Straight Track #123

New NTSB Tank Car Loading Regulations

U.S. Rail News
Vol. 25 No. 14
Published July 17, 2002

U.S. Rail News, in Vol. 25 No. 14, wrote an article about new regulations from the NTSB released in the wake of the 2001 toxic chemical spill at a Michigan rail yard that killed three workers. 

NTSB Recommends New Regulations On 
Loading and Unloading Tank Cars

Railroads should prepare for new regulations on the way to load and unload tank cars following a toxic chemical release at a rail yard in Riverview, Michigan last year that killed three workers. 

The recommendation of new regulations is contained in the National Transportation Safety Board’s report to the Transportation Department on the July 14, 2001 accident. 

“By its very nature, the work these employees performed around chemicals was extremely hazardous,” NTSB chairwoman Marion Blakey said. “The lack of some basic safety precautions in this operation was a fundamental flaw, and proved tragic for the three men who lost their lives last July.”

The July 14 explosion at ATOFINA Chemicals occurred when 74 tons of poisonous methyl mercaptan gas leaked through a fractured pipe used to unload it from a railroad tank car. The NTSB report said the pipe was weak from corrosion. The board said the probable cause of the accident was ATOFINA’s failure to properly maintain and inspect its cargo transfer equipment and inadequate federal oversight of the unloading of hazardous materials. 

Precautions Would Have Saved Lives 

The NTSB said the accident could have been prevented if ATOFINA did not rely on an excess flow valve to stop leaks during unloading. Excess flow valves are designed to prevent leaks during a crash, but might not work when transfer pipes are connected to remove the cargo, the NTSB report said. 

One possible rule change railroads should expect is a requirement for remote cutoff switches rather than only manual valves on top of tank cars. 

The workers probably would have survived if they were wearing protective suits with oxygen masks, the investigators concluded. 

The explosion sent a fireball about 200 feet into the air, causing a fire that took more than five hours to extinguish. About 2,000 residents surrounding the plant near Detroit were evacuated. They later filed a lawsuit against ATOFINA for negligence. 

The state of Michigan reached a $6.2 million settlement with ATOFINA in May that included $500,000 in penalties and $5.7 million in safety improvements, training and community donations. 

An ATOFINA spokesman said the company continues to make safety improvements. The company now requires that the cargo unloading apparatus, including the integral piping, be removed from service every two years and undergo non-destructive testing to ensure that it is still safe. ATOFINA also has redesigned the unloading apparatus. 

The NTSB wants the Transportation Department, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to develop safety requirements for transferring hazardous materials. The regulations would cover inspection and maintenance of transfer equipment, emergency shutdown measures and protective gear for workers. 

Current Federal Regulation Administration rules cover the setting of tank cars brakes, chocking of wheels and related matters. However, they do not address the inspection, maintenance and support of cargo transfer fittings, leak test procedures for fittings or the use of personal protection equipment by operators. Contact: Ted Lopatkiewicz, NTSB, at 202-314-6100.

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