Changes in handling and storage procedures for ammonium nitrate in the united states as a consequence of the explosion at west fertilizer company (2013)

This article presents an analysis of similarities and differences in the approach to storing ammonium nitrate in conformity with NFPA standards, which apply not only within the United States, but also in plants or storage areas owned by US corporations where the provisions of these regulations are more restrictive than those of the local law. The procedures developed by NFPA are considered to be among the best in the world in terms of the complexity of the problem analysed and the range of studies on which they had been based, as well as on post-accident analyses related to fire safety, explosion risks and, above all, the problem of protecting people from the consequences of fires or other localised hazards.