1977 — Dec 22, Dust Explosion, Continental Grain Elevator, Westwego, LA — 36

–36 Lathrop. “54 Killed in Two Grain Elevator Explosions.” NFPA Fire Journal, V72, Sep 1978, p.29.
–36 Massa. “40 years ago today: Continental Grain elevator explosion.” 4WWL, NOLA, 12-22-2017.
–36 NFPA. U.S. Unintentional Fire Death Rates by State. December 2008, p. 23.
–35 Cornell, James. The Great International Disaster Book (Third Edition). 1982, p. 291.
–35 Khan & Abbasi. “Major Accidents in Process Industries…,” LPPI Journal, Vol. 12, 1999.
–35 NAS. International Symposium on Grain Elevator Explosions, Vol. 1, 1978. p. 2.

Narrative Information

Lathrop: “A violent dust explosion at this grain elevator on December 22, 1977, killed 36 people and resulted in an estimated $30 million direct loss. At the time of the explosion, corn was being loaded aboard a ship at this large export facility.

“Located along the west bank of the Mississippi River, the Continental Grain Elevator had a capacity of 6.44 million bushels. The facility consisted of 73 full-size silos, five large, metal grain tanks, train-unloading facilities, a barge-unloading facility, a ship-loading facility, and a head house. The plant could handle approximately 17-20 million bushels per month.

“The silos and head house were constructed o reinforced concrete. The silos had been constructed in three stages: The first set was built in 1958 through 1959: the second set was built in 1961 through 1962; and the final set was built in 1976 through 1977. They were all 115 feet high with diameters of 25 feet, 26 feet, and 31 feet, respectively. All of the silos had reinforced concrete roofs. The head house was approximately 250 feet high. Adjacent to the head house was a building that contained offices, a laboratory, a lunch room, and a control room; this will be referred to as the office building.

“Dust-control equipment was provided to comply with the Louisiana Air Control Commission Regulations. All dust was collected, stored in a remote, isolated tank, and then transported for sale as feed. The dust was not put back into the grain.

“Some of the older silos were reported to have inter-bin venting. These silos were constructed before inter-bin venting was restricted. The top 75 feet of the head house was reportedly constructed of lightweight metal panels to provide explosion relief. The gallery. base¬ment, and monitor building (elevated conveyor struc¬ture above the silos) had provisions for explosion relief. However, while there was explosion relief venting, it appeared to be inadequate. The facility had three grain dryers that were not in operation at the time of the explosion.

“On the morning of December 22, approximately 75 people were working at the facility. Around 9:05 am, an explosion occurred that resulted in the top 130 feet of the head house collapsing onto the adjacent office build¬ing. Area fire departments responding to the scene found burning grain and a mass of concrete and steel where the office building and head house had been.

“Rescue and recovery efforts were immediately in¬itiated: and injured personnel were transported to the hospital. One man was rescued from the top of one of the silos by a Coast Guard helicopter. Explosions continued throughout the morning.

“The bodies of 35 fatalities were eventually located throughout the rubble. Of these, 25 victims had been in the office building when the explosion occurred. One of the injured died several weeks after the incident, and at the writing of this report, the fatality count stands at 36.

“The head house structure was virtually destroyed, and the small section of it that remained had to be pulled down during efforts to recover the victims. More than half of the silos were totally destroyed during the explo¬sions; these were in the 1959 and 1962 sections. Many of the silos in these sections were blown out both at the top and at the sides near the bottom, which resulted in lean¬ing of the silos. Very few of the silos in the new section had contained grain. and the conical metal bottoms had become inverted, apparently from implosion. Most of the tops of the silos in this section were also destroyed.. Direct damage is estimated at $30 million. The very high losses due to business interruption, loss of wages, and loss of revenue to the community are not included in the direct loss figure.

“Of the 36 fatalities, seven were Federal Grain Inspection Service (FGIS) employees, all of whom were found in the office building. Six victims were outside contrac¬tors; five of them were found in the office building and one was found outside, southwest of the head house. The remaining 23 victims were Continental Grain employ¬ees; of these, 13 were found in the office, four were in the head house, one was in the rail receiving area north of the head house, four were found in the basement area, and one was found in the field south of the silos and reportedly had been on top of the silos when the explo¬sions started.

“Numerous investigations into the explosions were conducted by state and federal agencies. As of this writ¬ing, none of them have released a report. Discussions with some of the agencies involved indicate that an exact cause has not been determined.

“At the time of the explosion, corn was being loaded Onto a ship; no unloading was being done.

“It was reported that dust accumulations were not a problem at this facility, and that neither the Federal Grain Inspection Service nor the employees’ union had complaints regarding dust conditions. In October 1977, an inspector for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) had inspected the facility and found only two violations. One of the violations concerned exit signs and the other was in regard to a re¬frigerator. Both of these violations were in buildings re¬mote from the grain elevator. Follow-up examination found both of these faults corrected. Following the ex¬plosion, OSHA cited Continental Grain for 21 alleged violations that involved a number of National Electrical Code violations and violations of NFPA 618, Grain Elevators and Bulk Handling Facilities, Paragraphs 1052, 2021, 6023, and 7023. In a settlement agreement between OSHA and Continental Grain Company, two of the alleged violations were dropped, three were reduced from “willful” to “serious,” and one was amended….” (Lathrop, James K. “54 Killed in Two Grain Elevator Explosions.” National Fire Protection Association Fire Journal, Vol, 72, No. 5, Sep 1978, pp. 29-35 and 55.)

Massa: “A thunderous explosion ripped through the Continental Grain Elevator in Westwego on a cold December morning 40 years ago today. In an instant, 36 people died, making it the deadliest disaster of its type in modern history. Several dozen grain silos, owned by the Continental Grain Company, were destroyed in the Dec. 22, 1977 explosion which toppled a 25-story elevator and sent a concrete tower crashing down on an office building. The debris trapped dozens of workers inside.

“‘A lot of the people who were there were actually on their day off and were going inside the facility to get their Christmas turkey, which was a gift from the company,’ said Royd Anderson, a local filmmaker who has studied the disaster and completed a documentary on it.

“It was some 24 hours before the actual number of victims was determined and ten days before the last victim’s body was pulled from the rubble.

“‘This was the deadliest grain dust explosion in modern history,’ said Anderson. ‘It occurred in one of the coldest winters in the 20th century. That, combined with the static electricity and grain dust – which is extremely volatile – more than likely caused the explosion. But, to this day, we still really don’t know what happened.’ Anderson said that while the cause of the explosion was never officially determined, most experts assume it was caused by a spark ignited by static electricity.

Sources

Cornell, James. The Great International Disaster Book (Third Edition). New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1982.

Khan, Faisal I. and S.A. Abbasi. “Major Accidents in Process Industries and an Analysis of Causes and Consequences.” Journal of Loss Prevention in the Process Industries, Vol. 12, 1999, pp. 361-378. At: http://74.125.47.132/search?q=cache:http://202.38.89.99/Loss_prevention/99503.pdf

Lathrop, James K. “54 Killed in Two Grain Elevator Explosions.” National Fire Protection Association Fire Journal, Vol, 72, No. 5, Sep 1978, pp. 29-35 and 55.

Massa, Dominic. “40 years ago today: Continental Grain elevator explosion.” 4WWL, NOLA, 12-22-2017. Accessed 5-19-2020 at: https://www.wwltv.com/article/news/local/40-years-ago-today-continental-grain-elevator-explosion/289-501695152

National Academy of Sciences. International Symposium on Grain Elevator Explosions, July 11-12, 1978, Volume. 1-Preprints. Washington, DC: National Materials Advisory Board, Commission on Sociotechnical Systems, National Research Council, NAS (Publication NMAB-352-1, 1978. Accessed at: http://books.google.com/books?id=D2MrAAAAYAAJ

National Fire Protection Association (John Hall, Jr.). U.S. Unintentional Fire Death Rates by State. Quincy, MA: NFPA, 31 pages, December 2008.