Process Safety Beacon: Hydrogen Leak

The post with the above title continues our series to do with formal incident reports from organizations, including the BSEE (Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement), the CCPS (Center for Chemical Process Safety), and the CSB (Chemical Safety Board). In each case, we attempt to identify the process safety elements that failed in this particular incident.

The Process Safety Beacon Report dated September 2025 is entitled, Several errors lead to a hydrogen leak & fire at https://ccps.aiche.org/resources/process-safety-beacon/archives/2025/september/english. The incident is analyzed using the CCPS process safety elements. (Those that appear to be most relevant to this incident have been highlighted.) This report is particularly relevant today because hydrogen is seen as a possible source of ‘green energy’. Hence, we need to understand the pertinent safety concerns. While the use of hydrogen may reduce carbon emissions, its unique physical and chemical hazards — small molecule size, low ignition energy, and invisible flames — make it a challenging material to handle safely.