"Four workers came together to douse a fire...."

The U-Crest Fire Department responded to this incident.

The Aluminium Plant Safety Blog has posted incidents involving aluminum fines, grindings, shavings, etc. Here is a recent story that emphasizes the hazard and the need to mitigate it in our industry:

Materials ignited in a pail inside a New York state manufacturing firm, causing a fire that snarled traffic for about an hour on Wednesday morning. Police had been advising the public to stay away from the company, due to possible chemicals. The fire was reported at 7:23 a.m., according to a police dispatcher. The fire began when something went wrong with what Cheektowaga Police referred to as a “laser machine.” Aluminum and carbon caught fire, creating a hazmat situation. Some aluminum and carbon started smoldering inside the business, and workers were able to extinguish the blaze with fire extinguishers, said the assistant fire chief. While the fire was out, the burning materials were believed to cause toxic conditions. At least a half­dozen fire companies responded to the scene and deployed fans to ventilate the building, said the assistant fire chief. The company provides contract manufacturing services, including fabrication, machining, turning, castings and printed circuit boards, according to its website. The street that was closed off was reopened just before 8:30 a.m.

The accumulation of aluminium fines, grindings, shavings, etc. is not recommended. Equipment or processes should first be designed to prevent or minimize the accumulation of these materials. If the equipment is already in place and if engineering controls cannot be undertaken good housekeeping practices have to be relied upon to mitigate a fire or an explosion. It is important that all accumulation be removed and properly stored/disposed of on a daily basis. The APSB has posted incidents where the accumulation of these materials was not done prior to a maintenance shutdown or holiday break and trouble resulted.

Good housekeeping starts with the management. If management makes it a priority on a daily basis good housekeeping practices can have an effect on a plant. Recently we were at an extrusion plant whose good housekeeping practices were amazing. Simply it was a very clean facility. Why? Because plant management made it a housekeeping a priority. The Aluminium Times Magazine had the following article about good housekeeping.

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