Little General Store Propane Explosion - US Chemical Safety and ...

Little General Store September 2008
5.2 Propane Tank Placement
In 1994, Southern Sun installed the 500-gallon propane tank directly against the Little General store’s
exterior back wall. The tank remained in this position and in operation until the day of the incident. The
position of the tank was contrary to both the West Virginia Fire Code and the OSHA LP gas standard.
Figure 9 shows a 2003 photograph of the building with the propane tank visible behind a wooden fence.
Photo courtesy of Little General Store, Inc.
Figure 9. Pre-incident photograph of the Ferrellgas tank.
Multiple witnesses told the CSB that Southern Sun placed the tank against the back wall. Paint patterns
on the tank corroborate this: the outward facing side of the tank was painted with the Ferrellgas color and
logo, while the side of the tank facing the building was painted with the Southern Sun name and logo
(Figure 10). This suggests that Ferrellgas painted only the side of the tank that was accessible.
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