ECI-hub and Tank Storage Association have released a powerful learning resource for COMAH sites, storage terminals and high-hazard industries.
To mark the 20th anniversary of the Buncefield explosion, ECI-hub, in partnership with the Tank Storage Association (TSA), launches a new animated case-study video that brings the events of 11 December 2005 vividly to life as an engaging, practical training tool.
The explosion remains one of the largest peacetime incidents in Europe. A failure of level control allowed a petrol tank to overfill undetected for several hours, forming a dense vapour cloud that drifted off-site and ignited with devastating force – registering 2.4 on the Richter scale and causing over £1 billion in damage.
Two decades later, Buncefield’s technical and organisational lessons continue to shape UK process safety guidance on overfill protection, secondary containment, vapour cloud explosion hazards and leadership accountability. Yet many new engineers, operators, apprentices and contractors joining the sector today have never heard of the incident.
How the Layers of Protection Failed
Using clear animation and a simple ‘Swiss Cheese’ model, the short video traces the incident step-by-step:
• Asset Integrity & Instrumentation – A stuck automatic tank gauge and a non-functional independent high-high level switch allowed uncontrolled overfilling.
• Secondary & Tertiary Containment – Bunds and drainage systems were not leak-tight; risk assessments had assumed they were.
• Hazard Awareness – The possibility of a large, unconfined vapour cloud explosion had been overlooked in favour of pool-fire scenarios.
• Human Factors & Safety Culture – Alarm flooding, inadequate shift handover, low staffing levels and normalisation of deviance all eroded situational awareness.
• Emergency Response – Plans were not designed for a multi-tank vapour cloud explosion and prolonged major fire.
The video translates each failure into today’s regulatory expectations (e.g. SIL/LOPA justification, proof-testing regimes, COMAH Safety Report requirements, PSA leadership principles) and highlights early warning signs that still appear on sites today.
A Storytelling Tool to Rebuild Corporate Memory
As the generation that lived through Buncefield retires, the industry risks forgetting why today’s protective systems and practices exist. This story-led animation is designed to be used directly by duty holders in:
• Site inductions and contractor onboarding
• Toolbox talks and safety stand-downs
• Refresher training and competence programmes
• Process safety leadership workshops and “learning from incidents” sessions
The Buncefield 20th Anniversary animated case study is freely available to other high-hazard operators through ECI-hub’s online resources.
Jon Wallis, Founder of ECI-hub, adds: ‘Many senior leaders in process industries remember Buncefield. What concerns me is that most new entrants cannot explain what happened or why multiple layers of protection failed simultaneously. This animation is designed to make sure they never have to learn those lessons the hard way.’
Access the video: https://eci-hub.co.uk/buncefield/
