60,000!

The Aluminium Plant Safety Blog has surpassed 60,000 views. Our mantra "It is not this blog's intention to place blame on either company nor worker(s), but the hope that awareness of these accidents brings education and prevention of recurrence." 

Our goal is fulfill that mantra.

We have heard repeatedly that this blog has filled a void that was overlooked and has become a valuable resource for our industry.

  

The APSB strongly feels that our industry should be commended regarding safety. When one thinks about safety in the aluminium industry, the word "cooperation" should be spoken first.

Cooperation within our industry regarding safety is unheard of in other metal industries. That cooperation began after one of the most notable incidents in our industry.

On Monday, September 11, 1967 during the changeover in the night shift an explosion ripped through the casthouse at the Reynolds Aluminum Muscle Shoals Alabama plant. Four workers were killed and scores of others were injured. The facility was severely damaged.

The Muscle Shoals explosion changed how our industry viewed molten metal water explosions and safety in general. No longer was safety an individual company or plant responsibility. Safety now was an industry responsibility, an incident at a company no longer reflected poorly on that company but on the industry as a whole. That shift in philosophy resulted in aluminium companies cooperating toward the goal of understanding how molten metal explosions occur. That cooperation continues today throughout our industry in numerous safety programs that have resulted in the innumerable injuries and casualties being prevented.

Our industry trade associations have been a great resource for educating our industry on the best industry safety practices. 

This past summer the European Aluminium Association held a safety workshop titled "Risk Management and Fatality Prevention".

The Aluminum Association (USA) next month hosts a Regional Casthouse Safety Workshop in Columbus, Ohio on October 23-24. The program can be viewed here. 

TMS 2014 San Diego will be having a session pertaining toward safety. As well as Expoaluminio 2014 sponsored by the Brazilian Aluminium Association will be having a session pertaining toward safety. 

Please forward your safety conference to the APSB.

Please comment.