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PA EPA AND OSHA ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION REPORT RELEASED ON SURPASS CHEMICAL CO. SPILLFOR RELEASE: FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 1998 EPA AND OSHA ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION REPORT RELEASED ON SURPASS CHEMICAL CO. SPILL EPA and OSHA today issued a joint Chemical Accident Investigation Report on a hydrocholoric acid spill at the Surpass Chemical Co. in Albany, N.Y. A hydochloric acid storage tank ruptured and released its contents on April 8, 1997. Hydrochloric acid is a corrosive and toxic chemical. The release resulted in offsite injuries and evacuation. Forty people were treated at the hospital and a ten-block area was evacuated that included nearby businesses and residences. The EPA/OSHA investigation team determined that the immediate cause of the incident was the over pressurization of the storage tank. Accident investigators determined that: modifications to the storage tank’s venting system were not done within the tank manufacturer’s specifications; no hazard analysis of these modifications had been performed; and there was inadequate preventive maintenance of the scrubber system. In addition, there was no written standard operating procedures for air off-loading of deliveries to the storage tank and there was an inadequate method for determining that the delivery was complete. To prevent future accidents, the accident investigation team recommends that:
•Surpass and other facilities should maintain environmental control systems to ensure continuous reliability and effective operation; •EPA and OSHA should develop an alert to raise awareness about the need for thorough consideration of safety when designing equipment or processes for environmental control. R-129 ### Release date:09/25/98 Receive our News Releases Automatically by Email
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