On 23 October 1989 at approximately 1:05 PM Central Daylight Time, a series of explosions occurred at Phillips Petroleum Company's Houston Chemical Complex (HCC) in

Pasadena, Texas Pasadena () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas, located in Harris County. It is part of the metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 151,950, making it the 23rd most populous city in Texas and the second mos ...

, near the

Houston Ship Channel The Houston Ship Channel, in Houston, Texas, is part of the Port of Houston, one of the busiest seaports in the world. The channel (geography), channel is the conduit for ocean-going vessels between Houston-area terminals and the Gulf of Mexico, ...

. The initial blast registered 3.5 on the

Richter scale The Richter scale (), also called the Richter magnitude scale, Richter's magnitude scale, and the Gutenberg–Richter scale, is a measure of the strength of earthquakes, developed by Charles Richter in collaboration with Beno Gutenberg, and pr ...

, and the resulting fires took 10 hours to bring under control, as efforts to battle the fire were hindered due to damaged water pipes for the fire hydrants from the blast. The initial explosion was found to have resulted from a release of extremely flammable process gasses used to produce

high-density polyethylene High-density polyethylene (HDPE) or polyethylene high-density (PEHD) is a thermoplastic polymer produced from the monomer ethylene. It is sometimes called "alkathene" or " polythene" when used for HDPE pipes. With a high strength-to-density rati ...

, a plastic used for various consumer food container products. The US

Occupational Safety and Health Administration The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA; ) is a regulatory agency of the United States Department of Labor that originally had federal visitorial powers to inspect and examine workplaces. The United States Congress established ...

fined Phillips Petroleum Company $5,666,200 and fined Fish Engineering and Construction, Inc., the maintenance contractor, $729,600. The event killed 23 employees and injured 314.

Prior to the disaster

The HCC produced approximately per year of

(HDPE), a

plastic Plastics are a wide range of synthetic polymers, synthetic or Semisynthesis, semisynthetic materials composed primarily of Polymer, polymers. Their defining characteristic, Plasticity (physics), plasticity, allows them to be Injection moulding ...

material used to make milk bottles and other containers. Approximately 1500 people worked at the facility, including 905 company employees and approximately 600 daily contract employees, who were engaged primarily in regular maintenance activities and new plant construction.

Cause

The accident resulted from a release of extremely

flammable A combustible material is a material that can burn (i.e., sustain a flame) in air under certain conditions. A material is flammable if it ignites easily at ambient temperatures. In other words, a combustible material ignites with some effort ...

process A process is a series or set of activities that interact to produce a result; it may occur once-only or be recurrent or periodic. Things called a process include: Business and management * Business process, activities that produce a specific s ...

gases that occurred during regular maintenance operations on one of the plant's polyethylene reactors. More than of highly flammable gases were released through an open

valve A valve is a device or natural object that regulates, directs or controls the flow of a fluid (gases, liquids, fluidized solids, or Slurry, slurries) by opening, closing, or partially obstructing various passageways. Valves are technically Pip ...

almost instantaneously. During routine maintenance, isolation valves were closed and compressed air hoses that actuated them physically disconnected as a safety measure. The air connections for opening and closing this valve were identical, and had been improperly reversed when last re-connected. As a result, the valve would have been open while the switch in the control room was in the "valve closed" position. After that, the valve was opened when it was expected to stay closed, and finally passed the reactor content into air. A vapor cloud formed and travelled rapidly through the polyethylene plant. Within 90 to 120 seconds, the vapor cloud came into contact with an ignition source and exploded with the force of 2.4 tons of

TNT Troponin T (shortened TnT or TropT) is a part of the troponin complex, which are proteins integral to the contraction of skeletal and heart muscles. They are expressed in skeletal and cardiac myocytes. Troponin T binds to tropomyosin and helps ...

. Ten to fifteen minutes later, that was followed by the explosion of the

isobutane Isobutane, also known as ''i''-butane, 2-methylpropane or methylpropane, is a chemical compound with molecular formula HC(CH3)3. It is an isomer of butane. Isobutane is a colorless, odorless gas. It is the simplest alkane with a tertiary carbon a ...

storage tank, then by the catastrophic failure of another polyethylene reactor, and finally by other explosions, probably about six in total.

Explosions

The incident started at approximately 1:05 PM local time on October 23, 1989, at 1400 Jefferson Road,

. A powerful and devastating explosion and fire ripped through the HCC, killing 23 people—all working at the facility—and injuring 314 others (185

Phillips Petroleum Company Phillips Petroleum Company was an American oil company incorporated in 1917 that expanded into petroleum refining, marketing and transportation, natural gas gathering and the chemicals sectors. It was Phillips Petroleum that first found oil in th ...

employees and 129 contract employees). In addition to the loss of life and injuries, the explosion affected all facilities within the complex, causing $715.5 million worth of damage plus an additional business disruption loss estimated at $700 million. The two polyethylene production

plants Plants are the eukaryotes that form the kingdom Plantae; they are predominantly photosynthetic. This means that they obtain their energy from sunlight, using chloroplasts derived from endosymbiosis with cyanobacteria to produce sugars f ...

nearest the source of the blast were destroyed, and in the HCC administration building nearly 0.5 mile away, windows were shattered and bricks ripped out. The initial explosion was equivalent to an earthquake registering 3.5 on the

and threw debris as far away as six miles.

Early response

The initial response was provided by the

fire brigade which was soon joined by members of the

Channel Industries Mutual Aid The Channel Industries Mutual Aid (CIMA) is an American Houston-area non-profit mutual aid network. It is a cooperative among over one hundred emergency response agencies in Harris, Chambers, and Brazoria counties and industrial fire departments f ...

association (CIMA). Cooperating governmental agencies were the Texas Air Control Board, the Harris County Pollution Control Board, the

Federal Aviation Administration The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is a Federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government agency within the United States Department of Transportation, U.S. Department of Transportation that regulates civil aviation in t ...

(FAA), the U.S. Coast Guard, the

(OSHA) and the

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is an independent agency of the United States government tasked with environmental protection matters. President Richard Nixon proposed the establishment of EPA on July 9, 1970; it began operation on De ...

(EPA).

Firefighting

The

firefighting Firefighting is a profession aimed at controlling and extinguishing fire. A person who engages in firefighting is known as a firefighter or fireman. Firefighters typically undergo a high degree of technical training. This involves structural fir ...

water system at the HCC was part of the process water system. When the first explosion occurred, some fire hydrants were sheared off at ground level by the blast. The result was inadequate water pressure for firefighting. The shut-off valves which could have been used to prevent the loss of water from ruptured lines in the plant were out of reach in the burning wreckage. No remotely operated fail-safe isolation valves existed in the combined plant/firefighting water system. In addition, the regular-service fire-water pumps were disabled by the fire which destroyed their electrical power cables. Of the three backup diesel-operated fire pumps, one had been taken out of service, and one ran out of fuel in about an hour. Firefighting water was brought in by hoses laid to remote sources: settling ponds, a cooling tower, a water main at a neighboring plant, and even the

. The fire was brought under control within about 10 hours as a result of the combined efforts of fire brigades from other nearby companies, local

fire department A fire department (North American English) or fire brigade (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English), also known as a fire company, fire authority, fire district, fire and rescue, or fire service in some areas, is an organi ...

s, and the

foam trucks and fire brigade.

Search and rescue

Search and rescue efforts were delayed until the fire and heat subsided and all danger of further explosions had passed. These operations were difficult because of the extensive devastation in the HCC and the danger of structural collapse. The

requested, and the FAA approved and implemented, a one-mile no-fly zone around the plant to prevent engine vibration and/or helicopter rotor downwash from dislodging any of the wreckage. The U.S. Coast Guard and

Port of Houston The Port of Houston is one of the world's largest ports and serves the metropolitan area of Houston, Houston, Texas. The port is a complex of diversified public and private facilities located a few hours' sailing time from the Gulf of Mexico. Loc ...

fire boats evacuated to safety over 100 trapped people across the

. OSHA preserved evidence for evaluation regarding the cause of the catastrophe.

List of casualties

Phillips Petroleum Company employees

;Fatally wounded, listed by name, age, city of residence within

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

, and official date of death (following recovery and identification of remains or eventual death from injuries) *Stephen Donald Huff, 21, 25 October 1989 *Ruben Quilantan Alamillo, 35,

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

, 25 October 1989 *James Edward Allen, 38,

Pasadena Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial d ...

, 2 November 1989 *Albert Eloy Arce, 34, Deer Park, 7 November 1989 (listed as Eloy Albert Arce) *James Henry Campbell Jr., 30, Baytown, 26 October 1989 *Eloy Gonzales, 36, Houston, 1 November 1989 *Mark Lloyd Greeson, 30, Pasadena, 28 October 1989 *Delbert Lynn Haskell, 43, Deer Park, 29 October 1989 *Scotty Dale Hawkins, 32, Houston, 28 October 1989 *James Deowens Hubbard, 45, Houston, 25 October 1989 (listed as James Hubbard Jr.) *Richard Leos, 30, La Porte, 29 October 1989 *James Arthur Nichols, 40, Baytown, 27 October 1989 *Jesse Thomas Northrup, 43, Brookshire, 28 October 1989 *Mary Kathryn O'Connor, 34, Houston, 29 October 1989 *Gerald Galen Pipher, 39, Deer Park, 30 October 1989 *Cipriano Rodriguez Jr., 42, Pasadena, 27 October 1989 *Jesse Oscar Trevino, 33, Pearland, 30 October 1989 *Lino Ralph Trujillo, 39, Pasadena, 29 October 1989 *Nathan Gene Warner, 30, Deer Park, 24 October 1989

Fish Engineering employees

;Fatally wounded and official dates of death *Juan Manuel Garcia, 30 October 1989 *Jose Lara Gonzalez, 23 October 1989 *William Scott Martin, 25 October 1989 *John Medrano, 30 October 1989 (listed as Juan Trejo-Medrano) A granite memorial at near 924 Jefferson Road, Pasadena, Texas was dedicated on the first anniversary of the disaster, and was declared by company officials to be open to the general public at all times.

OSHA findings

OSHA's major findings included: *Lack of

process hazard analysis A process hazard analysis (PHA) (or process hazard evaluation) is an exercise for the identification of hazards of a process facility and the qualitative or semi-quantitative assessment of the associated risk. A PHA provides information intended to ...

*Inadequate standard operating procedures (SOPs) *Non-fail-safe block valve *Inadequate maintenance permitting system *Inadequate lockout/tagout procedures *Lack of combustible gas detection and alarm system *Presence of ignition sources *Inadequate ventilation systems for nearby buildings *

Fire protection Fire protection is the study and practice of mitigating the unwanted effects of potentially Conflagration, destructive fires. It involves the study of the behaviour, Compartmentalization (fire protection), compartmentalisation, suppression and inve ...

system not maintained in an adequate state of readiness. Additional factors found by OSHA included: *Proximity of high-occupancy structures (control rooms) to hazardous operations *Inadequate separation between buildings *Crowded process equipment *Insufficient separation between the reactors and the control room for emergency shutdown procedures. Quoting from a key OSHA document:

"At the conclusion of the investigation (April 19, 1990), OSHA issued 566 willful and 9 serious violations with a combined total proposed penalty of $5,666,200 to
Phillips Petroleum Company Phillips Petroleum Company was an American oil company incorporated in 1917 that expanded into petroleum refining, marketing and transportation, natural gas gathering and the chemicals sectors. It was Phillips Petroleum that first found oil in th ...
and 181 willful and 12 serious violations with a combined total proposed penalty of $729,600 to Fish Engineering and Construction, Inc., a maintenance contractor on the site."

OSHA citations

As a result of a settlement between OSHA and

, OSHA agreed to delete the willful characterization of the citations and

agreed to pay a $4 million fine and to institute

process safety management Process safety management (PSM) is a practice to manage business operations critical to process safety. It can be implemented using the established OSHA scheme or others made available by the EPA, AIChE's Center for Chemical Process Safety, or ...

procedures at HCC and the company's sister facilities at

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;

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; and

Woods Cross, Utah Woods Cross is a city in Davis County, Utah, United States. It is part of the Ogden– Clearfield, Utah Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 9,761 as of the 2010 census, with an estimated population in 2019 of 11,431. Histo ...

Facility today

Today, the facility continues to manufacture polyethylene. This complex employs 450 workers for the production of

speciality chemicals Specialty chemicals (also called specialties or effect chemicals) are particular chemical products that provide a wide variety of effects on which many other industry sectors rely. Some of the categories of speciality chemicals are adhesives, agri ...

, including 150 operations and maintenance personnel. The facility experienced additional fatalities in

1999 1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January * January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. * January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...

and

2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...

References

{{Coord, 29, 43, 41, N, 95, 10, 53, W, display=title Explosions in 1989 1989 in Texas Industrial fires and explosions in the United States Chemical plant explosions Explosions in Texas Fires in Texas Pasadena, Texas Phillips 66 Urban fires in the United States October 1989 in the United States 1989 disasters in the United States