Safety Board Begins Accident Investigation

A root-cause investigation of an explosion at Marcus Oil & Chemical in Houston on Dec. 3 was announced last week by the Chemical Safety & Hazard Investigation Board. Board examiners believe that the blast, which was felt 20 miles from the plant, was due to an explosion in a 40,000-gal chemical storage tank that was holding a mix of raw materials used to make polyethylene wax. The explosion and fire injured two firefighters and damaged and blew out windows of nearby structures. Preliminary information indicates that the tank had been modified by installing internal heating coils and had no pressure-relief system. However, no cause for the explosion has been found. The Marcus Oil accident joins eight other investigations that the board is actively pursuing.