Incompatible Chemicals: Explosion at AB Specialty Silicones

A CSB safety video about the May 3, 2019, reactive chemistry incident at the AB Specialty Silicones manufacturing facility in Waukegan, Illinois. Two incompatible chemicals were mixed and reacted, producing flammable hydrogen gas that ignited, causing a massive explosion that killed four workers.

[Kyo-kfjf]

Two CSB videos in a month? Impossible, the air must be contaminated.

[theGoogol]

As a 3D artist myself I must say that the quality of these animations is ridiculously good for the purpose they serve.
Someone over there really loves his or her job.

[mq]

I was about 10 minutes away from this building when it exploded. Never heard anything like it before in my life, the entire house shook and felt like an earthquake. I've been eagerly awaiting the results of this investigation. Great job guys.

[VegasLounge]

I almost feel guilty thinking, "awesome, a new USCSB video!" because in a perfect world, these videos wouldn't even need to exist. As a layperson I've learned so much about how chemical plants etc operate thanks to these videos– I live close to where the Imperial Sugar explosion happened and remember how chaotic that day was.

[ZeldaTheSwordsman]

A lesson that needs to be beaten into the business world:
"You think safety's expensive? Try an accident."

[calanon]

New USCSB Videos: When "Yay!" and "Oh, no" cross paths.

Through tragedy, we learn. Thanks to the CSB for presenting this information to the public.

[joshuaobelenusable]

As a consumer of bulk silicone that was affected by the shortage this caused, I am thankful for videos like this to explain what exactly happened. These videos also act as an important reminder for us to review our safety protocols. Thank you for publishing these videos!

[grandpoint]

I was employed in a chemical plant when I graduated high school. We received absolutely no training. Fortunately I was a "geek" and understood a lot of the hazards of the materials we worked with and we only had one minor accident while I worked there. It was caused by the careless action of a co-worker who wouldn't listen to instructions. Fortunately no one was injured as a result. We worked with many substances that could have easily resulted in the deaths of one or more of us.

[Reisperbachtal]

Amazing how detailed the 3d model of the destroyed factory is. Almost missed the switch to real pictures.

[NewHereHello.]

I am a biology/chemistry major. I really appreciate how well everything is always explained in these videos. These videos save lives 100%

[leewilder]

It's not that I look eagerly forward to seeing a notification from this channel, not exactly, because something awful had to happen for a video to be made... but I always look forward to watching these videos once a new one arrives. It's always as fascinating as it is sobering.

[candlestickboys]

I run a chemical mfg group and these videos get presented to the team throughout the year. Invaluable for training and discussion.

[boltvanderhuge]

I feel like there might be a serious issue in the qualifications of any worker who sees ANYTHING unexpected spilling out of a tank while handling large volumes of chemicals and doesn’t by default assume that the spillage is hazardous. The fact that multiple workers reacted the same way suggests they were never trained at all beyond the basic steps required to mix the chemicals.

[jasonbolton]

Nothing pisses me off more than people dying at work 😢

[NewBeefProductions]

When the CSB says, “Reiterate” you know someone messed up.

[RoguePhysicx]

Thanks to the entirety of the USCSB for their investigations and the animators who make these amazing videos!

[novacthall]

You guys are my favorite government agency. I work in manufacturing and share these with my whole company when a new one drops. Thank you for sharing your knowledge.

[youngeshmoney]

What I've learned from the CSB is 1) have common sense and make sure you know the dangers of what you're working with, don't depend on your company to tell you.

2) if you see a dense fog forming while some chemical is leaking, RUN.

[interstellar]

I'm a ChemE student and these videos are amazing! Thank you for posting! It is important for those on the job and learning to understand and comprehend these types of videos.

[joshuahenry]

@USCSB Thank you for such top notch safety productions! Question, do you have the Georgia poultry plant nitrogen leak in the works? I believe it happened in Jan 2021.