CSB Releases Fact Update on PES Refinery Explosion

Posted on 10/28/2019 by Roger Marks

The Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) released a factual update on the major incident at the PES Refinery in Philadelphia in the early morning hours of June 21, 2019.

CSB also released a preliminary animation of the incident.

Beginning at 3:20 a.m. on June 21, an unintentional release of hydrocarbon vapors led to three explosions at the PES refinery. The refinery has been described as the largest facility of its kind on the eastern seaboard. The facility produced about 335,000 barrels (14 million gallons) of crude oil per day.

Four employees were treated for minor injuries on site. A shelter-in-place order was put in place for nearby residents, and parts of Interstate 76 were closed while more than 100 firefighters battled the fire.

A passing motorist caught the third and biggest explosion on a cell phone camera and posted it to Twitter:

@6abc @CBSPhilly @FOX29philly Philadelphia energy Solutions Refining Complex at about 4:15 am pic.twitter.com/vK1Vs2MEfR
— hood’s favorite vegan (@1nicetownbean) June 21, 2019

Online 49 CFR & RCRA Training

Need to renew your hazmat shipping or hazardous waste certification? Complete your required training when and where you want with these two easy-to-use refresher courses:

Recurrent Hazmat Ground Shipper Certification
Keep your knowledge of DOT's Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR) up to date and satisfy the three-year hazmat training mandate at 49 CFR 172.704.

RCRA Hazardous Waste Management Refresher
This streamlined course provides annually required RCRA training on critical hazardous waste management, storage, and disposal requirements for generators. Satisfy EPA's annual training mandate at 40 CFR 262.17.

Both of these online courses are updated continuously to cover the latest US DOT and US EPA regulations that impact your operations. Enroll now or check out the complete Course Catalog here.

Tags: accidents, chemical, hazmat incident, PES refinery, safety

Find a Post

Search for:

Compliance Topics

Compliance Archives

My experience with Lion classes has always been good. Lion Technology always covers the EPA requirements I must follow.

Steven Erlandson

Environmental Coordinator

Lion Technology workshops are amazing!! You always learn so much, and the instructors are fantastic.

Dorothy Rurak

Environmental Specialist

The instructor was probably the best I ever had! He made the class enjoyable, was humorous at times, and very knowledgeable.

Mary Sue Michon

Environmental Administrator

Attending Lion Technology classes should be mandatory for every facility that ships or stores hazmat.

Genell Drake

Outbound Lead

Lion courses always set the bar for content, reference, and practical application. Membership and access to the experts is an added bonus.

John Brown, CSP

Director of Safety & Env Affairs

Having the tutorial buttons for additional information was extremely beneficial.

Sharon Ziemek

EHS Manager

Lion's training was by far the best online RCRA training I've ever taken. It was challenging and the layout was great!

Paul Harbison

Hazardous Waste Professional

These are the best classes I attend each year. I always take something away and implement improvements at my sites.

Kim Racine

EH&S Manager

The online course was well thought out and organized, with good interaction between the student and the course.

Larry Ybarra

Material Release Agent

Lion does a great job summarizing and communicating complicated EH&S-related regulations.

Michele Irmen

Sr. Environmental Engineer

Download Our Latest Whitepaper

This report details major changes for hazardous waste generators from US EPA’s Generator Improvements Rule, as well as the latest updates from states that are still working to adopt new, stricter Federal requirements.

Download

By submitting your phone number, you agree to receive recurring marketing and training text messages. Consent to receive text messages is not required for any purchases. Text STOP at any time to cancel. Message and data rates may apply. View our Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.