On November 20, the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) released an update on its investigation into an October 10 fatal release of hydrogen sulfide gas at the PEMEX Deer Park Refinery in Texas that killed two workers and injured 13 others.
During maintenance activities at the refinery, approximately 27,000 pounds of toxic hydrogen sulfide gas was released. In addition to the two fatalities and 13 serious injuries at the facility, officials in the nearby cities of Deer Park and Pasadena, Texas, issued shelter-in-place orders lasting several hours, and a portion of Texas State Highway 225 was temporarily closed.
According to the board’s update, on the day of the incident, two contract workers at the refinery partially opened a flanged connection on piping containing hydrogen sulfide gas, which caused the release. One of the workers was fatally injured. Work was supposed to be done on a different,…
