Health and Safety Executive: Inquiry into the Disaster which Occurred at Nypro (UK)...

EF 12

1972-1976

This series contains unregistered papers relating to the inquiry into the explosion at Nypro (UK) Ltd, Flixborough which occurred on 1 June 1974. They include witness statements and reports which do not appear on the Inquiry's registered files, as well as aerial photographs of the site and samples presented in evidence.

Most of the records of the Inquiry appear on registered files in the OSH series in LAB 104

Public Record(s)

English

30 file(s)

Subject to 30 year closure unless otherwise stated

from 2002 Health and Safety Commission, Health and Safety Executive

Topics

Welfare

Disasters and emergencies

No further accruals are expected

At about 16:53 hours on Saturday 1 June 1974 the Nypro (UK) site at Flixborough was severely damaged by a large explosion. Twenty-eight workers were killed and a further 36 suffered injuries; the number of casualties would have been more if the incident had occurred on a weekday, as the main office block was not occupied. Prior to the explosion, on 27 March 1974, it was discovered that a vertical crack in reactor No.5 was leaking cyclohexane. The plant was subsequently shutdown for an investigation. It identified a serious problem with the reactor and the decision was taken to remove it and install a bypass assembly to connect reactors No.4 and No.6 so that the plant could continue production. During the late afternoon on 1 June 1974 a 20 inch bypass system ruptured, which may have been caused by a fire on a nearby 8 inch pipe. This resulted in the escape of a large quantity of cyclohexane. The cyclohexane formed a flammable mixture and subsequently found a source of ignition. At about 16:53 hours there was a massive vapour cloud explosion which caused extensive damage and started numerous fires on the site.

The Secretary of State for Employment, Michael Foot, set up a public inquiry to investigate the causes of the accident; the report of the inquiry was published by HMSO in 1975.