In  April 1991, an explosion broke out in the refinery section dedicated to heavy oil desulfurization. The explosion resulted in the injury of two workers. One received mild burns on his arms. Another worker had to be taken to the hospital for treatment of smoke inhalation.

The centrifugal force of any blast at an oil refinery, where highly combustible gas and oil are under pressure, is very dangerous. When pipes or towers experience malfunctions in pressure and fluid level gauges. The increased pressure can lead to an overflow situation of super-heated oil or gas. That can create a thick fog of vapor that is slightly denser than oxygen, and so it settles along the ground.

Then, all it takes is a combustion source, and you have a catastrophic accident. In this particular incident, none of the immediate employees or contractors had adequate training. Thus, they lacked the training on the importance of adhering to the required safety regulations.

Frequently in oil refinery accidents and injury cases, it is often revealed that the refinery had engaged in some cost-cutting measures. This negligence, however, places workers at an increased risk. Should you get the chance to look at a control room at an oil refinery? You will see a collection of alarms, alerts, and reminders on a multitude of computer screens. Thus, you can understand how an operator could overlook a small alert. Also, there may be a situation in which something goes wrong. But because there are no senior management or experienced refinery operators present, things can quickly get out of hand.