CSB: Hydrogen Fluoride Incidents Point to "Systemic Safety Failures" at Louisiana Facility

The United States Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) has released a final report on three incidents involving the highly corrosive chemical hydrogen fluoride. The incidents occurred over a period of 31 months at the Honeywell Performance Materials and Technologies facility in Geismar, Louisiana, resulting in one fatality, one serious injury, and $18 million in damages.

In the first incident, on Oct. 21, 2021, a corroded gasket failed during a unit startup, and a worker was sprayed with hydrogen fluoride. The worker, who was not wearing personal protective equipment, later died from his injuries. CSB found that the problem of corrosion was first identified 14 years earlier and that some of the gaskets, including the one that failed, still had not been replaced at the time of the incident.

Next, on Jan. 23, 2023, an explosion at the facility released more than 800 pounds of hydrogen fluoride and 1,600 pounds of chlorine. According to CSB, a replacement for the equipment that failed had been approved in February 2022 but was not funded or implemented.

In the third incident, on June 7, 2024, an unexpected release of hydrogen fluoride caused a contract worker who was performing maintenance to sustain second-degree burns. Unknown to the worker or others on site, the piping had not been cleared of hydrogen fluoride prior to maintenance, CSB found.

The CSB report recommends that Honeywell improve its safety systems, that EPA review hydrogen fluoride under the Toxic Substances Control Act, and that OSHA amend its Process Safety Management regulation to require reviews of organizational changes that affect process safety.

CSB’s report is available as a PDF. For more information, read the agency’s press release.