On the evening of June 3rd 2014 two major explosions and subsequently, a fire occurred at a Shell Moerdijk petrochemical plant. The explosions could be heard within a 20-kilometre radius. Debris from the explosion was found 800 metres away. Two employees were injured in the explosion. The Dutch Safety Board investigated this incident focusing on the immediate and underlying causes of the explosions. Besides that, also the firefighting and crisis management were investigated.

KEY ISSUES:
• Management of change is vital to identify new hazards
• Knowledge transfer between the design phase and the operations phase is critical

Image Credit: Dutch Safety Board