Essay Sample on The Galveston Bay Disaster: Examining Negligence & Regulations

Introduction

On April 16, 1947, the worst industrial accident on American soil happened at Galveston Bay, Texas. The midmorning explosion started in SS Grandcamp, a French registered vessel. The vessel had docked at the Port of Texas. The entire vessel's cargo of over to thousand tons of Ammonium nitrate detonated during the explosions. The disaster resulted from a lack of proper or negligence of regulations regarding the transportation and storage of hazardous material and chemicals. This essay will examine both the occupational and environmental implications of the disaster and the regulations which were put in place to ensure a repeat of the same does not occur again.

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What had started as a small fire; turned out to be a series of explosions, which led to a massive fire. Workers in the port had spotted smoke in the cargo hold of the Grandcamp vessel in the morning (Gill, 2020). They spent over an hour trying to extinguish the fire, but their efforts failed. Firefighters used several methods to extinguish the fire, including steaming the cargo. Steaming involves using piped steam to extinguish the fire. The technique failed since it was ammonium nitrate, which was burning, and it produces its oxygen, thereby neutralizing the steam (Stephens, 1997). As the fire continued burning, it became more visible from a distance, which attracted spectators. The spectators stood on the shoreline, believing it was a safe distance for them (DeGrood, 2019). As the heat from the fire increased, ammonium nitrate reached its explosive threshold. This resulted in the detonation of the vessel's cargo.

After the explosion, massive destruction happened to the Port of Texas and the environment around it as a result of the heat wave and the blast. The blast wave was detectable as far as a hundred miles away. The blast wave damaged people's properties, such as cars and

buildings. On a double tragedy, the blast also destroyed Monsanto Chemical Company (Stephens, 1997). The Grandcamp explosion ignited the company's refineries and chemical tanks leading to more explosions. The disaster led to the deaths of almost six hundred people. The aftermath of the disaster was a legal suit against the government of the United States by the victims. Also, the government drafted and enforced new industrial regulations.

The Texas disaster had devastating environmental impacts in the port of Texas and its neighborhood. To start with, the water in the port became contaminated with the chemicals from the explosion. The contamination of the water translates to the death of the sea animals and plants. Also, the explosion in both the vessel and the chemical company released harmful gases into the environment, such as a nitrous oxide (Markdcatlin, 2010). Once breathed in by animals, these gases can be detrimental. The blast wave also destroyed nature. Hence, the disaster impacted the environment significantly. Although established much later after the disaster, the United States Environment Protection Agency (EPA), ensures that there are regulations in place to protect the environment from similar disasters.

As a result of the number of workers' lives lost in the disaster, there was a change in the occupational regulations in industries. The catastrophe of Texas was blamed on human error and lack of proper governmental supervision. Although the materials involves were highly explosive, the government did not have appropriate regulations on the handling of hazardous and explosive materials (Stephens, 1997). The disasters led to the enforcement of new laws and regulations to regulate the handling of chemicals and ensure the safety of workers. The regulations are meant to protect the lives and rights of the workers. These regulations are enforced by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

After the Texas disaster of 1947, several OSHA and EPA regulations were enforced to minimize the damage in the event of a similar disaster. Following the disaster, the Texas Civil Protection Act made an authorization to the state and local officials requiring them to coordinate and deliver organization programs such as civilians. The plans would help in case of life-threatening emergencies. The transportation and storage of hazardous materials such as ammonium nitrate and other chemicals became more controlled by the government (Babrauskas, 2017). This involved close inspection by the coast guards. Also, there were changes in the design of storage containers so as to prevent other material from getting into contact with nitrate. Regulation of temperatures inside the ships became mandatory (Babrauskas, 2016). Finally, the Industrial Mutual Aid System pact among refineries in an area was agreed upon. The pact required that the refineries would come together in the event of a disaster to coordinate the emergency response.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the Texas disaster maybe would have been avoided if coast guards had ensured close supervision of the storage and transportation of Ammonium nitrate in the port. On the positive side, the disaster served as an eye-opener to both the government and the people of America on the need to follow regulations strictly. The disaster also highlighted the need for fast and well-coordinated rescue and emergency response.

References

Stephens, H. W. (1997). The Texas City Disaster, 1947. University of Texas Press.

Babrauskas, V. (2017). The West, Texas, ammonium nitrate explosion: a failure of regulation. Journal of fire sciences, 35(5), 396-414.

Babrauskas, V. (2016). Explosions of ammonium nitrate fertilizer in storage or transportation are preventable accidents. Journal of hazardous materials, 304, 134-149.

Markdcatlin (2010, March 20).Texas City Disaster Aftermath Part 1, 1947 [video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KM7zRSxt584

Occupational Safety and Health Administration. (2020). Chemical Hazards and Toxic Substances. https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/hazardoustoxicsubstances/

Gill, M. (2020, January 30). The Texas City Disaster Was The Deadliest Industrial Accident in US History. Rare. https://rare.us/rare-news/history/texas-city-disaster/

DeGrood, M. (2019, April 15). Remembering the 1947 Texas City explosion. NYTimes. https://www.navytimes.com/news/your-navy/2019/04/16/remembering-the-1947-texas-city-explosion/