Fatal ethylene fire laid to poor safety

MITO, Ibaraki Pref. (Kyodo) A fatal fire at an ethylene plant in Ibaraki Prefecture was caused by failure to take adequate safety measures, according to a draft of a final report by the prefectural government's accident investigation committee, sources close to the matter said.

The fire at the Mitsubishi Chemical Corp. plant in Kamisu in December occurred when coolant oil leaked from a valve and ignited during pipe maintenance. The fire killed four people.

According to the draft, failure to shut off the main cock of a compressed air valve used to operate another valve, caused the fire, the sources said Friday.

The Ibaraki Prefectural Police have set up a task force to investigate the company for professional negligence resulting in death, and plan to probe suspected problems with its safety management, the sources said.

The panel will compile its final report Wednesday at a meeting in Kamisu.

So far, investigators have determined that coolant oil leaked and caught fire when a valve opened as workers were exchanging parts of a pipe.

According to a report from Mitsubishi Chemical, the oil wouldn't have leaked after the valve opened, if only the main cock for the compressed air valve had been shut off.

Even though closing the air valve is recognized as a basic operation, it was not included in a manual and was not carried out, the sources said.

The prefectural panel will thus conclude that even if the valve was mistakenly opened, the accident would not have happened if the employees had taken such safety measures as locking the handles and closing the main cock to keep the valve from moving, the sources said.