The present study concerns a hazardous event which occurred in an industrial storage tank of a ground insecticide. A preliminary post-accident approach of the hazard evaluation is performed. The rapid report of the presence of an unstable functional group in the active product and of its potential thermal instability (CHETAH indices) has led to complete this examination by an experimental study of thermal analysis using isotherm exposition measurement (DTA) or with temperature programming by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and oxidability tests (BAM). The apparent kinetics of decomposition of the active matter of the ground insecticide has been represented by a global Arrhenius law. A model designed for the simulation of heterogeneous thermal runaways based on the numerical solution of the transient mass and energy balances has been further applied to define the critical conditions of the storage and simulate its behavior. The results obtained during this analysis with the experienced feedback allowed us on one side to explain the hazardous event and especially on the other side to modify the operating protocol of the conditions of formulation of the active matter on the inert mineral support. (C) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.