Lessons Learned from the 0801 Petrochemical Pipeline Explosions in Kaohsiung City

Abstract

On 1 August 2014 at approximately 12 am, in Lingya and Chienchen Districts of Kaohsiung City, a series of explosions from underground pipelines and sewer system occurred. It is the most severe public safety incident in Taiwan in recent years where there were a total of 32 fatalities and 321 injuries. The Control Yuan of central government and Kaohsiung District Prosecutors Office (KDPO) conducted the investigations after the incident and completed the forensics report after several months. This paper describes this man-made disaster and its causes and reviews the pipeline management system in Taiwan. Presented as lessons learned, a number of measures from the perspectives of regulations, management system, and data integration are proposed to improve the pipeline safety management system in Taiwan.