Page 5 - MGPI_Case_Study

1.0 INTRODUCTION
TABLE OF CONTENTS
This Case Study examines the October 21, 2016, inadvertent
1.0 Introduction
mixing of incompatible chemicals at the MGPI Processing,
2.0 Background
Inc. (MGPI) facility in Atchison, Kansas. The mixture of the two
3.0 Incident Description
chemicals, sulfuric acid and sodium hypochlorite (better known
in its less concentrated form as bleach), produced a cloud 4.0 Chemical Analysis
containing chlorine and other compounds. The cloud impacted 5.0 Incident Analysis
workers onsite and members of the public in the surrounding 6.0 Similar Incidents During Unloading Operations

community. The incident occurred during a routine chemical 7.0 Industry Associations and Guidance
delivery of sulfuric acid from a Harcros Chemicals (Harcros) 8.0 Regulatory Oversight and Guidance
cargo tank motor vehicle (CTMV) at the MGPI facility tank farm. 9.0 MGPI and Harcros Post-Incident Changes
10.0 Key Lessons
The Atchison County Department of Emergency Management 11.0 Conclusion
(ACDEM) ordered thousands of community members to 12.0 Recommendations
shelter-in-place and other community members to evacuate
Appendix A – Simplified Logic Tree
in some areas. Over 140 individuals, including members
Appendix B – Recommended Practices
of the public, MGPI employees, and a Harcros employee,
sought medical attention; one MGPI employee and five
members of the public required hospitalization as a result facility management to ensure chemicals are unloaded safely. This
of exposure to the cloud produced by the reaction. Case Study examines the factors that contributed to the incident at
MGPI and includes key lessons for preventing similar incidents for
While two specific substances were involved in this incident, facilities receiving chemicals and the companies delivering them.
the accidental mixing of many acids and bases or other
incompatible chemicals during unloading operations and other 2.0 BACKGROUND

activities can lead to potentially dangerous reactions. Chemical 2.1 MGPI PROCESSING, INC.
unloading operations from CTMVs may be perceived as simple The MGPI facility is located near a primarily urban part of
compared to other processes in fixed facilities, but because these the city of Atchison, Kansas, about 50 miles northwest of
operations can involve extremely large quantities of chemicals, Kansas City, Missouri. The company, originally established
2
the consequences of an incident may be severe. According to as a small distillery in 1941, is an operating subsidiary of
the National Association of Chemical Distributors (NACD), more MGP Ingredients, Inc. MGPI has two operating segments at
than 39.9 million tons of product were delivered to customers the Atchison plant: distilled products, including food-grade

every 8.4 seconds in 2016. Therefore, facility management must alcohol, distillers feed, fuel-grade alcohol and corn oil; and
pay careful attention to the design and operation of chemical ingredients, which consists of specialty and commodity wheat
transfer equipment by applying the hierarchy of controls and starches and proteins for food and non-food applications.
by considering human factors to reduce the opportunity for The Atchison facility contains grain processing, distilling
inadvertent mixing and to mitigate consequences should an operations, warehousing, laboratories, and office buildings
event occur. In addition, in situations where CTMV drivers are and employs 140 personnel, of which 100 are represented by
directly involved in unloading chemicals, there must be shared the United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 74D.
responsibility between the chemical distribution company and
2.2 HARCROS CHEMICALS

2 Center for Chemical Process Safety. Unloading and Loading Hazardous Materials Harcros manufactures and distributes industrial and specialty
Process Safety Beacon [Online], September 2015 https://www.aiche.org/sites/default/ chemicals and blends to a broad range of industrial customers
files/cep/20150920.pdf (accessed September 12, 2017).
CSB MGPI Processing Case Study 5