WOODS CROSS -- The chairman of the U.S. Chemical Safety Board believes a Woods Cross neighborhood is built "too close" to a refinery that exploded on Nov. 4 and damaged more than 100 homes.
CSB Chairman John Bresland made his comments Tuesday as he unveiled colorful footage of the explosion taped by a Silver Eagle refinery surveillance camera.
"The frequency of accidents in U.S. refineries is very troubling. These accidents cost lives, inflict serious injuries and, as we just saw here in Woods Cross, can harm communities," said Bresland at a news conference near the refinery, which voluntarily began to shut down operations on Friday.
The tape shows an estimated 100 feet of leaping flames from piping that leaked hydrogen and possibly hit an open furnace.
The explosion, which forced four families from their damaged homes, missed by minutes five refinery employees, a passing truck and a passing commuter train that all had been in the immediate neighborhood.
CSB Investigations Supervisor Don Holmstrom said workers near the process unit at the time of the explosion were blown to the ground but not seriously injured.
"It's a miracle there weren't more serious consequences," he added.
Holstrom said thin pipes carrying the hydrogen, and an outside contractor that inspected the pipe thickness for the refinery, were part of the investigation into the cause of the incident. The CSB investigation to date indicates the Silver Eagle refinery was operating with a mechanical integrity program that had "serious deficiencies."
"Witness evidence indicates that various thickness readings taken by the prior contractor are of questionable validity. The refinery is now in the process of re-validating those readings," said Holstrom, who would not identify the contractor.
The company released a statement Tuesday night that, in part, stated:
"Silver Eagle has been following an established mechanical integrity program and disagrees with any suggestion or assertion to the contrary. Silver Eagle has also worked hard in recent years to upgrade the refinery and improve safety. However, in light of the Nov. 4 incident and the preliminary findings, it is apparent to the refinery that the program was insufficient and that changes need to be made."
The CSB notes that the company has been "cooperative" about the incident.
Agency pictures show the force of the rupture caused a section of the pipe to wrap itself around a steel support,
Bresland said his team will also look at the proximity of homes to the refinery, a policy issue that has resurfaced at public meetings since the explosion.
"I call on all refineries to redouble their commitment to safer operations and safer communities. The current rate of accidents in refineries is not sustainable and it is not acceptable." said Bresland, who said that three of the CSB's eight open refinery investigations are in the Salt Lake area.
The CSB is an independent federal agency that investigates major chemical accidents at industrial sites but does not have regulatory or enforcement responsibilities.
Bresland stopped short of saying that regulatory bodies such as the Occupational Safety and Health Administration need to step up inspections of refineries in Utah.
OSHA records show the company was cited for five violations in a January fire at Silver Eagle, but the case file had not been closed. Other violations, 18 in total, were listed by OSHA in 2002 and 2004 reports.
After showing the footage, Bresland read from a note his staff was handed from an eight-year old girl, Anna Lindhardt of Woods Cross.
Lindhardt lives directly across the rail line on the east side of the refinery.
A week or two prior to Nov. 4, Bresland was told she wrote a school assignment on the topic of "My Fears."
She wrote: "I'm scared that the refinery behind my house might blow up again. And my whole neighborhood will have to evacuate again."
A few days after the explosion, she wrote another school paper. Bresland said this is how it begins: "I was at school and the Silver Eagle refinery behind my house exploded. Now my house is a mess! I was really really scared when I got home because everyone from our neighborhood was at my house."
Anna's father, Tom Lindhardt, said he was impressed by the CSB investigative actions, so far.
"I understand, I moved next to a refinery," said Lindhardt. "I just want to ensure my family's safety."
The CSB team plans to be in town for the next week or two but did not have a time line for releasing a final report on the explosion and its aftermath.
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