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What happened?
On 18th March 1937 a sanding machine was turned on in a school in New London, Texas.
The school exploded, killing 300 students and teachers. The explosion was heard heard 4 miles away.
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Why did it happen?
The school district tapped into a residue gas line.
The improvised connection was poor, allowing odourless natural gas to accumulate under the school undetected.
The sanding machine ignited the gas when it was turned on.
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What did they learn?
Following the incident, adding odourant (mercaptan) to natural gas became required by law.
Today, odourisers are still added to the distribution network.
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Ask yourself or your crew
Did you know that natural gas is odourless?
How do we detect natural gas leaks on site? How do we know it is working?
What should we do in the event of a gas leak?
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What happened?
On 18th March 1937 a sanding machine was turned on in a school in New London, Texas.
The school exploded, killing 300 students and teachers. The explosion was heard heard 4 miles away.
Why did it happen?
The school district tapped into a residue gas line.
The improvised connection was poor, allowing odourless natural gas to accumulate under the school undetected.
The sanding machine ignited the gas when it was turned on.
What did they learn?
Following the incident, adding odourant (mercaptan) to natural gas became required by law.
Today, odourisers are still added to the distribution network.
Ask yourself or your crew
Did you know that natural gas is odourless?
How do we detect natural gas leaks on site? How do we know it is working?
What should we do in the event of a gas leak?
Published on 22/05/19
2902 Views
On 19 March 1937, 300 students and teachers were killed in an explosion at a school in New London due to an accumulation of gas that went unnoticed. Since then, odourant is added to natural gas, so it can be detected.
