When you live in Texas, it is not unusual to hear that an explosion happened at an oil refinery somewhere not far from you. There is a long list of safety measures to prevent an explosion at an oil refinery, but there are things that can go wrong, and some people can be injured. When there is an explosion at a Texas refinery, you could be dealing with a very personal injury situation. The injuries and deaths associated with refinery accidents can happen at any time, but they can forever change the lives of victims and their families.
Refinery Explosions Happen Everywhere
A very significant explosion at a Texas refinery occurred on March 23, 2005, when the refinery at the BP Texas City facility exploded, killing 15 people and injuring 180 others. Despite the presence of a team of professional engineers Present during normal plant transitions, something went wrong, and the disastrous result will never be forgotten. In November 2003, a series of refinery tanks exploded in Midland, Texas, in a chain reaction that took at least six tanks. Fortunately, while the physical damage was great, the injuries were limited in this case. An oil explosion in Texas is a horrible event, but it should be noted that oil refinery accidents are not limited to just Texas. In July 2001, a large tank explosion in Delaware City, Delaware, released a source of more than 600,000 gallons of sulfuric acid into the sky and killed wildlife miles away. In May 2009, an explosion at a refinery near Claymont, Delaware, was so violent that people living in surrounding areas voluntarily evacuated their homes. Along with refinery accidents, oil processing plants also have incidents with pipelines that explode when transporting gas and oil to various locations and exploding wells.
Preventing Refinery Explosions
According to Popular Mechanics magazine, many refinery explosions occur during or after maintenance in the spring. Most refineries close part of the year, and that’s when maintenance is done. When the plant is ready to transition to gasoline refining for the coming season, all equipment is turned back on. If the extensive listing of nearly 30,000 procedures is not followed exactly, there could be an explosion. The transition period is also when all workers are called back to the plant, which is why the number of deaths and injuries can sometimes be so high. The key to good refinery safety is to make sure those lists are followed to the letter.
What Should You Do If You Are Injured?
If you have been the victim of a refinery accident, then contact an experienced refinery explosion attorney immediately. Even if you think you don’t have a worthwhile cause for a lawsuit, you can get information about what to do next from a law firm with experience dealing with the aftermath of these types of accidents.
