Risk analysis is a topic of high relevance in chemical engineering. Courses on this topic are being introduced increasingly into the university curricula. The investigation of real cases is an interesting opportunity to consolidate the concepts taught in such courses and to get a better engagement of students through a creative work. The exercise proposed in this paper has to be performed by a group of students to whom a set of information has been provided. In the exercise, the students play the role of an expert team: they have to deliver a final report including diverse sections such as the description of the accident, the explanation of why and how it occurred, different calculations and finally, some conclusions. From the pedagogical point of view, the results obtained from this type of exercise are very positive and promote the students active and cooperative learning. (C) 2012 The Institution of Chemical Engineers. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.