Safety Systems Failed At Buncefield

A storage tank at the Buncefield oil depot was overflowing for more than 40 minutes before a series of explosions last December, a report produced by the Buncefield Major Investigation Board chaired by Lord Newton,has said.

BBC News Website Pic - Buncefield arial viewApparently, says the report, unleaded petrol was piped into the tank identified as tank 912, at the plant in Hemel Hempstead from the pipeline from Thameside, at around 7pm on the evening of December 10.

The report adds: "Calculations show that the tank would have been full by about 5:20am, overflowing thereafter."

However, no-one noticed and 41 minutes later the explosions began, injuring 43 people.

The investigation board says the report focuses on the "physical processes" but does not seek to address any shortcomings in the design and operation of the Buncefield plant "in order to avoid prejudicing future legal considerations".

The report, quoted in detail in the Daily Mail goes on: "The separate high level protection system which should have automatically closed the valves to prevent overfilling did not operate. Between 5.20am and 6am the fuel would have flowed from eight breather holes in the roof of the tank."

It adds: "Seismological evidence shows the main explosion occurring at 06.01:32. Eyewitness accounts also describe the main explosion being followed by a number of smaller explosions."

BBC News Website ReportThe report identifies that an alarm should have been triggered when the level of liquid in the tank reached its maximum, through an independent safety switch which provides the operator with a visual and audible alarm in the control room when the level of liquid in the tank reached its specified maximum level.

The alarm also initiates a trip function to close valves on the relevant incoming pipeline.

The report notes: "The ultimate high-level safety switch on the tank sensed when the liquid reached its specified maximum level should all other alarms and controls fail to prevent this."

But crucially, "Automatic shutdown did not take place."

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