An Overview Of The Buncefield Oil Disaster

The Buncefield Oil DisasterThe Buncefield Oil disaster refers to an explosion at an oil depot near Hertfordshire, England, on December 11, 2005 (Lewis & Macallister, 2010). The explosion was caused by a leak in one of the fuel tanks, which caused a massive cloud of vapor to ignite. This sent off a chain reaction that destroyed the depot. The smoke from the explosion was enormous, drifting all over Europe. Nearby homes and businesses were also destroyed due to shockwaves created by the blast. Amazingly, there were no fatalities, although there were over 40 injuries caused by the accident. The accident occurred on a Sunday, which is presumably why there were no fatalities caused by the explosion.The company that owned the depot was Hertfordshire Oil Storage Limited (HOSL), which is a fuel company owned by Total and Chevron (Lewis & Macallister, 2010). After the disaster, there was an investigation and subsequent litigation taken against HOSL for its role in the explosion. HOSL was found guilty of failing to take adequate measures that could have prevented the disaster, while also being held responsible for not doing enough to minimize the damage that was caused. Because the explosion released