The accident happened in a low pressure methanol plant, commissioned in summer 1971 . A 6 in. pipe, below the methanol synthesis gas compressor inter-stage relief valve, failed releasing hydrogen-rich synthesis gas into the methanol area. The pipe failed at the pipe-flange junction. Syngas was ignited by an unknown ignition source and the resultant fire burned 10-20 minutes above the synthesis gas compressor. No damages to personnel are reported, even though windows were broken within a distance of 270 m, due to the explosion.

A tractor - semitrailer with horizontally mounted cylinders filled with compressed hydrogen struck a northbound pickup truck that had veered in front of it.The tractor-semitrailer then went out of control and overturned while continuing along the highway. It went off the road to the east and travelled 300 or more feet before it stopped (ca. 100 m). During the process, some of the cylinders, valves, piping, and fittings at the rear of the semitrailer were damaged and released hydrogen. The hydrogen ignited and burned the rear of the semitrailer.

An explosion and fire occurred in a mud logging unit during the final phase of rigging it up. Gas analysers had been calibrated and the flame ionization detection (FID) and total hydrocarbon analyser (THA) modules were left in operation so that they could stabilize. The mud logging personnel were connecting the outside sample points and drains when the explosion and fire occurred.The mud logging unit used FID instrumentation that required hydrogen gas to be piped into the unit to serve as the fuel for the flame within the instrumentation.

A leak occurred on a line connecting the hot separator to the cold separator of a refinery diesel desulfurization. The alert was given by the activation of the fixed H2S detector. The 30 bar pressure line contained essentially hydrogen with a high concentration of H2S. The operators stopped the unit and isolated the leak in about ten minutes. The line was pierced at a bend at 135 C following a bend at 90 C.

In a lube oil plant of a refinery, during the isomerisation of wax, the high pressure reactor ruptured, releasing gas composed by 70 % of hydrogen and 30 % of gaseous hydrocarbons (methane, ethane and others). The release gas was ignited and a fire developed in the plant area where operators and engineers were working. After the shut-down of the plant, 4 on-site firemen brigade provided to extinguish the fire. No people were injured.

The ignition of a hydrogen leak occurred at a semitrailer connected to a pressure reducing station, while waiting a transfer. The alert was given by personnel of the company cafeteria located nearby. The external rescue crews arriving at the site 15 min later reported a very sizeable gas leak ignited at the rear of the semitrailer, near the vertical bottle storage area. The red-white heat at the end of the semitrailer platform raised fears over deterioration of the bottle valves.

An explosion occurred around noon while conducting hot work (with a disc saw) on a 320-m fixed-roof tank at a pharmaceutical plant employing 240 personnel. The tank belongs to a waste treatment unit as part of an antibiotic production process. The tank cover was blasted 20 m away and the subcontractor performing cutting works was killed. Three other subcontractors and a plant employee were severely burnt and injured by the shock wave. Notified by neighbours and not by the operator, fire fighters arrived on the scene 15 min after the explosion and promptly extinguished the fire.

Fire broke out along a transition corridor combining several underground pipelines transporting hazardous substances, including hydrogen, kerosene and ethylene oxide. The fire was brought under control within a few minutes thanks to the limited size of the leak.

An explosion and fire occurred at night inside a unit for the synthesis of toluene di-amine (TDA). The process implies the hydrogenation of di-nitrotoluene (DNT) in presence of Isopropanol as solvent and Raney nickel as catalyst. Hydrogen and the other reacting components is injected into a reactor at high pressure. Internal fire-fighters had the blaze under control in 35 minFour employees were hospitalised. The technician handling valves to wash the hydrogenation reactors with isopropanol sustained burns to 40%-50% of his body and died 15 days later. The plant was destroyed.

When filled with air, a tyre of a car suddenly exploded, and the car was burned out. The car illegally carried the hydrogen cylinders. Hydrogen leaked from the cylinders and was thought to be ignited by the static.