Annual Report on High Pressure Gas
Related Accidents(2012 version)

The High Pressure Gas Safety Institute of Japan

1.

Introduction

This Annual Report analyzes and evaluates accidents relating to the High Pressure Gas
Safety Act that occurred from January to December 2012, with an aim of contributing
toward future high pressure gas safety measures.
Note that among high pressure gas-related accidents, this Annual Report excludes
those involving general consumers, which pertains to the Act on the Securing of Safety
and the Optimization of Transaction of Liquefied Petroleum Gas. .
2.

Accidents relating to the High Pressure Gas Safety Act

The number of accidents relating to the High Pressure Gas Safety Act per year
remained around 100 until 1999. Subsequently, it has increased since 2000 and has
remained at a high level in recent years. However, fewer accidents occurred in 2012
than in the previous year, which is the first time since 2000.
One of the causes of the increase in number of accidents in recent years is the increasein number of theft and loss of containers (hereinafter, “theft and other accidents”).
However, it is difficult to discuss loss and theft accidents by statistically treating themalong with explosion, leakage, and other ordinary disasters (hereinafter, “ordinaryaccidents”), because of characteristic differences. Thus, this Annual Reportsummarizes and analyzes the high pressure gas-related accidents by separating theloss and theft from the ordinary accidents. Also, the accident countermeasures manuals
were revised in 2011, resulting in significant changes in the definitions of accidents anditems of accident causes. Thus, the analysis and evaluation on accident causes andothers below were conducted separately for the years 2011 and 2012 fromthose up to2010.
2.1

Changes in number of accidents and analysis/evaluation(1) Change in number of accidents by year
Figure 1 shows the number of accidents that occurred in the latest decade (2003 to2012).
In the last five years, the number of accidents occurring in 2008 was 811, and thereafter
828 in 2009, 939 in 2010, 1052 in 2011, and 889 in 2012, showing decrease from 2011.
However, the number of accidents still remains highHere, the increase in the number of accidents in 2011 is mainly due to the report of 94
accidents that caused by the Great East Japan Earthquake.
Also to note is that although almost no reports have been made on theft and otheraccidents in past years, the number has continued increasing rapidly since 2000, as aresult of guidance to promote reports on such accidents.

1

1200of accidents
Number
件数（件）

1000
800
600
400200

西暦（年）Year 0
Total
合計

'93
88'94 '95 '96
94 113 98

'97
91

'98
96

'99 '00 '01 '02 '03 '04 '05 '06 '07 '08 '09 '10 '11 '12
94 121 190 283 385 491 505 556 736 811 828 939 1052 889

Disasteraccidents
災害事故

8491

10691

89907999

122 139 147 157 166 195 288 314 300 381 458 379

Loss/theft

437726152268喪失・盗難事故

Figure 1

144 238 334 339 361 448 497 528 558 594 510

Changes in number of accidents(2) Numbers of accidents by category
From this section onwards, the focal point of discussion is placed on disaster accidents.
Figure 2 shows the results of statistic treatment of the disaster accidents that occurredin the last two decades (1993 to 2012), according to accident categories.
A notable feature is that the number of accidents has been on the increase since 2000.
The breakdown of the 379 disaster accidents that occurred in 2012 shows, indecreasing order, 260 disaster accidents occurring at production works (69%), 79
during consumption (21%), 27 during transportation (7%), and 13 others (3%).
As can be seen, the majority of disaster accidents have taken place at production works,
and the ratios of accidents in 2012 are fairly similar compared to those during thelastfive years. Thus, it is clear that accident occurrences at production works haveremained at a high level.

2500
450

of accidents
Number
件数（件）

400
350
300
250
200
150
10050
西暦（年） 0'94 '95 '96
91 106 91

'97
89'98
90'99
79

'00 '01 '02 '03 '04 '05 '06 '07 '08 '09 '10 '11 '12
99 122 139 147 157 166 195 288 314 300 381 458 379

Production works 23
製造事業所

2946

272535

2933

32

48

59

65

67

100 150 178 224 262 365 260

Transportation 15
移動

161612

13

1114

1925

28

25

3121

29

29

27

1933

26

27

Consumption
消費

40

39

42

46

40

35

2942

49

50

56

4162

54

95

93

49

81

62

79

Othersその他

67261197516137201612141685513Year

Total
合計

'9384

Figure 2

Changes in number of accidents by accident category(3) Analysis and evaluation based on accident causes
Figure 3 shows the results of the disaster accident statistics by causes which occurred
during the 18 years between 1993 and 2010, and Figure 4 shows the one which
occurred in 2011 and 2012. .
Looking at the 379 disaster accidents in 2012, 170 (45%) were caused by inadequate
facility maintenance and management, 72 (19%) were caused by human factors, and 41(11%) were caused by inadequate facility design and defects in fabrication, together
accounting for 75% of the total.
The ratios of first two factors among overall accident factors are significantly large,emphasizing the importance of facility maintenance and management, as well as
human error prevention measures such as education and training.

3

Number of accidents

Facilities (hard)

Inadequate facility
design and structuraldefects

Figure 32.2

Inadequate
management andoperational standards

OthersFaulty operation andconstruction work

Analysis and evaluation based on accident causes (1993 to 2010)

Inadequate facility
design andfabrication defects

Figure 4

Inadequate facility
maintenance andmanagement

Operations and handling (soft)

Inadequate facility
maintenance and management

Organizational
defects

Humanfactors

OthersAnalysis and evaluation based on accident causes (2011, 2012)

Analysis based on phenomenal categories, human damages, and accident
classifications(1) Analysis based on phenomenal categories
Figure 5 shows the statistical results of the disaster accidents that occurred during thelast two decades (1993 to 2012), classified by phenomenon categories.
The total number of accidents in 2012 was 379, and looking at accident phenomena,
spout/leakage accounted for 316 accidents (83%), burst/rupture for 33 accidents (9%),
fire for 20 accidents (5%) and explosion for 7 accidents (2%), in that order. The majorityof these accidents were spout/leakage.
4

During the last five years, spout/leakage accounted for 1,409 accidents (77%), fire for
174 accidents (9%), burst/rupture for 134 accidents (7%), and explosion for 62accidents (3%), in that order.
500
450of accidents
Number
件数（件）

400
350

300
250

200
150

10050
Year 0
西暦（年）合計
Total'9384

'94
91

'95
106

'96
91

'97
89

'98
90

Explosion
爆
発

1011

16

14

12

Fire
火

35

30

38

36

31

Spout/leakage
噴出・漏洩

28

34

38

32

Burst/rupture
破裂・破壊

915

14

8

そ の 他
Others

2

10

1

災

Figure 5

'99
79

'00
99

'01
122

'02
139

'03
147

'04
157

'05
166

'06
195

'07
288

'08
314

'09
300

'10
381

'11
458

'12
379

13

6

14

20

18

17

13

16

14

15

24

12

13

6

7

27

33

30

37

34

45

34

41

44

44

54

33

40

27

20

36

36

33

42

39

68

65

81

88

115

211

212

220

288

373

316

10

11

6

10

22

15

13

12

9

9131721194433031344717121357142183

Change in number of accidents by phenomenon category(2) Analysis based on human damages
Figure 6 shows the statistical results of the disaster accidents that occurred during thelast two decades (1993 to 2012), classified by human damages.
The number of accidents resulting in injury or death was 41 in 2012, accounting for 11%of the 379 disaster accidents. The number of persons suffering injury or death was 67,
making the number of casualties per physical injury accident 1.63.
The results of the same calculation for the 1,832 disaster accidents, 207 physical injury
accidents, and 423 casualties in the last five years indicate a ratio of physical injury
accident of 11% and a number of casualties per physical injury accident of 2.04.
The number of physical injury accidents was 41 in 2012, which was greater than the 33
that occurred in 2011. On the other hand, the number of casualties reduced from 71 in2011 to 67 in 2012.
An accident that resulted in the greatest number of casualties in 2012 was an explosion
at a resorcinol production facility that injured 10 persons.

5Number of Casualties or Physical
死傷者人数（名)または人身事故件数(件）Injury Accidents

20015010050

Year 0
西暦（年）Number of
死傷者数
casualties
Number of physical
人身事故件数
injuryaccidents

'93
35

'94
89

'95
59

'96
64

'97
60

'98
57

'99
42'00
71

'01
75

'02
66

'03
153

'04
54

'05
60

'06
95

'07
85

'08
96

'09
109

'10
80

'11
71

'12
67

25

32

30

38

30

29

23

47

45

47

50

29

42

51

53

56

36

41

33

41

Figure 6

Change in number of physical injury accidents and casualties(3) Analysis based on accident classifications
Figure 7 shows the statistical results of accidents that occurred during the last twodecades (1993 to 2012), classified by accident classifications.
Although three Class A accidents occurred in 2011, none took place in 2012.
About 10 Class B accidents took place each year until 2005, which increased greatly to25 in 2006 and to 41 in 2010, but reduced to 37 in 2011 and remained at the same levelat 38 in 2012. The reasons why the 38 accidents in 2012 were classified as Class B
accidents include 33 cases where two or more accidents occurred repeatedly at thesame facilities during the year, one case where the number of injured persons was six
or more and up to 29, one case where the number of seriously injured persons was twomore and up to nine, and three cases where the number of deaths was one or more andup to four.

6500
450of accidents
Number
件数（件）

400
350
300
250
200
150
100
500
西暦（年）
Year
Total計合'93
84

'94
91

'95
106

'96
91

'97
89

'98
90

'99
79

'00
99

'01
122

'02
139

'03
147

'04
157

'05
166

Class
Ａ
級A

00

1

0

00

0000

10

0

0

0

0

20

30

ClassＢ
級B

3

74

8

5835688741813192836

3738

Class
Ｃ
級C

8184

101

83

84

8276

94

116

131

138

150

162

177

275

295

270

345

418

341

Figure 7'06
195'07
288

'08
314

'09
300

'10
381

'11458'12379Changes in number of accidents by accident classification

Table 8Definition of classification by degree of loss
Contents of loss

Class A(1) Deaths

5 or more(2) Deaths plus serious injury

10 or more

(3) Victims (death plus injury)

30 or more

(4) Direct property damage

500 million yen or moreor,(5) Any accident affecting the public, or which could havedeveloped into a large scale disasterClass B

(1) Deaths

1 to 4(2) Serious injury

2 to 9(3) Victims (injury)

6 to 29(4) Direct property damage

100 to 500 million yen(5) Accidents repeatedly occurring at the same worksor,(6) Any accident affecting the public, or which could havedeveloped into a large scale of disaster.
Class COthers
7

2.3

Accidents related to the High Pressure Gas Safety Act that occurred in 2012
Accident title

DateDeaths/ serious injuries/minor injuries
Overall toll
Substance nameClassPrimary phenomenon/
secondary phenomenon
Situations of handling
Accident causes (maincauses)/ (secondarycauses)
Ignition source

Accident outline

Explosion and fire of resorcinol
production facility
April 22

Explosion during demolition of CNG
container for automotive fuelSeptember 4

Burst of engine crank case during pneumatictest
November 15

1/2/7

1/1/0

1/0/2

10
Propylene
B2
Natural gas
B

3
Nitrogen
B

Explosion/ fire

Explosion/ -Container damage, etc./ -During production(Emergency shutdown)

Other (scrapping)

Other (during airtightness test)

Other (under investigation)/ -Faulty operation, faulty judgment/ inadequate
information conveyance

Other (under investigation)/ -Electric rotary saw
Natural gas (of unknown residual pressure)remaining in a CNG container for automotive
fuels, which had been damaged by thetsunami at the time of the Great East Japan
Earthquake, caught fire and exploded while
being cut and demolished by an electricrotary saw (commonly known as a baby
sander), at the sites. Although the ignition
source is unknown, sparks from the rotary
saw are believed to be the source, because
no fire was used in the surroundings. The
company is a container reinspection station
for LP gas and fluorocarbon. It had accepted
one CNG container (made of FRP) that an
automotive dismantler was having difficulty
handling, and stored it on the company’s
premises, without giving serious thought. The
accident is believed to have taken placebecauseofinadequate
information
conveyance, which caused workers to start
demolition work without much information.

None
An airtightness test (of the specified pressure of5MPa) was started at the works, intended to test
leakage from the product (crank case for aStirling engine). The airtightness test wasconducted using one 7m3 container ofcompressed nitrogen, regulators, high pressure
rubber hose, etc. A leakage test using soapy
water was conducted when the pressure
reached about 3MPa, which confirmed there
was no leakage. Then, an attempt was made toraise the pressure to the specified value of5MPa, but the pressure rose only to about
4MPa, because gas in the container ran out.
The container was replaced and pressure
raising work resumed, and the product burst
when the pressure rose close to about 5MPa.
The burst of the product resulted in the death of
one worker and an injury to another worker, whowere engaged in the work. Another worker who
was passing by was also injured. The cause of
the accident is being investigated.

Under investigation
At 23:30 on April 21, plants suppliedwith steam (70% of all plants) cameto an emergency shutdown due toemergency shutdown of the steam
supply system. At 02:15 on the 22nd,
the resorcinol production facility that
had halted in emergency exploded
and a fire broke out, and the fire
spread to burn down the adjacent
cymene plant and utility piping rack.
The situation was brought undercontrol at 17:15 on the 22nd, and thefire was extinguished at 14:31 on the23rd. The causes are being
investigated. Here, the resorcinol
production facility used propylene
with five heat exchangers, as highpressure gas equipment.

8

＜Contact for inquiries related to this document＞

The High Pressure Gas Safety Institute of Japan (KHK)
Information Services & Research Dept.
International Affairs Office
Toranomon 4-3-13, Minato-ku, Tokyo 105-8447
TEL: +81-3-3436-2201 FAX: +81-3-3438-4163
Web: http://www.khk.or.jp/english/index.html
MAIL: oversea@khk.or.jp

9