US Chemical Safety Board Publishes Safety Video on Watson Grinding ExplosionUS Chemical Safety Board Publishes Safety Video on Watson Grinding Explosion

The January 2020 explosion at Watson Grinding killed two workers and a nearby resident, and destroyed homes in NW Houston, TX.

Kristen Kazarian, Managing Editor

February 25, 2025

US Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board

The new safety video by the CSB, called “No Detection: Explosion at Watson Grinding,” includes an animation of the events leading to the incident, and commentary from CSB Chairperson Steve Owens and Investigator-In-Charge Benjamin Schrader.

Watson Grinding specialized in machining and grinding services as well as applying high-performance coatings — particularly High Velocity Oxygen Fuel, or HVOF, coating. The process of HVOF coating involved propylene, an extremely flammable hydrocarbon gas. The CSB found that sometime overnight prior to the incident, a hose disconnected from its fitting inside a booth used for the coating process, releasing flammable propylene that accumulated inside the coating building. By the time employees arrived at the facility early on the morning of January 24,2020, an explosive concentration of propylene had formed inside the building. When one of the employees entered the building and turned on the lights, the flammable vapor ignited, triggering the explosion.

Less than one month after the explosion, Watson Grinding filed for bankruptcy. A lengthy legal battle ensued afterward, with more than 100 lawyers joining the lawsuit with 2,200+ total claimants, homeowners near the facility, who received injures and had damage to their homes. Local station KHO11 reported at the time that the settlement includes a $52 million insurance payout from Watson Grinding and Watson Valves and a greater undisclosed amount from several other companies.

Related:Cocoa Plant Destroyed by Massive Fire

 

The CSB safety video covers two key safety issues that contributed to the incident: process safety management and emergency preparedness. The video also highlights a safety recommendation made by the CSB to the Compressed Gas Association.

About the Author

Kristen Kazarian

Managing Editor

Kristen Kazarian has been a writer and editor for more than three decades. She has worked at several consumer magazines and B2B publications in the fields of food and beverage, packaging, processing, women's interest, local news, health and nutrition, fashion and beauty, automotive, and IT. She was editor and chief of Packaging Strategies magazine, managing editor at Food Engineering magazine, and editorial director at Produce Processing magazine. Kristen also worked in television as the digital producer helping write scripts for advertisements. Prior in the 1990s, Kristen worked at CarCraft, Hot Rod, Shape, 'Teen, Sassy, JUMP, and other consumer magazines owned by Petersen Publishing and Weider Publishing. She also worked at a Microsoft partner magazine, Redmond (formerly Microsoft Professional magazine) as the associate editor. In the late '80s to early '90s, Kristen worked as the editorial assistant for a regional weekly newspaper while earning her B.A. in Journalism from Central Michigan University in 1991.

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