CSB: 3,000 lb. tank flew 515’ before killing workers at two companies
The accident that killed four workers at two different companies in St. Louis, Missouri last week occurred when a 3,000 lb. storage tank launched 425 feet into the air at a speed of 120 mph before crashing down – with devastating results – according to U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) investigators.
The vessel that exploded upward from the Loy-Lange Box Co. and landed nearby in the Faultless Linen building was a vertical condensate storage tank, technically referred to as the SCR or semi-closed receiver. The SCR provided the condensate or hot water to a steam generation and supply system supporting a corrugated box manufacturing process. That process was being started up on the morning of the incident. Initial visual examination suggests that the bottom pressure boundary of the SCR failed.