Accident: Synthron Chemical Explosion
Location: Location: Morganton, NC
Accident Occurred On: 01/31/2006 | Final Report Released On: 07/31/2007
Accident Type: Reactive Incident
Investigation Status: The CSB's final report was issued at a news conference in Charlotte, North Carolina on July 31, 2007
One worker was fatally burned and about a dozen others were injured when a powerful explosion devastated the Synthron Inc. chemical manufacturing facility. CSB investigators believe the explosion was related to the process inside a 1500-gallon batch reactor at the plant, which contained butyl acrylate along with the flammable solvents toluene and cyclohexane.
Establish a program to ensure that reactive hazards at Protex U.S. facilities are managed in accordance with good industry practices. At a minimum, the program should: -identify and characterize reactive hazards; -implement, document, and maintain appropriate safeguards; -manage changes to recipes; -document and maintain safety critical process equipment capabilities; -train personnel on reactive hazards, safe operating limits, and the consequences of and responses to deviations; -train personnel on emergency evacuations alarms and procedures, and conduct emergency drills; and, -conduct periodic audits of program implementation to identify and address weaknesses.