Refinery Explosion Kills Three Workers

Three workers were killed and four hospitalized after an explosion and fire early this morning at the Tesoro refinery in Anacortes, Wash., about 70 miles north of Seattle. The Chemical Safety & Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) announced that a team has been sent to investigate the accident, which occurred in the refinery's naptha hydrotreater unit.

Currently, CSB is investigating an accident at another Tesoro Refinery—this one in Salt Lake City, Utah. There, a flash fire occurred Oct. 21, 2009, when flammable liquid overfilled a flare stack and ignited.

"CSB has 18 ongoing investigations," notes CSB Chairman and CEO John Bresland. Of those, seven accidents occurred at U.S. refineries, he noted. "This is a significant and disturbing trend that the refining industry needs to address immediately."

Bresland also warned in a statement that large-scale deployment to Washington State will further complicate board efforts to complete other important cases, including its investigations of the Caribbean Petroleum fuel terminal fire near San Juan, Puerto Rico; the CITGO refinery hydrogen fluoride release and fire in Corpus Christi, Texas; the Goodyear heat exchanger rupture and ammonia release in Houston, Texas; and the Exxon Mobil refinery hydrogen fluoride release in Joliet, Illinois.

The four-person Anacortes team will be led by CSB Investigations Supervisor Robert Hall. Board Member William B. Wark will accompany the team.