Explosion kills two, injures one..........

The contamination of aluminium scrap varies from the source including but not limited to; butane lighters, aerosol cans, air bag canisters, live ammunition, hypodermic needles, flammable liquids. Hopefully these items are found during the inspection process before they enter our facilities. Unfortunately, some items slip through the inspection process. Here is a recent story emphasizing the need for a thorough inspection of scrap prior to it entering our facilities.

Police say they are investigating what went wrong one day during the week of June 14, 2015 when a mortar shell exploded at an aluminium recycling plant in the United States killing two workers and injuring a third.

Local Police Chief said the two employees died at the scene and a third was taken to a hospital in 30 kilometers away for treatment. Officials would not identify the victims, give the condition of the survivor or describe the nature of his injuries.

It was unclear where the mortar shell came from or whether anyone at the business knew it was live. The rounds are normally recycled at the plant but they are usually inactive, police said. It exploded in an outdoor section of the plant.

During a news conference, Local Police Chief said police are not treating the explosion as a criminal investigation. He described it as an industrial accident.

The company’s website says it employs more than 160 people in six departments, buying and recycling various metals, including ammunition. The facility remained closed for the remainder of the day.

“Nobody in the general area is in danger,” Local Police Chief said after emergency workers swept the plant for other explosives. “Everybody is safe here.”

On the afternoon of the explosion, the company released a statement through its public relations firm, saying it was cooperating with authorities.

“This is an extremely difficult day for our entire [company name removed] family following the loss of two of our friends and colleagues this morning,” the statement said. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the families as we collectively cope with this tragedy.”

A spokeswoman representing the aluminium recycling company said the company has been in business since the 1990’s.

An ordnance disposal unit from a local Air Force Base was on the scene, as were bomb squads from the state secretary of state’s office and local police, and agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Relatives who assembled outside the plant were kept back by police.

An employee, said he was in a maintenance building when he heard a blast about 6:30 a.m. Everyone was ordered off the grounds, he said.

He said he learned later that his brother, was killed.

The worker said he and his brother had worked at aluminium recycling company for about 15 years. He said his brother was a supervisor and also a city trustee and the father of three daughters and a son.

“It was an accident that could have been prevented,” the worker suggested.

A former worker stood down the road from the plant. He said he had been fired there recently and showed up when he was told that his half brother, was dead.

The former worker said his half brother had worked at the company for about 18 months and was a local university graduate and football player. He was one of six brothers.

“He was the best of all of us,” the former worker said. “It’s far more than what I can fathom right now, and I’m having a hard time dealing with it.”

The former worker alleged that conditions at the company were dangerous and urged state and federal officials to investigate. “There’s a lot of unsafe stuff there,” he said.

No company official was available for comment.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration sent an investigator., local OSHA area director, said the agency will coordinate efforts with the fire chief and ATFE.

The Aluminium Plant Safety Blog offers our sincere condolences to the deceased workers’ families, friends, and coworkers. The recycling of spent ammunitions is a hazard that numerous companies mitigate on a daily basis. Unfortunately incidents occur with regularity where unexploded ammunition is included in the spent ammunitions. The APSB knows of several incidents, all with fatalities where recycling workers were unaware that a “live” shell was unexpectedly included in the material to be recycled. We agree with the sorrowful words ““It was an accident that could have been prevented.” Which is true. This incident could have been prevented. It is our hope that whichever military base(s) that sent the unexploded ordinance will be made aware of this incident. In addition we would recommend placing the photos of the deceased workers at the base. To serve as a constant reminder how a mistake on their part resulted in the death of two workers.

The editors of the APSB travel to many facilities. One constant statement we make is that “you must acknowledge the past”. There are many in our industry who will forget about our past, their company’s past, their plant’s past and are shocked when incidents recur. The best aluminium plants in terms of safety talk openly about past incidents. To remind their workers of the hazards of their jobs and to reinforce the importance of following their training. Plants who fail or refuse to discuss the past are not only placing their workers in danger. They are being disrespectful to the workers who were injured or killed in the past. It is only through acknowledging one’s past can one make changes for the present and prevent recurrence in the future.

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