Affiliation:
1. Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of California–San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
2. Fire Science and Technology Inc., San Diego, CA, USA
Abstract
On 17 April 2013, the West Fertilizer Company’s ammonium nitrate storage building exploded, killing 15 persons and injuring over 200. Numerous Federal and State agencies regulated the facility. But none of the agencies demonstrated a viable understanding of what is liable to cause accidental ammonium nitrate explosions, nor what is needed to prevent these. Specifically, none of them recognized the fact that ammonium nitrate fertilizer explosion accidents, when they occur, are inevitably the consequence of an uncontrolled fire and that such fires can be precluded by well-known fire safety measures. In fact, existing regulations have generally focused on everything but features needed to make such storage facilities incapable of sustaining an uncontrolled fire. Ammonium nitrate manufacturers, however, did have technical knowledge concerning safety and were aware of the ineffectiveness of governmental regulations. Espousing proper Product Stewardship principles by the manufacturers would have precluded selling dangerous chemicals to buyers who cannot safely store them.
Subject
Mechanical Engineering,Mechanics of Materials,Safety, Risk, Reliability and Quality
Reference41 articles.
1. Texas State Fire Marshal’s Office. Firefighter Fatality Investigation FF FY 13-06. Austin, TX: Texas State Fire Marshal’s Office, 2013.
2. Case study and lessons learned from the ammonium nitrate explosion at the West Fertilizer facility
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