Happy New Year thank you for tuning in, here's to a great 2023!!! This weeks Outro Song in Full: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/oZ53gM9nxrenXZs.html Also any suggestions for future explosions?? Let me know!!

As a plastics expert, for my career, those hot autoclavers (ovens) to heat coated plastics are something you need to be constantly monitoring. They take a lot of energy and run hot nearly 24/7. Safety needs to be a primary concern, which sounds elementary and obvious, but it isn't often enough when you also consider that plastic pre-polymers can be toxic before cured into their final forms as well meaning they could create deadly airborne toxins. At my facility, we have our own personalized rebreathers and non-production personnel are banned from approximately 30% of the entire facility to avoid dangerous areas altogether.

As someone who works in gas, I'm shocked to not have heard anything said about any odorant of any kind. Propane and natural gas in America have to have mercaptan added to highlight if there are any gas leaks, as both gasses are odorless. Mercaptan smells like a mix of foot cheese and swamp ass and is incredibly powerful, even small leaks stand out. A leak of that size would've been noticeable from 2 kilometers away or more. Not to mention, no pressure testing done on industrial piping is always a bad plan. Lots of negligence in this one

I'm Glaswegian and remember that day quite clearly. It was my day off work and I was planning a wander to the botanic gardens from the city centre but decided against it to go straight home. I literally would have walked past the Stockline plastics factory at roughly the time it exploded if I had decided to walk to the west end.

My fiancée’s grandfather was one of the first amongst the rubble trying to help survivors, he was walking home from the nearby shops to his home around the corner from the original site. Still amazes me to this day as you’d never expect it from him being the most placid, laid back man on the planet ❤

Was 8 years old and living in Clydebank (then as now) about 7-8 miles away when this happened, so I have little memory of it from the time. I am aware of the scars it left behind, particularly in that area of the city. The first major disaster that occurred in Glasgow that I vividly remember is the Clutha helicopter crash on 29th November 2013, particularly as I was attending college near to where the aforementioned pub was at the time and had walked past it on my way home that afternoon. Was surreal to say the least to see it all over every news channel the following morning, the images of the mangled tail of the helicopter sticking from the pub's roof still send a chill up my back even now.

The head company did acknowledge their mistakes and treated victims and victims families with an impressive amount of respect and dignity! They even raised a memorial on site, with no hesitations or legal wranglings! I salute them for this! While there are fatal accidents in Scotland just like everywhere else, the Scottish really do take care of their own after the fact. You should have mentioned this. 🙂

The Clutha Vaults police helicopter crash would be another very interesting Glasgow based disaster to look at.

I like the extra details you put into these videos. I watched Fascinating Horror's video covering this, but the thing about the ungalvanised pipework wasn't covered, if I recall correctly. Honestly, when it comes to aesthetics and covering up the pipes with concrete just to make it more visually appealing, I think aesthetics should be either put aside or have access plates above the pipelines just so they can be checked periodically.

I remember this very well. A truly awful incident - I'll be very interested to see @Plainly Difficult's take on this.

It is indeed surprising when companies are held accountable for their actions, especially when it comes to cases of negligence. It is all too common for companies to escape responsibility for their actions, and it is a positive step when they are held accountable and forced to take responsibility for their mistakes.

Thank you for your weekly entertainment. I have enjoyed the years of videos you have made, and am grateful that your passion aligns with my interest. Thanks for what you do, sir!

Every time I see a new Plainly Difficult video pop into my feed, I do a little (inner) cheer. Kudos on all your awesome (and informative!) content!

I'd love to see you make a video covering the old Columbia Mills factory, which was located in Minetto, NY. I've had a heck of a time finding more info, but allegedly the fabric being made there caused illnesses in the workers and polluted the local land.

John, how the heck do you not have a million subscribers yet? It amazes me that you put out the highest quality content yet people aren’t subscribed!

I always enjoy your videos. The research and and your story telling really are top notch. One little detail that I want to point out is that of all the creators I watch regularly, you are the only one to perfectly set up the mid-roll ad breaks in your videos. Some people get close but your videos are spot on every time. Never getting a word chopped off, the screen always fades and has a transition. Your productions are impeccable. Thanks for being awesome and happy new year.

Another great video ^^ A topic for a video in the future could be the collapse of the city archive of Cologne. Fascinating case there.

Thank you for all the great content this year. You are exactly what I love about KZfaq

I remember this tragedy. It was even reported here in the States. Thanks for posting. 👍

That’s crazy, i couldn’t imagine being the first responders that had to deal with that. I really like your new rating scale.

Happy new year from Adelaide Railway Station, South Australia. 🎉

3:04 As soon as you said "buried pipe" - I knew that was the cause, as I haven't previously heard of this disaster.

Hello John !! I’m a new subscriber to your KZfaq channel from Canada 🇨🇦 Really enjoy the videos and your attention to detail and history of each disaster. Fascinating stuff although tragic also. A very HAppy New Year🎉 to you and look forward to more fascinating videos in 2023. Much success and good health in 2023! Laura from🇨🇦👌😊

They didn’t even bother with a steel hatch into the basement. “Just plate it, bro. It’s all good, nobody needs access into the basement of a building with highly toxic and flammable gas. Nothing can go wrong!”

A classic case of "Out of sight, out of mind". This had faded from memory ☹

I heard alot about Maryhill, Glasgow, Scotland growing up as a child. My Gran was born there in the early 1930s before she moved over to USA in the 1950s. She'd talk about Hopehill Road and her life growing up in and around Glasgow. I found this video fascinating due to my connection to the area through her. I just wish we hadn't lost her in 2007 because I am sure she'd have lots more tidbits of info to share

Thank you so much for a great and educating 2022. And happy new year to you and your family.

Thanks for all the wonderful videos in 2022 as well as the fantastic music. Can't wait to see what you mix up for us in 2023.

These workplace disasters ticks me off to no end. Imagine dying for a bunch of stupid plastic sheets.

Happy new year from Australia!

I'm not in the UK and this is the first I've heard of the Stockline disaster. I'm surprised the gas supply companies weren't also found liable for not reporting to an outside regulatory body the inability to inspect the entire pipework/ refusing to supply gas until rectified. Would that not be expected in the UK?

Happy New Year John. Have a good one. Looking forward to watching more of your videos in 2023!

use of the word leccy for a disaster that happened in glasgow is a nice touch lol

Happy New Year from a different Jon in a different rainy corner

Hope 2023 treats you well. Thank you for the videos.

"hey babe wake up, plainly difficult just released a video"

Just an FYI: There is no CPL in Scotland. It's the Procurator Fiscal.

As the slightly uneducated father of a really clever engineer who scrambles for understanding via this and many other engineering related channels (a plainly difficult endeavour) I hope you and yours have a great new year. $0.02

Went through Wikipedia's list of explosions (yeah that's a thing) last night and was amazed to see how many there were. Some I wouldn't put on the list, but... Plenty of material for 2023. I'm seeing a lot of similarities with pipeline accidents however, in terms of a buried pipeline that nobody knew was either ther or damaged, it ruptured and went off

as a gasfitter, i'd like to say that as you referenced earlier in the story the pipe wasn't galvanizeed. it's not allowed in gas piping. the way the pipe was put down at the start was correct. it should have been tarred and wrapped, as steel line was in the day when it was covered in dirt. nowadays they use polyethylene plastic underground.

Hello, John, your videos are quite interesting and informative besides well produced. Keep up the great work!

The 1988 Peterborough Firework Factory Explosion might be worthy of a video. Keep up the good work.

Nice video. Can't wait for your album to be fully released. I pre-ordered it as soon as it came out! Love your work! Keep it up!

Thank you John for your dedication and attention to detail in all your productions. I have really enjoyed them this whole year. I hope you have a great New Year and enjoy some free time and that your weather improves as it makes me sad whenever you say what your weather is....rain....chill....gloom. Cheers! >^*^

I feel like not enough emphasis in the criminal and civil cases was placed on the regulators who allowed this to happen. Relying on businesses to inspect and self govern is a recipe for disaster. Any gas regulatory body should have been severely penalized for allowing this plant to continue with such unsafe pipework.

You had me with LPG heavier than air so almost undetectable especially covered with a sheet of Steel.

Thank you John for the video. I had already heard of the incident, and I appreciated your throughout coverage. Happy New Year! Anthony

Going to be a great day John! New video to watch, new year to bring in!

Thank you John!! Happy New Year!! Can't wait to see what you have in store for 2023!!

WOO HOO!!! Another PD video! Happy New Year!

I recently discovered your channel and have been enjoying your videos very much. One of my favorite channels is Ask a Mortician, so that tells you a lot about me. 😁 I just want to say a big thank you and Happy New Year.

Happy New Year to you John and colleagues and thank you for the consistently excellent content. Cheers!

Happy New Year and Thank You for an amazing year full of incredible videos.

Happy new year John and fam, hope next year is good for everyone (yeah I'm hopelessly optimistic in the face of uncertainty) 👍

I always get excited for a new Plainly Difficult vid

Watched this on another channel only last week but yours had so much more info. Keep em comming

One possible aggravating circumstance here involves the gasline buried in the ground. As most here know, you can't smell natural gas or propane, so they add an odorant, mercaptan in the US, I'm not sure what's used in the UK. In one case here in the US, a cracked underground gas line outside the building led to an explosion. The gas traveled through the easiest to pass through ground, that which had been turned up when the line was emplaced, and leached into the building. The soil acted as a filter and held back the mercaptan, so the leaking gas wasn't able to be smelled in the building that ended up exploding. I wonder if something similar could have happened here, eliminating the warning time you might otherwise have had?

Another great docette John. £400 000 does not sound like much of a penalty for a company the size of ICL.

thank you for subtitles!

there are many different voices on KZfaq but yours in the most delightful and interesting to listen to

Thank you for your very informative and obviously well researched tales. Wishing you a very happy new year and look forward to your weather reports (amongst other things.😁)

happy new year’s eve, john! looking forward to year 7

Hey Plain, you should look into Rana Plaza incident. A garments production building collapsed and many of the workers were stuck inside. I remember seeing the live rescue footage back when it happened Much love from Bangladesh

I recall this tragedy very well unfortunately. It was the ultimate test for all of the attending emergency services. I remember the Chief Fire Officer Brian Sweeney of the then Strathclyde Fire Brigade reassuring the public that everyone would be found regardless if they had survived or not. The service had only recently taken delivery of urban search and rescue units and - thanks to assistance from other UK fire brigades - everyone was found eventually. R.I.P to everyone that died.

Thank you and have a great week. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Great video John!

Seriously good content,narration and editing. Top channel

5:01 I get this. Used to work for a company called Morgan Advanced Materials, but they still referred to their former name: Certech. They used both names interchangeably. I can imagine this causing some confusion.

The outro song is an absolute banger

Thank you for the video. Absolutely love the animations and cartoon stills.

Still 6h50m to go but happy new-year john wish u all the best for the new year 💓

I’m from Scotland, about 4/5 hours North and West of Glasgow. I was pregnant with my 3rd kid when this happened and I remember it well….husband is a paramedic and I was a nurse. Watching the recovery effort and hoping they pulled more folk out that would survive but knowing that crush injuries are grim and once folk are released after being trapped for a while the toxins that build up are suddenly let loose and can kill someone who was talking to you a few minutes earlier….it’s heartbreaking. What impresses me about living in Scotland and the UK is that our emergency services are excellent when dealing with mass casualty scenarios and you’ll find that nearly every civilian that happens to be in the area when something happens will do their best to help people who’re having the worst day of their life. When I read about folk from the USA who are reluctant to help for fear of being sued makes me pretty angry. The USA has the most screwed-up healthcare system in the world and cares more about making massive profits than caring for the vulnerable and it’s so wrong. This incident in 2004 is a prime example of Scotland looking after it’s people. I have a chronic medical condition which means I have to take lots of medication and have to go for hospital checks twice a year….my prescription is free and so is my mri scan etc.

LOVE the music this week!

Thank you for this video, I had watched it before but I found myself today at the memorial garden for this so I felt I had to watch again.

John have a wonderful 2023 !!!

Oooof as soon as I heard Glasgow, I knew this was gonna be rough 😫🫣

Happy new year, John.

Your channel is brilliant keep it up. Few you should look into from glasgow is Cheapside Street whisky bond fire 1960. Kilbirnie Street fire 1972. Clutha bar helicopter crash 2013. Glasgow bin lorry crash 2014. Sure this will be loads more. Happy new year when it cones

I think the second gas supplier should have been concerned about the lack of visual access to the delivery pipe and installed a new one, no doubt cost would have determined this outcome. If a new tank is installed then a thorough check of the delivery network should have been undertaken, this highlights a common theme in all John's videos, cost versus safety.

Happy New Year Plainly Difficult, looking forward to your channel in 2023🎆🙏👍👻

Happy New Year, John! I have a suggestion - the A-6 Beaune Bus Crash in 1982, a truly tragic accident that saw the deaths of 53 people, 44 of which were children.

I experienced a moment of nerd-vana when you interrupted your introduction to rate Glasgow's transportation museum (do visit the one in Spencer, North Carolina if you ever travel in the eastern US).

great footage and job

In the US direct burial of gas lines below an enclosed area is prohibited by building codes. There is a code compliant workaround. Instead of direct burial the gas line is routed through an outer pipe (PVC is acceptable) and the outer pipe is vented to the atmosphere external to the building. Thus, if a leak should develop in the supply line any gas escapes externally to the enclosure.

Aha! I knew it! That guy at 4:41 who was once an Underground train driver, an oil rig engineer, a tug boat captain, and a slew of other jobs that resulted in disaster had a hand in this!!!

Great video.

You might want to look at the Wrexham plastics factory that burned so intensely for days that it vaporised the steel frame of the building

Great video, just one tiny thing, it’s not the Crown Prosecution Service that prosecuted them, in Scotland it’s the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal’s Service.

Buried piping is always a problem. Steel used in this kind of system needs to be coated with a polymer or elastomer coating and protected with cathodic protection.

While the situation is still unfolding. When the fires concluded and investigations are done, you should make a video on the Richmond, IN plastic facility fire.

Very good. Thank you.

I love the museum of transport and I'm glad you enjoyed it too!

You should do a video on the i40 bridge near-disaster in Memphis, TN in the US. Luckily no one got hurt, but it cost the economy millions with the bridge being closed and the investigation as to how no one noticed the crack on inspections was interesting.

Happy new year to you and yours

Quality as always 👍 Shame YT notification and sub are not working

I thought i already subbed to this channel but apparently I didnt and just have been binge watching your channel and liking videos 😂 so here goes a sub for ya 😁 love your voice thank you for your hard work & the content is fantastic.

I once worked in construction and one time my company subcontracted to another company that made SUCH a huge deal of safety, layering everything across the entire job site with incredibly restrictive rules and regulations, like forcing us to keep one hand on the railing while climbing a 2-foot set of steps, under VERY close supervision. Yes, for climbing 2 feet of steps into the lunch tent. We spent very little time working due to massive delays imposed by procedures that demonstrated primarily that they thought we should all be wrapped in cotton and treated as small children. I observed that most of the work being done was related to safety procedures, and little to no actual construction was happening. I'm pretty sure they tried so hard to avoid getting sued for accidents that they wound up getting sued for breach of contract instead.

Thanks John 👍

Happy New Year!

The moment you said LPG tank I knew what had happened. If you've got metal piping you're not supposed to just run piping into concrete. A ton of LPG installs are done with existing piping, and the extent most propane companies will go to check a buried line is to do a leak test on it.