Dozens of teenagers and children have been killed in explosions at oil and gas storage tanks over the past three decades, according to federal investigators who today are urging companies to better secure the sites.
The Chemical Safety Board’s examination focuses on three recent lethal explosions, including the death of a 24-year-old woman and injury of a 25-year-old man after an oil tank in New London, Texas exploded when they lit a cigarette while on top of it.
But in a report released today, the independent agency says the problem goes back for decades and demands immediate solutions. The CSB cites 23 similar instances — most involving partying teenagers or curious kids — at oil and gas storage sites from 1983 to 2010. All of the incidents involved victims under 25 and roughly a third of them — 27 percent — were in Texas, though none were in Houston.
Many oil and gas storage tanks are in remote areas — unfenced, unsupervised and without any warning signs — “a tempting venue for young people looking for a place to gather and socialize,” the CSB found.
It can be a devastating and lethal combination when young people hanging out at the sites light up cigarettes.
After probing the 2010 New London, Texas, explosion and two others in Carnes, Miss., and Weleetka, Okla., the CSB concluded all three could have been prevented with better warning signs, securing hatches on the tanks or the use of safer tank designs at the facilities.
Although Houston and some other large cities put constraints on the location of the facilities within city limits, that is not the case nationwide, where more than 800,000 oil and natural gas producing facilities dot the landscape.
“The growing number of oil and gas facilities nationally, their accessibility to members of the public and the lack of awareness among the public about the hazards posed by the tanks suggest a potential for similar incidents,” the CSB concluded.
The agency today is urging oil and gas companies to take swift steps to prevent more accidents, including adopting inherently safer tank design features that are already used in the downstream, refining sector. For instance, the CSB says, vents fitted with pressure-vacuum devices, flame arrestors, vapor recovery systems and floating roofs would go a long way to making the tanks — and the area around them — safer.
“There are more modern storage tank designs that make it much more difficult to accidentally ignite the flammable vapor inside,” said Rafael Moure-Eraso, the CSB chairman. “When the vapor ignites, tanks can explode — killing or injuring any people in the vicinity.”
Moure-Eraso noted that the storage tank designs recommended by the CSB are already utilized at oil refinieres and other downstream facilities because “they are cost effective and they work.”
The CSB also points to some relatively inexpensive and easy changes that could pay off, including hatch locks to prevent access to flammable hydrocarbons inside storage tanks, fencing around the tanks and warning signs.
A “patchwork of” federal, state and local laws don’t go far enough, said Vidisha Parasram, who led a CSB task force that investigated the issue.
“There is a lack of consistent state or municipally mandated regulations for perimeter fencing, locks, and signage,” Parasram said at a news conference to discuss the report this morning. “Public safety is rarely considered in municipal or state rules for constructing or maintaining tanks on oil and gas well sites, even for new construction.”
“These sites are dangerous and the people who live and work in these communities should be properly protected,” Parasram added. “Immediate action to (address shortcomings) will prevent future accidents and save lives.”
Although the American Petroleum Institute currently recommends specific security measures for storage tanks holding refined petroleum products, the group does not have similar standards for storage tanks at upstream exploration and production sites. The exploration and production storage tanks also are exempt from security requirements in the Clean Water Act and risk-management mandates in the Clean Air Act.
The CSB is urging the API to adopt new standards for upstream sites encouraging the use of safer tank designs meant to trim the chances of explosions. The agency also says API should bolster its existing standards by insisting on locked fences, hatch locks on tank manways and barriers preventing unauthorized access to external ladders and stairways at the sites.
API Spokesman Reid Porter said the group was still studying the CSB’s report. “We look forward to reviewing this report and its recommendations, and continuing to improve safe operations,” he said.
The CSB also wants state regulators in Texas to beef up oil and gas regulations with new security requirements. The agency urged the Texas Railroad Commission to mandate companies use locked fences, hatch locks, barriers on ladders and hazard signs near the facilities. The commission also should require the use of safer tank designs, the CSB said.
The Texas Railroad Commission did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In the April 26, 2010 New London, Texas incident, an exploding tank flew 48 feet away from its original location after one of the two victims lit a cigarette while climbing the stairway of the catwalk at the site. Located at the end of an isolated road in the middle of a clearing surrounded by woods, the oil and gas site was leased by MC Production.
The site, which was in operation for at least 80 years, had three interconnected 1,000-barrel capacity tanks at the time of the accident. The tank that actually exploded had not stored any hydrocarbons for at least one and a half years before the incident. A graffiti-covered warning sign at the site warned against smoking, matches or open lights.
A separate oil tank explosion in Carnes, Miss., on Halloween 2009 killed two teenagers, Devon Byrd and Wade White, who were at a Delphi Oil production site about 150 feet away from one of their homes. The force of the explosion sent the upper part of a tank flying 225 feet away and propelled the bottom piece about 60 feet in the opposite direction. The resulting fire lasted four hours and sent flames 200 feet high.
Both teenagers were killed instantly, according to the CSB report, and there was no evidence of what caused the flammable hydrocarbons to ignite.
The Carnes, Miss., explosion has inspired memorials and state lawmakers to push for tougher regulations on oil and gas storage facilities — but they have had limited success.
Mississippi State Senator Billy Hudson says oil and gas leaders in the state have resisted his push for fencing around the facilities. But he insists that it should be a no-brainer.
“You fence a swimming pool to make sure children don’t drown,” Hudson said. And electric utilities wrap power stations in high fencing, he added.
When it comes to tanks holding flammable oil and gas, Hudson said, “you would think they would want a fence.”
It is a tragedy that people had to die by being dumb as a rock. Did they happen to be drunk as everything too? Every kid I was raised in the oil fields with knew better than to smoke around storage tanks.
I grew up in the oil fields of East Texas and knew early on better than to do something as moronic as smoke around storage tanks or mess with production equipment. You might act the fool, riding pump jacks, climb derricks or in the teen years, go party out in the woods on a location. Certain things just were not done. This was a big no no.
Which part of no smoking did they not understand? If you smell fumes, do you light up? Good riddance cause it is obvious they would have further diluted the human race through their bloodline.
Warning signs…fine, I have no problem with that. But forcing operators to re-design production facilities with floating roofs, locking hatches, etc because some irresponsible people trespassed and lit up a smoke on a tank catwalk?!? Don’t get me wrong, it is a sad accident, however punishing the operators for other’s stupidity is ridiculous.
“…including the death of a 24-year-old woman and injury of a 25-year-old man after an oil tank in New London, Texas exploded when they lit a cigarette while on top of it.”
Think they might have been old enough to know better than to go climbing on something that didn’t belong to them? And then lighting a smoke? I don’t call that an accident or a disaster – I call that ‘natural selection’. Cue the Darwin Award nominations…
These were all built during the days when we were expected to be intelligent.
With the Dumbing Down of America over the last 3 decades it now becomes a requirement that everything be Idiot Proof.
Death weeds out the dumb ones.
You can not make the world stupid proof. There becomes a time that there is diminishing returns on an education, people who decide to trespass, when it is posted “Danger – No Trespassing,” then climb on a tank that has “Flammable” written all over it and in a final act of the defiance and rebellion light a match, lighter, or even rub two sticks together gain these people in to the “Three ‘S’ Club:” Stupid People, doing Stupid Things in Stupid Places.” No lets burden the owner with more regulations and costs. Making things more “Idiot Proof” just builds a bigger idiot.
Young adults and teens need playgrounds too. The occasional need to be up high is like a calling to most young people. I would travel 1.5 hours just to be able to climb up the local Fire Tower that stood well above the tree line. No one ever got hurt there. Build more fire towers ;)
We don’t need more guards, we need smarter kids.
No Trespassing signs work well in court for liability problems.
What will be next? They will have to put a guard at every single gas pump in America to keep stupid from being stupid. But they will still find a way.
While it’s sad that these teens/young adults have to entertain themselves in the “oil fields,” for lack of anything better to do, I don’t think the producer is at fault for the stupidity of others. Rather than penalize the producers, why aren’t people looking into solving the root cause of the problem, which is apparently that kids have nothing better to do in the towns they live in. I don’t think it’s a bad idea to post signs, or maybe even build chain-link fences around the tanks, but is that really going to stop people? And when you think of it, the death rate, while unfortunate for the individual and their families, isn’t really that high. Not enough to warrant a complete overhaul of the system.
CSB is nothing more than hatchet men for Henry Waxman.
This ” dozens of deaths over three decades ” .
Does that really merit the involvement of CSB ?
This sounds as if they trying to drum up an issue.
I agree with most of the commenters. No matter how sad, there is no way to guard against bad decision making. And adults SHOULD be responsible. Too many young adults have the “nobody tells ME what to do” complex. Fences & signs are all well & good, but they won’t stop the deaths.
If you build it idiot proof they will just make a better idiot.
In the law of torts, the attractive nuisance doctrine states that landowner may be held liable for injuries to children trespassing on the land if the injury is caused by a hazardous object or condition on the land that is likely to attract children who are unable to appreciate the risk posed by the object or condition. The doctrine has been applied to hold landowners liable for injuries caused by abandoned cars, piles of lumber or sand, trampolines, and swimming pools. However, it can be applied to virtually anything on the property of the landowner.
The CSB recommendations look to the wrong side of the problem. More signs, fences, locks, vents, etc won’t deter someone who’s bound and determined to circumvent safety devices for reasons of expediency, thrill-seeking or just plain defiance. And what about the destruction of MC Production’s equipment? Probably no recourse, as those responsible died in the act. Seems we’re deteriorating into a society of no boundaries, no borders, no respect.
If it’s private property, maybe we should blame the parents.
You can try to make something idiot-proof, but then somebody goes and builds a better idiot!
There is something Darwinian about this story…..
Were these kids really that stupid? Sadly, nature has a way of purging itself of weak genes.
For those of you that insist on attacking my son’s character, you should know the facts before jumping to conclusions or accusing him or his friend. They were not smoking and Devon had never even seen one of these tanks before and neither had I. I am assuming none of you have children or you would not react with such words of hatred and personal attack towards these children.
You can’t “fix” stupid. “Life is hard. It’s even harder when you’re stupid.” – John Wayne
“Many oil and gas storage tanks are in remote areas ‘a tempting venue for young people looking for a place to gather and socialize,’ the CSB found.”
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Either life in rural areas is REALLY DULL or the CSB is a bunch of DC bureaucrats who think all rural folk are dull. I can think of better places to socialize in the country that are nowhere near oil tanks.
How dare you get on here and comment so terribly about someone’s CHILD. You should all be ashamed. How would you feel if it was your loved one who was involved in one of these horrible accidents?? People should really think before they are so quick to judge. These were kids being kids and unfortunately the unimaginable happened. I pray for the families of these victims and hope they find some comfort in the fact that these tragedies are making a difference and hopefully getting this problem fixed. As for the rest of you, I pray that nothing like this ever happens to you or a loved one so you don’t have to endure the pain and suffering that these families and friends have.
Shirley – apologies if my comments offended you. However, that being said, if neither your son or his friend were smoking, why was that not accurately reported in the story?
There’s a site about one of these accidents:
http://www.michael4safety.net/joomla1/
While you can’t make this sites 100% intruder proof, some of these sites lack simple barb wire fences. That can keep out most young children. I’ve seen some O&G facilities that look like Ft. Knox, but other facilities wide open, no fence, no signs.
Vapor recovery systems pay for themselves often in a few years, and enhance safety under a number of conditions, like a worker’s truck backfiring won’t take out the site with flammable vapors controlled, yet a number of companies are nearsighted about that. Some of those other CSB recommendations are low cost, and would make sites safer in other emergencies. Like, lightning hits & ignites one tank at a facility, but a vapor vent flame arrestor keeps the tank next to it from igniting immediately.
As far as not lighting up around these places, I know of a gas producing facility in TX, & a pipeline terminal in MI, where barbecue grills have been spotted at, they were seen through the fences. A little 2 faced message there? Sure, these might be “pros”, that know when it *supposed* to be OK to barbecue, but what if a valve stem seal, or a manifold gasket blows out, when they’re cooking lunch?
pacificoil…..the one young man is on video here saying they got cigarettes and went out there!
are the families going to pay the oil and gas companies back for the damages they suffered?? These places are not cheap…..are parents going to teach their kids more and not leave it up to someone else to do it? If you live near one of these sites, you should make a point to teach your children. Not wait for someone else to do it!
When will individuals take responsibility for their actions.
All of these incidents can and could have been prevented!
Shirley, I am so sorry for your loss. News tho, I am a mother. I have taken the time to teach my son about trespassing and not going to sites like this. My dad and I both work in the Oil and Gas field. I took the time as a mother to teach my son. Just like teaching him that if he puts his hands in the fire he will be burned. On this video there is a young man that said that he and the other kids got cigarettes and went smoking out there. Just like all parents, there is NO way to know everything that your child is up to. So since you were not there, you don’t know for a fact that your son was not using a lighter or smoking cigarettes, and I doubt that he would tell you…………Hey mom, I am gonna go smoking at the oil tanks. That would be something you would expect if this were a perfect world!
Again Prayers for your families!
w00t
October 27, 2011, 12:11 PM
If it’s private property, maybe we should blame the parents.
I would think it safe to say the parents did not own this land!
William
October 27, 2011, 10:43 AM
We don’t need more guards, we need smarter kids.
No Trespassing signs work well in court for liability problems.
HOW ABOUT PARENTS THAT TEACH THEIR KIDS TO STAY OFF OTHERS PROPERTY!!??!! Funny how something tragic like this happens, and the parents, friends, and family wants to point the fingers anywhere but where it should be. TEACH YOUR KIDS RIGHT FROM WRONG!
I think all of you should be ashamed of yourselves do you really not have anything else better to do then just sit around and call people stupid or morons maybe you all shouldnt be so quick to judge because what if these were your children this happened to you surely wouldnt want people putting this crap out about how they were bad children wade and devon were to really great kids and really good friends and are missed very much! Im sorry mrs shirley that people put such harsh things on here the obviously have no heart!!!!
My heart goes out to all these families…I personally know the White’s My husband & I served at the church that Wade grew up in In Carnes, Ms,…those of you that commented about people being dumb, stupid, and idiots for entering in these sites are heartless and if this was your loved one you wouldnt like the fact that heartless people like yourself would and could post such comments…questioning the parenting in these situations aren’t relevant here, because I would question the raising that you all had for the lack of compassion that you all have shown these families….R.I.P. Wade White
Ok for all of those of you that seemed to be onsite of the explosion in Carnes on October 31, 2009,
That I somehow did not see your stupid face, this comment is for you. There were absolutely zero signs on the site. The only sign was the name of the company, Delphi Oil and their phone number. Seriously, that was the only sign on the entire site. As for you geniuses that know everything about oil well sites, I am so glad you do. I am 41 years old and until that night I never knew the dangers of those sites. By the way I am a successful business man and think I am somewhat intelligent. At the age of 32 I actually deer hunted off the top of one of those tanks. I was successful even then. Any intelligent person knows that speeding is dangerous, and I dare to ask any of you how many times you have done that. At least there are signs on the highway that say don’t speed. Some of your post on this site really shows just how stupid you really are. Ignorance can be helped with education but stupidity can never be helped. Is there any chance that a water tower can explode? The answer is NO! Why do we have fences and gates up around those? When you pull up to a gas pump there are signs that say flammable, and do not smoke. Why can’t oil companies at least put those same signs up around their oil sites? I personally was on the scene the night of that explosion and can tell all of you there were NO signs, no gates, and no fences around that site. It blows my mind how some of you that post on here don’t have a damn clue what you are talking about but you post anyway. To be honest that shows how stupid you are. Remember there is no help for stupidity. Before you start posting about something you know absolutely nothing about, you probally need to think about what you are saying. I am not in the oil and gas business, but if I were I would want to fence and lock those sites just to cover my ass. That way if something like this ever happens again I could say and believe I did everything in my power to prevent any unauthorized person from entering my site. Now that seems like a good business move.
It is amazing how stupid and ignorant some of the comments on here are. To those of you who seem to have nothing better to do than to comment on things that you actually know nothing about…..you need to get your bible out and start reading. I’m not sure where you are from but here in the south we stick together. We treat others the way we would want to be treated. These kids were not stupid or idiots. They were very bright young men with a promising future. If all of you so called experts would like to come to Mississippi and tour the site first hand, you are more than welcome to do it. Until then you really need to start commenting on something else. These families have been through enough already and for people to be such IDIOTS with STUPID comments is truly amazing. Also to address the comments that “death weeds out the dumb ones,” “nature has a way of purging itself of weak genes,” and “good riddance cause it is obvious that they would have further diluted the human race through their bloodline,” that is the most insensitive thing I have ever heard anyone say. These families definitely do not have “weak genes.” They are some of the strongest Christian families that I know and they are doing everything that they can to keep other parents from ever having to experience what they have….the loss of a child. To all of you that have made these ridiculous comments we will add you to the prayer list because you definitely need it.
This is why I just hate living in Texas. The arrogance, ignorance, and heartlessness of those who have commented on the parenting and intelligence of the victims of these accidents indicates that having a church on every corner in this state does not make it in any way “Christian.” I would not wish upon the people who made these hateful comments that you would die a terrible death the next time you do something stupid, because I try to be a better person than that. But it is certainly tempting. Are any of you overweight? Do any of you smoke? Do any of you ever exceed the speed limit? When you were young, did any of you ever do anything dangerous, or show less than mature judgement? Have you always been perfect? Shame on you for adding to the already intolerable grief of another human being with your thoughtlessness and arrogance. And shame on you who indicate that you believe property and money are worth more than human lives.
Beth, I don’t recall anyone saying Property or Money were worth more than a human life. And of course we all did something stupid growing up, most of us are very fortunate to be alive, lived thru it. However, as a kid I knew what trespassing was, how fast I could have been shot for doing it, and that there are OBVIOUS dangers to oil fields and the storage tanks on those fields. Does it make it right that these kids did not care? If these young men would have not been on this field, they would be alive. They also would not have caused the damage they did! Fact, they were breaking a law by trespassing on Private Property, Fact, they had lighters and cigarettes where it should NOT have been, Fact, because of THEIR actions, and outright disrespect for private property they ended up dying when they did not have to! When do people start taking responsibility for their actions, the kids……..and their lack of teaching the children they brought into this world, the parent!
It is very tragic that this happened, and that only NOW the parents and community care to teach their kids, but why bring the hammer down on this industry because these kids were NOT taught to stay off others property! Too bad these kids were not taught by mom and dad before this happened, it is only after it happened that we want to make a point! Prevention is the best way to go, and the only way to prevent something is to TEACH YOUR KIDS
Either way…it was a tragic accident. Hopefully lessons will be learned on both sides – industry and private citizens alike.
You people are heartless. You know if it was YOUR children or children’s friends, that you would have some remorse. And how DARE you question someone’s parenting when none of you are perfect parents. You are idiots yourselves because you are awfully quick to judge innocent teenagers when you do not know the whole story. What the CSB has told you or has left out is not what TRULY happened. Most of you would not know the oil tanks on that land have been there for 50+ years without any regularization. You also wouldn’t know that not once was there a fence or even ONE WARNING SIGN! So go ahead, make your judgements towards these children and their parents. I really do hope you practice what your preaching. You will be the ones being judged on the real Judgement Day. I will be praying for all of you in hope of a change of heart. “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you” Matthew 7:1-2
Scott Morrison: I had poked around the picture of that MS disaster after it happened, and did NOT see any fences in the photos. Now, you confirm that there were no fences there. Signs warning of danger should be an obvious step companies should take, for a person could think they were just no flammable liquid tanks, or, for like grain storage, etc.
It’s weird that many states have laws about fences need to be around private swimming pools, even a minimum height requirement in some cases, yet oil tanks don’t have such a law in some places? The O&G industry is worried about terrorists, yet ignore very basic security needs at these facilities.
Just wait until Al Qaeda gets wind of all these vulnerable targets! However, doubtless Sister Napolitano has us covered!
I don’t want to start any problems…but i’m from mississippi and in mississippi these oil tanks are practically in your front or back yard with NO fences and NO warning signs. No one really knows the dangers of the oil sites and that is why these families are trying to do something about it. That is why they created this video on this page to show you that hardly ANYBODY knew the oil sites are dangeous. I’m sory but saying you can’t fix stupid and all of this and blaming the parents is just wrong, because nobody knows. I think what these parents are doing is something that needs to be done and is a great idea. That’s why they’re taking action! on’t be quick to juge anyone on this…it’s not anyones fault!
My son was killed in an explosion in 2007 in the Flattops Wilderness Area Colorado.Unsigned and fenced(fencing is tax deductable)The oil companys are lazy and dont respect any lives.The companys must be forced.Go ahead and blame me as a parent(Ive read all the trashy comments over the years,you are ugly)Wont5 stop me from exposing the stupidity of ignorant (oil company?) people like you.Thank goodness you never died making a mistake,idiots.
Beth
October 28, 2011, 9:44 AM
This is why I just hate living in Texas.
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You’re free to leave anytime you want. I’ll even send you a dollar. The highway goes both ways. This isn’t just Texas problem you clueless moron. Get a grip and bless us with your vanishing act. We’re not too thrilled about your kind living in a place you hate either. Make us all happy and leave.