An aluminium manufacturer in the Southeast United States suffered
a molten aluminium explosion on Monday, March 19th just before 6 PM.
Two workers were hit by liquid
metal. One person was flown to a nearby hospital with severe burns. While the
other traveled by personal vehicle to an area hospital.
"The exact cause is unknown at this time. A chemical reaction or equipment malfunction may be to blame" said a fire department spokesman. He added that explosion caused molten aluminum to rain down within a 50- to 75-foot radius.
The facility manager is investigating the explosion, according to the fire department spokesman.
The Editors of the APSB tour aluminium plants around the world.
Proper personal protection equipment (PPE) varies from plant to plant. It is
not uncommon for the APSB editors to be wearing the best PPE in a plant during
a tour.
Visitors have
been injured and killed will touring aluminium plants. Our concern as visitors
are that we are protected as well as our hosts.
Please comment about your plants ppe requirements?
As a designer of molten metal handling equipment, I am acutely aware that when doing a risk assement on foundry equipment the situation goes from normal operation to extremely hazardous/likelyhood of seroius injury or death with virtually no stages in between.
ReplyDeleteOurs is an industry where the potential for serious injury or death is always there and every foundry, regardless of the country, I've visited in the past decade, at least, have all put safety at the top of their list of priorities.
I'd say that work practices in foundries and attitudes to safely are far better now than they once were but accidents will still happen. There is no room for complacency.
We also used say that equipment not only had to be made fool proof or even idiot proof but also foundry proof. (Regardless of where the equipment was to be used around the world).
People doing the same tasks, day after day, often tend to get immune to the risks inherent with the job and, often with the best intentions, corners might be cut or procedures not fully followed. 99 times out of 100 this may not matter but there is always the risk of that 1%.
Sometimes all procedures are followed 100% but a completely unforeseen set of circumstances may arise that leads to an accident coming completely out of the blue. All we can hope for is that everybody, as they now usually do, are wearing the correct PPE .
All safety regulations are in paper. Everything cant be written on paper. Even when displayed no one ever reads fully. It is common sense that mostly stops us from accidents.
ReplyDeleteAll deviations dont cause accidents. But when accidents occur there sure is a deviation.
Sorry for the accident and hope nothing is serious..
Yes. When the lining gets weak it gives way and the copper coils which carry water get directly exposed resulting in disaster. As the reasons are many and the accidents spontaneous, very clear understanding is required by the melter. His estimate is the one which results in a safe or unsafe operation.Frequently these are known factors which are over looked.
ReplyDeletemolten metal explosin in furnace(induction) may take place due to leakage of water from copper coil and it is fatal.
ReplyDelete