[@mersilvaureus1525]

Not using HF whenever possible sounds like a good general rule to me.

[@homecats1]

Unfortunately, sulfuric acid is not a wonder chemical. It takes larger quantities of SF acid to support the same production rates as using HF and must be “regenerated” in order to maintain its effectiveness. This means having a whole other processing unit for the regeneration of SF acid or ship it offsite to a different location. Not a good option either.

[@TheBalconyWorkspace]

Incredible USCSB！Thank you for doing everything for all these years! Salute!

[@bryant.1938]

As usual, very informative and actually interesting. I appreciate the efforts everybody puts into the investigations and animations. Thank you! I also would like to know if the CSB would be covering the TPC explosion in Port Neches Texas?

[@allysonrogers9701]

Yes! They did

[@HiwasseeRiver]

Great topic - The old specs for some steel grades only controlled "other elements" As steel recycling increased the copper content increased, but fell within the range of acceptable "other elements". I came across this while designing an HF piping system in the 90's. I think the specs have addressed this but it's important to share this knowledge and drive home the lesson learned that high Cu in HF steel is not appropriate.

[@blaxmith64]

great comment. Everyone used to be so sure more alloying elements meant less corrosion. I learned something today!

[@EldonJohansen]

With something as dangerous as HF, there should be a process to measure the thickness of piping in any process, regardless how long it "should last". Wait 50 years for a pipe to burst is somewhat irresponsible...

[@breathedeeep]

@@EldonJohansen There are systems in place at all refineries to measure thickness of piping. The problem is, you can't measure the thickness of every square inch of piping. So, you measure "circuits", meaning a defined "chunk" of piping where you expect the corrosion rate to be the same everywhere. What likely happened here, was the metallurgy of that one elbow was missed (they didn't realize ahead of time that it wasn't the same as elbows nearby). The challenge is, these facilities are often upwards of 100 years old, and recordkeeping of every change wasn't nearly as robust historically as it is today. Had they realized that elbow was a different metallurgy than surrounding piping, it would have been its own "circuit" and been on its own measurement schedule.

[@Fred-mv8fx]

@@breathedeeep I guess that special elbow was supposed to be an early warning by corroding more quickly and allowing excess corrosion to be detected early, but at some point that special elbow became tribal knowledge, and then the tribe retired.

[@EldonJohansen]

@@breathedeeep any drawn metal like an elbow has to be checked more often due to increased corrosion rates for various reasons, one of which is that the turbulence of the fluid can cause substantially higher corrosion rates. Of course it's easy to point fingers. But yes I do expect every square inch to be checked on a system where a leak would mean the death of anyone that walked by.

[@miguelservetus9534]

Who was the courageous person who went in and manually turned on the sprinkler? They deserve our recognition. Who approved the elbow monitoring? They deserve our approbation.

[@informativt]

Yeah, that dude walking into a god damn HF cloud - he knew what he was going into

[@painmt651]

I am always amazed when studying the aftermath of these incidents, at a low incidence of fatality, and even injury. 50 years ago or 70 years ago an accident like this would’ve been totally devastating for hundreds of people probably. Like the Texas City disaster

[@Netbug]

The amount of effort that goes into these animations is impressive.

[@pauljoseph8338]

I’ve been watching these videos for years. The production and animation quality is always (progressively) incredible! I hope you can monetize these videos so that you can continue to make compelling content that will save lives. Congrats to the media/PR employee who greenlights these productions.

[@KarinaMilne]

And props to having the same narrator and style over all these years! I hope they never change

[@Joe-ij6of]

This channel is the 'This Old House' of industry regulators

[@constantius8769]

I get an unreasonable dopamine rush when I see a new USCSB video notification.

[@marlboroman71818]

Kudos to that shift sup who had giant cajones to go manually start the pumps to the monitors and to the ERT to block in process valves in those conditions.

[@LoffysDomain]

Best analyses, animations, editing, and voice-overs.

[@621Tomcat]

I was wondering why I find these videos entertaining. Then I realized I make powerpoints for _fun_. That's the kind of person I am. I love informative stuff laid out understandably but not extremely dumbed down. These CSB videos explain things step by step in an understandable manner without anything superfluous. They give clear summaries of events, clear explanations of the events, and explain what could have been done to prevent it. A lot of edutainment KZbinrs tend to speak too much - they can be fun but some of them can get annoying quickly. These videos are accident reports in video form - and I LOVE IT. I love reading reports, but my attention span with reading can be quite bad - so these videos are perfect

[@Stopthisrightnow560]

These videos are straight up the BEST for industrial accidents. I wish they could cover international ones or there were international channels similar. 😣

[@HarryBalzak]

I see you tried to italicize "fun". Move the underscore(_) behind the period to make it work.

[@jonathankleinow2073]

I don't remember much of my 10th grade chemistry class, but I know a giant cloud of hydrofluoric acid floating through a dense urban area would make for a really bad day for a whole bunch of people. I'm obviously glad no one was seriously hurt or killed, but it's always disturbing to see how worn out and ill-maintained these facilities are. I would like the pipes carrying volatile chemicals to NOT corrode and lead to explosions, if at all possible. I don't know what it would have cost to replace that corroded pipe, but I'm guessing it wouldn't have been $750 million.

[@gmaxwell]

If anything the video understates the risk from HF. In addition to the ordinary risks from acid, HF depletes calcium availability in the body which jams nerves and can cause a heart attack.

[@Don2006]

Based on this video, they weren't even aware that that elbow was corroded. If they were, obviously they would have urgently reinforced or replaced that section.

[@screetchycello]

@@gmaxwell HF is terrifying. As an undergraduate I worked in a chemistry lab essentially washing dishes, and one protocol had us boiling glassware in HF acid. We all fucked around like college kids do but absolutely NOT with the bone eating boiling acid.

[@edmundanderson657]

@@gmaxwell Just found this video and yours is the first comment I've seen about this. You're right, HF eats bone. I've worked in these units and you're in a full rubber suit. Not some skin tight latex outfit but a heavy rubber suit head to toe. Tools have to be thoroughly cleaned when leaving the unit, you dont want to pick anything up with residual HF on it. Its a nasty unit to work on. I cant imagine what this was like out in the air.

[@mjpottertx]

@@Don2006 They were aware because of a deficient mechanical integrity program.

[@user-rs1fo2dd9b]

you folks at USCSB, and the folks over at NTSB seriously rock. the professionalism, objective and thorough investigation, attention to detail, clear action plans, and world-class production quality you put into your reports are just outstanding. it is some of the most trustworthy, reassuring government work i have ever seen. thank you for your service to the american taxpayers.

[@World_Analysis-]

I drove by this as it was happening on I95. I graduated from Villanova in 2016 and worked in the city. This is the same port where the “Philadelphia experiment” occurred that turned the Navy ship to teleport supposedly in 1945.

[@hydra7427]

Fantastic video. It cannot be overstated how educational these videos are, not just for their obvious purpose of industrial safety but also educating the general public on the industrial processes we all take for granted.

[@zakp.2759]

My favorite handsome smooth voice USCSB narrator is back.That's the best part.

[@exploremore8608]

Really enjoy these videos about workplace hazards and safety. Keep up the good work in investigating and making environment for hard workers and blue-collar workers safer. Keep up the good work. I have watched almost all of the videos love to watch them when I’m on my lunch break and learning you guys do an amazing job you guys should do one of just strictly operating machinery and hazard places the correct way like an orientation videos for workplaces I know of an incident in Colorado Springs. I don’t know if you guys have done the investigation on it would love to see an explanatory video and what actually happened

[@medea27]

They really dodged a bullet here... for perspective, that 38,000 pound (17 metric ton) piece that landed on the other side of the river _weighed more than a semi-trailer/tractor-trailer._ And hydrofluoric acid is incredibly nasty stuff.. I've seen the effects of a relatively small spill of liquid HF in a university lab and it burned straight through the guy's lab coat, jeans & shoes before anyone even knew he'd spilt it. They got him into an emergency shower in less than a minute but he still ended up needing skin grafts & they used photos the hospital took of the exposed bones in his feet as part of the safety training from then on. Seeing those photos & his scars certainly made you take chemical safety _very_ seriously!

[@brofenix]

Wow, the 3D models and animations are incredible. I appreciate the CSB puts in the effort to illustrate the incidents so well.

[@BubblewrapHighway]

Metaverse needs to take note.

[@derekfotre1665]

I saw this posted and had to watch immediately

[@wartomato4483]

Funny thing is. Im not even american. Im german. But still i find this channel immensly fascinating. Good that they show how to prevent fatal accidents and show faults and error that occured. Very educational. Thumbs up

[@Bak3dGamingYT]

I remember this. Being from Philadelphia born and raised. You could feel the explosion from a damn long distance. My whole house shook. It was like a nuke went off with how big the mushroom was. This was a crazy day

[@bigwendigo2253]

All of these incidents are so incredibly daunting and intimidating to me. The massive fires, explosions, and the terrifying idea of harm by chemical. These places contain such complex piping and large chemical processes it feels like something is bound to go wrong eventually. Massive industrial chemistry plants will always give me the creeps and impress me at the same time. I am not in the industry, but I find your guys’ videos so incredibly interesting. Thanks for posting!

[@EgonFreeman]

"Something is bound to go wrong eventually" is exactly the line of thinking that results in safety recommendations and legislation. Because yes - you're right, something _will_ eventually go wrong, and you want to have solutions in place which, if they can't outright prevent it, will at least mitigate it. But like with everything, it's a balance of necessity vs financial viability. All such structures could be encased in 1m-thick steel plating - certainly effective, but would it be cost-efficient? Would you want to pay $20/gal of gas just to fund such overkill protections? Which is why our protections are _pin-point_ instead of widely covering - we identify issues and threats, and take action against those specific dangers. But as it usually is, eventually something happens that shows us that our _expectations_ of danger don't match reality, and we have to revise them. Safety solutions did exist and did act here, but were eventually overwhelmed. Fukushima Daiichi happened because the tsunami wave expectations (which directly influenced the resulting protective measures built) fell short of the actual event. And this is why a _continuous_ (or "rolling") threat and safety analysis is so important. Things change, new systems are installed, old systems are rebuilt and interfaced... weak points may come into existence despite the safety plan claiming they should not exist (because they originally didn't and couldn't), and some solutions may present a danger when combined despite each being reliably safe on their own.

[@jiminyhopkins]

NDT programs are critical to identifying thinning pipe and corrosion before failure occurs. The amount of operating 50-80 year old componentry in refineries is staggering. Source: personal refinery experience wherein the main distillation tower in my crude unit was manufactured in 1938. Props to the hourly and salary workers at PES; good response by all involved to prevent an even larger catastrophe.

[@mikeeads8427]

Exactly! Anything from UTT to PECA to Corrosion Mapping would've found the wall loss.

[@cvp5882]

UT is fairly quick and much less expensive than burning down a process unit.

[@j-stein2081]

My dad worked there for 25+ Years. Thank God he wasn't hurt that day.

[@jeremysunday6673]

I watched this because it concerned Philly. I had no idea I could learn so much so fast. We NEED to use these kind of videos in schools! NOW!!!!!!

[@daveanderson4013]

Watching the actual footage of this accident, I was amazed to see the huge section of the vessel take off like a rocket. Now knowing it weighed 38,000 lbs makes it more clear how much energy was released to blast something that heavy such a far distance

[@Chosen7uB3]

Another amazing video. Both exceptionally detailed, technical, informative AND visually striking with renderings that allow even a layman in refinery engineering to glean some high potency learning from a concise safety video. Keep it up USCSB. Understanding failure modes and mitigating risk and human error keeps us all a little safer and healthier.

[@thevikig420]

shoutout to whoever produces these vids. keep getting better n better quite impressive

[@Steppest]

Love these. Also, if the narrator produced audio books I would buy every single one! Love the voice, so soothing

[@nodisalsi]

On a lighter note: I seriously would love Corridor Crew to review these videos - they're getting better and better.