Accident in Hall: forklifts causes chemical disaster with hydrogen peroxide!

Accident in Hall: forklifts causes chemical disaster with hydrogen peroxide!

On May 27, 2025, a serious incident occurred in a logistics company in Hall in Tyrol around 6:21 p.m. The accident happened when loading a truck with a forklift and led to a dangerous situation when 20%hydrogen peroxide was released and came into the channel. The fire brigade reacted immediately with various measures to contain the danger situation.

After the emergency services arrived, oil binder was immediately used in the channel to neutralize the leaked hydrogen peroxide. However, this measure led to a chemical reaction that caused smoke development. In addition, the truck was emptied and the hydrogen peroxide was diluted with water in order to continue to minimize the danger. Fortunately, it turned out after the measures that there was no further danger, reports 5min.at.

dangers of hydrogen peroxide

hydrogen peroxide is a chemical compound that is unstable under certain conditions. When concentrations over 26 mol%, vapors can be explosive, especially if they come into contact with sparks, high temperatures or catalytically active materials. This shows the need to deal with this substance extremely carefully. In the case of normal pressure, dangerous vapor compositions can only be expected at concentrations of 74 WT% or higher if the temperature is above 100 ° C, explains Evonik.

The dangers of hydrogen peroxide were impressively demonstrated in a previous incident in a dyeing on January 18, 2016. There the lid of a tank for hydrogen peroxide burst due to high internal pressure, which led to a significant spread of the substance in the storage room. The cause was the inadequate rinsing of hoses after the delivery of soda hydration that had reached the tank. This reacted with the hydrogen peroxide and caused an exothermic reaction that led to a pressure increase. Fortunately, there were no injuries in this case either, but the camp was significantly damaged, as IFS reported.

The incidents in Tyrol and the dyeing illustrate how important careful security precautions are in dealing with chemical substances. If not correctly handled, hydrogen peroxide can lead to considerable dangers. Therefore, all those responsible in industry should take the necessary measures to prevent such incidents and to ensure the security of their employees and the environment.