Expert calls for better data on accidents like deadly explosion near Lemont
LEMONT, Ill. (CBS) – A day after a young man was killed after an asphalt tank exploded at an oil refinery in the southwest suburbs, CBS 2 has uncovered the number of asphalt explosions in the U.S. aren't being tracked.
CBS 2's Chris Tye dug into the issue and spoke with some who study the industry who say government inspectors aren't doing a good enough job to keep those on the frontline safe.
It's still unclear what happened just before 9:30 a.m. on Monday at the refinery and for those who study the industry, it's also unclear why this kind of accident isn't getting the attention it needs to prevent accidents like this.
There was an asphalt explosion outside of Philadelphia in the summer of 2020, another in Seattle in the fall of that year, and in Oklahoma City the next year.
And now the one in unincorporated Lemont on Wednesday in the southwest suburbs, cost one man his life.
If the question is 'are asphalt explosions happening more often?' the hard truth is we just don't know.
"You can't fix what you don't measure," said Kirsten Rosselot, an environmental consultant and chemical engineer. "The number of explosions isn't being measured."
Rosselot said there is no way to tell if the country is seeing more explosions because nobody is in charge of tracking them. She added that none of the big agencies you might expect to track this kind of tragedy do so. Not the Environmental Protection Agency, not the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, nor the U.S. Chemical Safety Board.
"I've been bucking for this for a while," Rosselot said, adding, "The regulatory community hasn't caught up to the fact that this has changed."
About 20 years ago, the process refineries use to make most asphalt changed. The vapors released at the top of the tanks at the petroleum plant are often flammable. The new processes releases more flammable vapors than before. Rosselot said in the past, it would be "extremely unusual" for a heated tank to have an explosion concentration in its headspace, but it's not so unusual now.
It's uncertain what caused Wednesday's explosion at the plant, but what if that flammable vapor comes into contact with sparks from, say, welding equipment, which is common at refineries?
"If a spark happens to get into the vapor escaping through the outlet, it will carry into the tank and that's when the tank explodes," Rosselot said.
Wednesday's explosion cost 25-year-old Dru Worker, of Homewood, his life, while another Seneca Petroleum worker remains hospitalized, lives lost and workplaces changed as new calls for regulations inside refineries get louder.
"Regulators haven't caught up to the new formulations," said Rosselot.
OSHA is investigating Tuesday's accident, but when CBS 2 asked them, the EPA, and the Chemical Safety Board for comment on whether they are or might start tracking these kinds of accidents, they did not give an answer.
