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Inspection Detail
Inspection: 302101191 - Coastal Refining & Marketing, Inc.
Inspection Information - Office: Corpus Christi Area Office
Site Address:
Coastal Refining & Marketing, Inc.
1300 Cantwell Lane (West Plant)
Corpus Christi, TX 78407
Mailing Address:
P.O.Box 109, Corpus Christi, TX 78403
Union Status: NonUnion
SIC:2911
NAICS: 0
Inspection Type: Accident
Scope: Partial
Advanced Notice: Y
Ownership: Private
Safety/Health: Safety
Close Conference: 11/12/1999
Planning Guide: Safety-Manufacturing
Emphasis:
Case Closed: 08/09/2000
| Type | Activity Nr | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accident | 100210673 |
| Violations/Penalties | Serious | Willful | Repeat | Other | Unclass | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Violations | 18 | 1 | 19 | |||
| Current Violations | 13 | 3 | 1 | 17 | ||
| Initial Penalty | $108,000 | $70,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $178,000 |
| Current Penalty | $63,900 | $0 | $0 | $1,500 | $70,000 | $135,400 |
| FTA Penalty | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| # | Citation ID | Citaton Type | Standard Cited | Issuance Date | Abatement Due Date | Current Penalty | Initial Penalty | FTA Penalty | Contest | Latest Event | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 01001 | Serious | 19100106 I05 II | 11/12/1999 | 01/31/2000 | $5,600 | $7,000 | $0 | I - Informal Settlement | ||
| 2. | 01002 | Other | 19100119 D02 ID | 11/12/1999 | 01/31/2000 | $500 | $7,000 | $0 | I - Informal Settlement | ||
| 3. | 01003 | Serious | 19100119 E03 I | 11/12/1999 | 01/31/2000 | $2,500 | $2,500 | $0 | I - Informal Settlement | ||
| 4. | 01004 | Serious | 19100119 E03 V | 11/12/1999 | 01/31/2000 | $7,000 | $7,000 | $0 | I - Informal Settlement | ||
| 5. | 01005 | Other | 19100119 E05 | 11/12/1999 | 12/31/1999 | $500 | $7,000 | $0 | I - Informal Settlement | ||
| 6. | 01006 | Serious | 19100119 F01 II | 11/12/1999 | 11/29/1999 | $5,600 | $7,000 | $0 | I - Informal Settlement | ||
| 7. | 01007 | Serious | 19100119 F01 IV | 11/12/1999 | 01/31/2000 | $2,000 | $2,500 | $0 | I - Informal Settlement | ||
| 8. | 01008 | Other | 19100119 F04 | 11/12/1999 | 12/31/1999 | $500 | $2,500 | $0 | I - Informal Settlement | ||
| 9. | 01009 | Serious | 19100119 J02 | 11/12/1999 | 12/31/1999 | $5,600 | $7,000 | $0 | I - Informal Settlement | ||
| 10. | 01010 | Serious | 19100119 J04 I | 11/12/1999 | 01/31/2000 | $5,600 | $7,000 | $0 | I - Informal Settlement | ||
| 11. | 01011 | Serious | 19100119 J04 II | 11/12/1999 | 12/31/1999 | $5,600 | $7,000 | $0 | I - Informal Settlement | ||
| 12. | 01012 | Serious | 19100119 J06 II | 11/12/1999 | 01/31/2000 | $5,600 | $7,000 | $0 | I - Informal Settlement | ||
| 13. | 01013 | Serious | 19100119 L01 | 11/12/1999 | 12/31/1999 | $5,600 | $7,000 | $0 | I - Informal Settlement | ||
| 14. | 01014 | Serious | 19100119 M01 | 11/12/1999 | 12/31/1999 | $5,600 | $7,000 | $0 | I - Informal Settlement | ||
| 15. | 01015 | Serious | 19100119 M03 | 11/12/1999 | 11/18/1999 | $0 | $7,000 | $0 | 12/06/1999 | F - Formal Settlement | Citation has been deleted. |
| 16. | 01016 | Serious | 19100119 M05 | 11/12/1999 | 12/31/1999 | $5,600 | $7,000 | $0 | I - Informal Settlement | ||
| 17. | 01017 | Serious | 19100119 O01 | 11/12/1999 | 01/31/2000 | $2,000 | $2,500 | $0 | I - Informal Settlement | ||
| 18. | 01018 | Serious | 19100132 E | 11/12/1999 | 11/22/1999 | $0 | $7,000 | $0 | 12/06/1999 | F - Formal Settlement | Citation has been deleted. |
| 19. | 02001 | Unclass | 19100119 J05 | 11/12/1999 | 11/22/1999 | $70,000 | $70,000 | $0 | I - Informal Settlement |
Investigation Summary
Employees #1 through #6 were engaged in maintenance work at a refinery, near the #2 HDS/Reformer unit hydrotreater #16, a unit that fractionated, hydrotreated, and reformed raw naphtha. The unit was being run in normal operations mode. The 16-D-2 prefractionator overhead receiver was a used, 6 ft by 10 ft horizontal pressure vessel, first fabricated in 1976 with no code plate and then returned to a different service at the refinery in 1989. The vessel was operating at 110 psig and 118 degrees F when it split open catastrophically along a thinned top section and dumped its contents of sour naphtha, liquefied petroleum gas, and other light hydrocarbons from an elevated platform down into the unit. Employees #1 through #6, some employed by the refinery and some by a contractor, observed the vessel failure and product release, which they took to be steam. A few seconds later, the released hydrocarbons ignited explosively. The ensuing fireball was taller than the unit's process columns and stretched out into adjacent units. Employees #1 thru #6 fled from three different points and suffered burns ranging in severity from minor to critical. Employee #7 was painting in the area and sustained injuries as he scrambled to escape to an adjacent storage tank farm. Subsequent investigation revealed numerous serious violations of the employer's process safety management procedures and practices, its emergency response program (i.e., communication and containment), and personal protective equipment program. The mechanical integrity inspection, documentation, and repair practices for this recycled pressure vessel were found seriously lacking over its operating lifetime.
Keywords: FLAMMABLE VAPORS, WORK RULES, EQUIPMENT FAILURE, EXPLOSION, BURN, MAINTENANCE, PRESSURE VESSEL, FIRE, CONSTRUCTION, REFINERY
| # | Inspection | Age | Sex | Degree of Injury | Nature of Injury | Occupation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 302101191 | Hospitalized injury | Burn/Scald(Heat) | Miscellaneous plant and system operators | ||
| 2 | 302101191 | Hospitalized injury | Burn/Scald(Heat) | Miscellaneous plant and system operators | ||
| 3 | 302101191 | Hospitalized injury | Burn/Scald(Heat) | Chemical technicians | ||
| 4 | 302101191 | Hospitalized injury | Burn/Scald(Heat) | Machinery maintenance occupations | ||
| 5 | 302101191 | Hospitalized injury | Burn/Scald(Heat) | Chemical technicians |