12. Texas City Refinery Explosion (2005)
On March 23, 2005, a catastrophic explosion occurred at BP’s Texas City refinery, resulting in 15 fatalities and 180 injuries. The incident was triggered by the overfilling of a blowdown drum, leading to the release of a flammable vapor cloud that ignited. Investigations revealed significant organizational and safety deficiencies within BP, prompting the company to implement comprehensive safety reforms across its operations. The explosion remains one of the most devastating industrial accidents in U.S. history (csb.gov).
