Phillips plant explosion under investigation
By Staff -- Purchasing, 9/2/1999
A recent explosion and resultant chemical fire recently erupted inside Phillips Petroleum Co.'s Houston, Texas, plastics plant, killing two workers and injuring four others.The cause of the blast has not yet been determined, according to a company spokesperson who confirmed the blast. According to the spokesperson, the explosion occurred in the company's k-resin facility, which has been shut down. No other facilities were impacted by the explosion and fire. Reopening of the facility will depend on the completion of the osha investigation and the company's ability to safely start up the plant, the spokesperson says. No force majeure has been declared and the company says it is confident that it will be able to meet the supply requirements of its customers.
A Federal investigation into causes of the blast involving the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration, (osha), is under way. Also, Phillips' is conducting its own internal investigation, the spokesperson says.
The facility is one of the largest plastics manufacturing facilities in the world. The plant produces primarily polyethylene, k-resin, polypropylene and neohexene in capacities of 2.2 billion lb/yr, 790 million lb/yr, 270 million lb/yr and 2.3 million lb/yr, respectively.
In May, the company completed an expansion of its k-resin production at the plant. The project increased k-resin capacity by nearly 40%, from 270 to 370 million lb/yr. The project is designed to accommodate an adjacent future expansion that could quickly double the current capacity as market demand grows.
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