An explosion at a refinery in California could have been prevented, according to a new government report.
The incident at an ExxonMobil oil refinery last year saw an 80,000lb piece of equipment blown clear of the facility.
The US Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board said managers should have taken into account ageing safety equipment.
It was also found a key part of the refinery should have been shut down before attempting to carry out repairs elsewhere.
Four contractors were injured and a large part of the refinery was destroyed on February 18 last year.
The report, which was issued yesterday, found that the blast was caused when a unit being repaired after five year without maintenance leaked hydrocarbons into another part of the refinery.
Vanessa Allen Sutherland, chairwoman of the Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board, said: “What we definitely believe is that this was a serious near-miss incident.
“That amount of HF (hydroflouric acid) — or even a portion of the HF — had the potential to vaporize and cause some injury.’”
ExxonMobil has hit back at the claims and said it has a “record of good faith compliance with all agencies”.