1976 — Aug 12, Ethyl Benzene fumes explode, Tenneco oil refinery tower, Chalmette, LA–13

— 13 Khan & Abbasi. “Major Accidents in Process Industries…,” LPPI Journal, Vol. 12, 1999.
— 13 Times Herald Record, NY. “13th Man Dies After Refinery Blast,” 18 Aug 1976.
— 12 NFPA. “1976 Multiple-Death Fires in the [US].” Fire Journal, V71, N5, Sep 1977, p. 64.
— 12 National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). The 1984 Fire Almanac. 1983, p. 139.

Narrative Information

NFPA, 1977: “Manufacturing. Oil refinery, Chalmette, Louisiana. On August 12, an explosion and flash fire killed twelve men and injured two others at this oil refinery [see Aug 18 below]. The explosion occurred in a 207-foot-tall benzine unit, which had been shut down for routine maintenance work and repairs. Ten of those killed were employees of a refinery maintenance subcontractor, the other two were employees of the oil company. The cause of the fire has not been determined.” (NFPA. “1976 Multiple-Death Fires in the [US].” Fire Journal, V71, N5, Sep 1977, p. 64.)

Newspapers

Aug 13: “Chalmette, La. (AP) – An explosion ripped through a 20-story tower at the Tenneco Oil Co. refinery, mashing the men and metal inside it. Eleven workers were killed and at least 10 injured. Authorities said they believed two more men were dead in the wrecked tower after the Thursday night explosion… `It looked like it blew the top and everything just came down inside it.’ The shock of the explosion was felt as far as two miles away. There was no fire.

“The silo-like tower, of ‘vessel,’ is used in the refining process to separate petroleum into heavy lubricating oil and lighter fuels….The tower in which the men died is one of a field of similar structures jammed together and linked by catwalks and pipes in a complex that stretches a half mile along the river. The tower was partitioned by 100 metal plates 18 inches apart like the floors of a hotel. Men were working from the top to the bottom of the tower repairing and replacing the plates when the blast occurred.

“…[The] administrator of the Chalmette hospital said the names of the dead would not be released until positive identification could be made of all of them. He described that task ‘almost impossible’.” (Brazosport The Facts, TX. “Louisiana Plant Blast Kills 11,” Aug 13, 1976, p. 1)

Aug 15: “Chalmette, La. (UPI) – A survivor of an oil refinery explosion says the 12 men who died inside the plant’s 20-story processing tower never had a chance to escape the sudden blast. ‘You couldn’t recognize one of them…There was just nothing left of them to recognize. Most of them – their heads and arms were blown off’.

“Most of those killed were Delta employees” [Delta Field Erection Co.].

“[The survivor]…said a co-worker reported smelling gas before the explosion, but Tenneco officials said wind currents through the tower should have eliminated dangerous fumes.

“The tower appeared undamaged from outside but was a tangled mass of steel discs and charred metal inside.” (Delta Democrat-Times, Greenville, MS. “Survivor Remembers Explosion,” Aug 15, 1976, p. 6.)

According to Khan and Abbasi the gas fumes involved were Ethyl Benzene.

Aug 18: “Chalmette, La. (UPI) – A 13th man died Tuesday of injuries he received last week in an explosion inside a 20-story oil refinery tower. A spokesman said John Esposito of Chalmette died of kidney failure. He had been in critical condition at Chalmette Hospital since Thursday night when the blast killed 12 men and injured seven others. Six men remained hospitalized, three in critical condition.…a Tenneco Oil spokesman said three separate investigations still were being conducted into the cause of the blast in the refinery five miles from New Orleans.” (Times Herald Record, Middletown, NY. “13th Man Dies After Refinery Blast, Aug 18, 1976.)

Sources

Brazosport The Facts, TX. “Louisiana Plant Blast Kills 11,” Aug 13, 1976, p. 1. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=126258930

Delta Democrat-Times, Greenville MS. “Survivor Remembers Explosion,” 8-15-1976, p. 6. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=52608229

Khan, Faisal I. and S.A. Abbasi. “Major Accidents in Process Industries and an Analysis of Causes and Consequences.” Journal of Loss Prevention in the Process Industries, Vol. 12, 1999, pp. 361-378. At: http://74.125.47.132/search?q=cache:http://202.38.89.99/Loss_prevention/99503.pdf

National Fire Protection Association. “1976 Multiple-Death Fires in the United States.” Fire Journal, Vol. 71, No. 5, September 1977, pp. 61-64.

National Fire Protection Association. The 1984 Fire Almanac. Quincy, MA: NFPA, 1983.

Times Herald-Record, Middletown, NY. “13th Man Dies After Refinery Blast,” 8-18-1976. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=255640