April 13 Yenkin-Majestic Paint and OPC Polymers Deployment Update
This is the second information release from the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) regarding the April 8th fire and explosion at Yenkin-Majestic Paint and OPC Polymers Corporation 
in Columbus, OH
Incident Information
- A review of security video allowed the investigation team to develop a more precise time of the incident. The first event (loss of containment) occurred at 12:02 a.m. EDT (system time) and the video cameras stopped recording at 12:04 a.m. EDT (system time).
- Yenkin-Majestic provided the investigation team with an overview of the resin manufacturing process. The process is called alkyd resin manufacturing which utilizes the company's own technology.
- Materials are mixed in a metallic kettle which contains an agitator and is heated by a furnace before it goes to a scale tank and then to product storage. There are a total of six kettles: four are heated by gas furnaces and two are steam heated.
- The incident occurred during the batch production in Kettle #3.
- Kettle #3 has a rated capacity of 20,900 lbs. and is heated by a gas furnace.
- The fire suppression system in a portion of the paint production facility was activated during the event. The investigation team verified there was no fire event in the adjacent paint production facility.
- The east wall of the paint production facility sustained damaged as a result of the explosion event in the adjacent OPC Resin facility.
Investigative Activities as of April 13, 2021 - Yenkin-Majestic engaged the services of a structural engineer to assess the structural integrity of the OPC Resin facility.
- Removing the catch tank on top of the damaged OPC Resin building is scheduled for Wednesday April 14, 2021. The catch tank is part of a safety and environmental system used to contain unplanned discharges from a processing vessel.
- Finalizing the Evidence and Site Control (ESCA) document.
- Interviews with manager, company leadership, engineers, and operators
