Accident Lesson Card · Real investigation (tap external link for official report)
← Back to KB navigation
CSB Investigation Report No. 2017-03-I-LA 2017 Safety Safety
PCA DeRidder Foul Condensate Tank Hot Work Explosion
Packaging Corporation of America, DeRidder, Louisiana
Related equipment → Storage tank (storage_tank)
3Fatalities
7Injuries
ExplosionMechanism code OTH
⌗Failure Mode · ISO 14224 Mapping
Damage mechanism (recorded in KB)
ExplosionOTH
ISO functional code (as recorded)
ISO 14224:2016 functional failure code
OTH · Other
ISO OTH — Other.
1What Happened

Hot work near a foul condensate storage tank during an outage; flammable vapor in tank ignited and exploded, tank launched over pipe rack

2Root Cause

Hot work performed near a non-inerted, non-isolated foul condensate tank during shutdown; turpentine-type vapor exploded and launched the 100-ft tank over a pipe rack — 3 killed, 7 injured

3Reliability Lessons (from investigation root cause)
  • The 'Root Cause' above is the core lesson of this accident; not split further.
4Associated Failure Mechanisms (Keywords)
storage tank hot work flammable vapor explosion pulp mill turnaround
About the Failure-Mode Code (click to expand)

The recorded code OTH is an ISO 14224:2016 functional failure code (describes what the equipment failed to do). The damage mechanism (how it failed) is shown in the Mapping block above. The two are distinct dimensions in ISO 14224.

5Evidence Source (transparent)
Authority：U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB)
Official Report：www.csb.gov ↗
Data Verification：verified_url_csb_case_page_curl200
↗Related Failure Modes · Traceability
Bottom Plate Perforation bottom_plate_perforationBottom Weld Crack bottom_weld_crackUnder-deposit Corrosion under_deposit_corrosionShell Thinning shell_thinningWeld Crack weld_crackCorrosion Under Insulation (CUI) cuiRoof Corrosion roof_corrosionFloating Roof Sticking floating_roof_stickingSeal Leak -> VOC Emission seal_leakDifferential Settlement differential_settlementConcrete Crack concrete_crackPad Failure pad_failureFreezing/Sticking freezing_stickingSeat Corrosion seat_corrosionElement Plugging element_pluggingElement Corrosion element_corrosionN2 Supply Loss n2_supply_lossControl Valve Failure control_valve_failureAntenna Fouling antenna_foulingElectronics Failure electronics_failureWire Sticking wire_stickingDisplacer Perforation displacer_perforationContact Corrosion contact_corrosionFloat Sticking float_sticking
Report No. 2017-03-I-LA · Data from CSB public investigation conclusions, compiled by Reliability AI, for reliability demonstration purposes only. This case is derived from public incident investigation reports for learning purposes only. AIM does not endorse or guarantee its accuracy.