简介

In Dec 2005, a massive explosion at the Buncefield oil storage and transfer depot in Hemel Hempstead, United Kingdom caused a large fire which engulfed over 20 large storage fuel tanks. The exact ignition points were not certain, but are likely to have been a generator house in the northgate car park and a pump house on the west site. Significant damage occurred to both commercial and residential properties in the vicinity and a large area around the site was evacuated on emergency service advice. The fire burned for several days, destroying most of the site and emitting large clouds of black smoke into the atmosphere. Over 40 people were injured; fortunately there were no fatalities. The economic and environmental damage was substantial. Aninvestigation was carried out by the UK Health and Safety Executive that resulted in the 45 page Buncefield Recommendation Report with 25 recommendations describing how to design and safetly operate fuel storage sites. This paper will explore some of the Buncefield recommendations along with the applicable safety standards and translate those into tangible solutions that can be applied to prevent such accidents from happening again.