Review - CSB Publishes Final Report on Three HF Release Incidents

Yesterday, the Chemical Safety Board (CSB) announced the release of their final report on the investigation of three separate hydrogen fluoride release incidents at the Honeywell manufacturing plant in Geismar, LA. The incidents occurred over a three-year period and resulted in one death, over $18 million in facility damages and the hospitalization of one worker. Yesterday’s announcement noted that the Board found that “repeated failures in Honeywell’s safety management systems led to the incidents, including poor hazard identification, inadequate equipment maintenance, and lapses in critical safety systems.” Nine key safety issues were identified, and four formal recommendations were made to prevent future incidents of these types.

The three covered incidents were:

October 21, 2021 – Gasket Failure; Fatality,

January 23, 2023 – HF Reboiler Explosion, and

June 7, 2024 – Line break HF Release; Serious Injury

 

For more information on the report, including a summary of the nine safety issues and four recommendations, see my article at CFSN Detailed Analysis - https://patrickcoyle.substack.com/p/csb-publishes-final-report-on-three - subscription required.