Bitumen (an aggregate binder used in asphalt stored at 150?) was being pumped from the asphalt plant back into the storage tank when a pipe burst and sprayed bitumen, no one was injured.
Immediately prior to the incident the bitumen storage tank was switched and pipework changed.
The failure occurred on an exposed non-insulated bend in the pipework which had a blockage causing the pipe to rupture. A visual inspection was completed prior but a full management of change considering all the potentials risks was not.
The first image below captures the moment the pipe ruptured and began to spray the tanker and the ground, and the second shows the section of the pipe where the blockage occurred.
