During the start-up procedure at the H. C. Starck facility, after the
process had been shut down for investigation of the explosions, another fire
occurred. The system had been shut down for more than two months and
as it was being reheated a minor sodium leak occurred. The leaking
sodium ignited and the area was evacuated. The Newton Fire Department
responded and isolated the area, but took no action. The system was shut
down and the fire was allowed to bum itself out. There was no significant
damage from this incident and there were no injuries.
The company was cited by the U.S. Department of Labor for OSHA
violations as a result of this incident. The violations related to the burning
of sodium in an area where molten sodium and water could mix, and the
company was required to have a person qualified in process design approve
any deviations from standard operating procedure when burning excess
sodium.
The company has changed its policy and now returns all used drums
to the supplier for disposal. Plant personnel are being trained to function
as an industrial fire brigade.
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