Report on the Peterborough Explosion (Peterborough, UK; 22 March 1989): Blast Damage and Injuries

摘要

At 09:45 on 22 March 1989, a vehicle carrying approximately 800 kg of mixed explosives exploded at the premises of Vibroplant Ltd on an industrial estate in Peterborough, England. The main bulk of the load was blasting explosives. The explosion caused the death of a fireman and injured well in excess of 100 people, 87 of whom received hospital treatment. Two of the injured were admitted to intensive care. The vehicle was specifically modified to carry explosives and operated by Nobels Explosives Company (NEC), a subsidiary of ICI. Shortly after it entered the Vibroplant yard a minor explosion occurred inside the load carrying compartment, causing a fire. The fire continued for some 12 minutes, during which time the fire brigade was called and took up position. After 12 minutes the entire load, apart from a small number of detonators, detonated en masse. The investigations have concluded that the source of the fire and hence the cause of the ensuing explosion was a box of cerium fusehead combs which were destined for a fireworks manufacturer. The combs were in unauthorized and unsafe packaging. NEC was subsequently fined 250,000 pounds for breaching Section 3 of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. This paper describes the explosion site, the vehicle, the explosives contents, the events leading to the explosion, the investigation, the cause of the explosion, and the blast damage and injuries.