Texas City

Accident
Submitted by
Hussnain Maqsood (2018-MS-EN-22)

Osama Faheem (2018-MS-EN-23)

Muhammad Saqib (2019-MS-EN-05)

Muhammad Bilal Zaman (2019-MS-EN-07)

Muaz Ahmad Rasheed (2019-MS-EN-08)

Muhammad Ali Naeem (2019-MS-EN-10)

Muhammad Bilal Aziz (2019-MS-EN-20)

Muhammad Talha Aleem (2019-MS-EN-24)

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“To say accidents are due to human failing is like saying falls are due to gravity. It is
true but does not help us prevent them.”
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Introduction
This Disaster is Considered as WORST INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENT IN U.S
Compared with 1943 air raid on Bari and the much larger devastation after the atom bomb was
dropped at Nagasaki
405 Dead bodies were identified, 63 bodies were never identified
The Death Count of this disaster is still not measured as it is speculated that hundreds of other
people were dead with no body parts to identify

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Introduction
Location: Texas City Portside (Galveston Bay)
Date: 16th April 1947
Series of Explosions and Fires
Main Cause: explosion of ammonium nitrate fertilizer

Deadliest incident in US history

One of Largest Non-Nuclear Explosions in History

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Introduction
Chain of disaster started when horsemen tried to load ammonium nitrate fertilizers.
The Cargo consisted of other flammable material like
◦ large balls of sisal twine
◦ Peanuts
◦ drilling equipment
◦ Tobacco
◦ Cotton and
◦ Few cases of small ammunition

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Introduction
A Fire Erupted following smoke erupted from one of ship’s holds
Workers tried to restrict Oxygen supply in order to restrict the fires but Ammonium nitrate does
not need oxygen to burn.’
As fires Continue, it consumed everything in its path and resulting in explosion which was heard
miles away from the site

The blast was so powerful that 1.5 tons anchor of ship was found 2 Miles away

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Causes of Incident

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Lack of Precautionary Measures
A giant explosion occurs during the loading of fertilizer onto
the freighter Grandcamp at a pier in Texas city. Ammonium
nitrate was used as an explosive by the U.S. Army in world
war II and, after the war ended, production of the chemical
continued as its use as a fertilizer became accepted.
However, the precautions used in its transport became far
more lax in the post-war years.

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Cigarette smoking
On April 16, the Grandcamp was being loaded with
ammonium nitrate as well as tobacco and government-
owned ammunition. Cigarette smoking, although officially
banned, was a common practice by longshoremen on the
docks. Just two days prior to the explosion, a cigarette had
caused a fire on the docks. On the morning of April 16, smoke
was spotted deep within one of the Grandcamp‘s holds.

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Hoses During Start of Fire
Some water and an extinguisher were used to fight the fire,
but hoses were not employed for fear of ruining the cargo;
there were already 2,300 tons loaded on the ship. While the
ammunition was removed from the ship, the crew attempted
to restrict oxygen to the hold in hopes of putting out the fire.

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Inefficiency of Workers
Some water and an extinguisher were used to fight the fire,
but hoses were not employed for fear of ruining the cargo;
there were already 2,300 tons loaded on the ship. While the
ammunition was removed from the ship, the crew attempted
to restrict oxygen to the hold in hopes of putting out the fire.
They did not realize that because of ammonium nitrate’s
chemical composition, it does not require oxygen in order to
burn.

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 Life losses

Injured; 5000
5000

4500

4000

3500

3000

2500

2000

1500

1000
Deaths; 468
500

0 Identified; 405
Missing; 113
De a ths
Injured
Unidetified; 63
Miss ing
I d e n ti fi e d
U n i d e ti fi e d

T h e M i s s i n g P e o p l e A r e T h o s e W h o s e B o d i e s We r e N e v e r F o u n d N o t E v e n A n y P a r t T h e y We r e J u s t P e r i s h e d
F r o m T h e S i t e D u e To T h e S e v e r i t y O f T h e I n c i d e n t .

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 Properrty Damage

362
Bay Vehicles

1100
Vehicles

500
Homes

0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200

T h e B l a s t Wa s S o M a s s i v e T h a t I t L e v e l e d O r D a m a g e d M o r e T h a n 1 , 0 0 0 S u r r o u n d i n g B u i l d i n g s , S h a t t e r e d
Wi n d o w s I n H o u s t o n 4 0 M i l e s Aw a y, A n d I n D e n v e r, O v e r 9 0 0 M i l e s Aw a y, A S e i s m o g r a p h R e g i s t e r e d T h e
E x p l o s i o n A s I f I t We r e A n E a r t h q u a k e . T h e E n o r m o u s Wa v e Tr i g g e r e d B y T h e B l a s t F l a t t e n e d N u m e r o u s
Buildings, Leaving As Many As 2,000 People Homeless. The Fact That The Initial Explosion Had Killed
M a n y O f T h e To w n ’s F i r e C r e w A n d R u i n e d I t s F i r e f i g h t i n g E q u i p m e n t E x a c e r b a t e d T h e D e v a s t a t i o n .

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Aerial view of Texas City, Tex., April 16, 1947, after a A group of Texas City rescue workers still in the area
French ship loaded with nitrate exploded in the after the city was evacuated.
harbor area, torching part of the city.

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Rescue workers continue to probe the ruins along the A portable bulldozer hoists a truck, loaded with fine
Texas City, Tex debris, from the piles of rubble which litter the Texas
City, Tex.

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A group of automobiles, reduced to junk and parked Residents of Texas City, Tex., town on the gulf coast
some distance from the dock. torn by blasts April 16, began moving back

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After Effects of
Disaster

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AFTER EFFECTS

A Case studies
conducted to
determine that how Explosion on the barge
industrial catastrophic could lead to even
accident can influence more damage and
on public disaster than before.
environmental health
risk.

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AFTER EFFECTS
Responders made the unusual but necessary decision because
Huge amount of sulphuric acid was going to release into
harbor water
◦ Large volumes of acid concentration considered as an
environmental hazard,
◦ Buffering salts in seawater help to mitigate the acid.

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AFTER EFFECTS
Mixed with huge
volumes of water

Tidal flow and

the movement of
ships in the area
appeared to help
reduce the
environmental
impacts 

Operation was complete by November 13, nine days after the accident.

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AFTER EFFECTS
Unintended aftereffects of
the explosion of A regular guide issued related
the Grandcamp was the to PPEs, handling of
discovery of another use for ammonium nitrate.
ammonium nitrate.

Storage of ammonium nitrate

to be shipped either by
railroad or ship would have
received the adequate
attention  required in the
port.

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AFTER EFFECTS
labeling of
ammonium nitrate
to denote danger
when shipped in
large quantities
would have been
enforced

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KEY FINDINGS

Mental Health
Decline in perceived changes from pre to
mental and physical post-accident
health after the ranging in
explosion. magnitude from 1
to almost 6 points. 

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Policies and Law

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 POLICIES and LAWS
• Disaster at Texas City port resulted in establishment of new
standards and passed new laws.
• New standards regarding the storage, handling, and shipping
of ammonium nitrate.
• Prohibiting its storage near known reactive materials like
fuel oil and sulfur.
• In addition to cool temperatures, required specialized
containers for storage.
• Travel over long distances was discouraged.
• Overseas transfer of the substance was highly restricted.

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POLICIES and LAWS
• Refineries in Texas City area formed Industrial Mutual Aid
System (IMAS).
• NFPA 490, Standard for Storage of Ammonium Nitrate.
• The Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) of 1970.
• Enforces workplace health and safety standards.
• Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response
• Emergency Response Guidebook.
• Provides information for the initial response to emergency incidents
involving chemicals.
• Ammonium nitrate fertilizer under several UN numbers, Guide
Number 140: Oxidizers.
• Sulfur is listed as UN 1350, Guide Number 133: Flammable Solids.

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Gaps and Precautions

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 CONTRIBUTING FACTOR IN THE INCIDENT
•There were many gaps found on the place which are considered to be the
contributing factors in the incident back in April 1947.
•Few of these gaps are mentioned below:
•Training
•Firefighting protection
•Cleaning the dock of all ships
•Industrial accident Response plan

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Precaution measures for same incident
The Texas Fire Disaster that occurred 65 years ago had a lot of shortcomings and could have
been averted if more precautions had been taken. If the disaster were to occur today, the
following safety measures would be put in place:
Labelling.
Transportation mode for ammonium.
Decrees for loading of Hazardous and Combustible.
Interstate commerce commission regulations for ammonium nitrate.
Different Caution sign should be displayed like Smoking Sign.
Proper education in form of HSE-Awareness.
A complete disastrous plan for port and related agencies like fire department and hospitals.

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DEVELOPMENT IN LEGAL AND STANDARD PROCEDURE AFTER THE
INCIDENT
In the decades following the Texas City Disaster, legal precedents were established,
consensus standards were developed, and new laws were passed.
New standards were developed, specially related to ammonium nitrate. Industrial
mutual Aid System (IMAS) were made by industries to prevent such disastrous in
future.
Different development that were made after the disastrous are:
1. NFPA 490, Standard for Storage of Ammonium Nitrate,
2. Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) under this law Hazard
communication & HAZWOPER standard were made.
3. The 2008 edition of the Emergency Response Guidebook

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Conclusion

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C0NLUSION
The USA government must have technically envisaged the scale of threat of using
Ammonium Nitrate as fertilizer.
Lack of policies for handling and shipping the Ammonium Nitrate made the
incident even worse.
The Capitalistic thought of viewing anything as a profit is a serious disaster to the
humanity which lies in the causes of this event.

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