Emergency response to a noncollision hazmat release from a railcar

A manufacturer of a solid oxidizer experienced three successive hazardous material accidents/releases during a one‐week period. This case study discusses the emergency response process and how it evolved as new information became available. The commodity, a granular solid classified as DOT 5.1, was known to be thermally unstable. The material was further known to be both water‐reactive and susceptible to autocatalytic decomposition (that is, its decomposition products accelerated the rate of decomposition). During decomposition the material has the capacity to generate a large volume of noncondensable gases. The manufacturer transported the commodity in bulk using pressure differential hopper railcars.