Marathon Petroleum

Two employees sustain burns when struck by acid after turnar

At 3:15 p.m. on May 4, 2021, two employees working as plant operators for a petroleum refinery were helping start-up an alkylation unit after a turnaround. A 3/4" bull plug was not reinstalled properly after the line was purged. The bull plug blew out of a 2-inch line releasing a hydrofluoric (HF) acid vapor cloud. This resulted in a site and community shelter in place. Both employees were struck by HF acid and hospitalized. The employees were trapped without water or proper egress causing one to have to travel through the vapor cloud and up the tower to get breathing air. The other employee had to jump off an approximate 20-foot platform to escape (captured by camera footage). The deluge system release had a delay that exceeded 30 seconds before activation after the acid cloud was detected. This event sent these employees to the emergency room due to direct concentrated exposure to the acid resulting in extensive tissue damage to the face, eyes and lungs. Employee #1 was hospitalized to treat burns to his eyes, chest, face and respiratory tract. Employee #2 was hospitalized to treat burns to his eyes, abdomen, face and respiratory tract.

Employee sustains burns from arc flash

At 11:15 a.m. on March 6, 2018, Employee #1 was moving a panel switch to open a position on the 480 Volt MCC breaker. An arc flash occurred, and the employee sustained burns to his eyes, face, neck and hands. He was hospitalized for treatment.