Human factors analysis of a fatal gas explosion on June 13, 2021 in Shiyan City, China

Abstract Human factors are considered the main cause of accidents involving pipeline explosionf. In order to identify the path of human‐induced explosion accidents, a gas pipeline explosion that occurred in Shiyan city of China is investigated thoroughly in this study. Applying the 24Model, the causes of the accident are classified into two levels: organizational and individual. The organizational level causes are further categorized into two elements, namely safety culture and safety management system. The individual level causes are further categorized into personal abilities and safety behaviors—both unsafe actions and unsafe conditions. The 24Model methodology further refines unsafe actions and unsafe conditions into subcategories for increased clarity. Based on the 24Model, it was determined that the Shinyan City incident was caused by gaps in personal abilities, which included insufficient safety knowledge, low safety awareness, and bad safety habits. Causes related to ability factors, safety management system, and safety culture were also identified. In addition, the relationship between the identified factors was developed according to the roles played by the accident causes, and the propagation path of the accident was established. This clarity helps to strengthen safety measures related to human factors.