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Accident # | 104779 |
State Police # | No Information Given |
Accident Date | 2008-04-16 |
Report Date | 2008-04-23 |
Follow-up Date | 0000-00-00 |
Follow-up: | No |
Pollutant | Duration | Point Source | Greenhouse Gas | Criteria Pollutant | Ozone forming chemical | Amount of Release |
Lubricating Oil | No information given | oil spill to soil | NO | NO | NO | 25,246.0 gallons |
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) | No information given | oil spill to soil | NO | NO | YES | 358.0 pounds |
Accident Classified As: Reportable Quantity
An apprentice operator at West Complex was transferring lube oil from #9 agitator to a product tank. The pump lost suction, the operator assumed the level of oil in the drum was minimal, and the transfer operation was stopped. Per normal procedure, the drain valve was opened to send the remaining residual material to the slop tank via an enclosed sump system. The unattended open valve was found after the shift change. Meanwhile, the sump pumping system was overwhelmed, the lube oil backed up into the agitator basin and spilled over the concrete and entered the sewer.
The amount of material remaining in the agitator was grossly underestimated and the operator left the valve open while attending to another task. The open valve was immediately blocked to stop the release. A vacuum truck began to pick up the pooled oil from the sewer, concrete, and soil. A project to install a high level alarm on the sump is being considered. This alarm would notify the operator of a high level in the sump such that appropriate actions can be taken to prevent an overfill incident. The employee was counseled to follow appropriate procedures and no leave open valves unattended. The contaminated soil was removed.
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