"(bystander) lauded as hero by removing (worker's) burning clothing..."

We like to ask plant management a rhetorical question “who is the most dangerous person in your plant?” The answer is the person who is not there in the plant. It is the visitor, contractor, etc. Here is a story that emphasizes that special consideration has to be taken on outsiders in regards to their safety while on our premises.

A man suffered non-life threatening injuries after a power washing truck exploded and caught fire at aluminium metal service center in the Midwest USA during the Fall of 2018.

A sergeant with the local Department of Public Safety said officers arrived on scene to the fully involved truck fire and a preliminary investigation determined the fire was caused by an exploding generator inside the truck that was used for the power washer. An individual who was near the truck during the explosion suffered minor shrapnel and burn wounds which were later determined to be non-life threatening. He was transported to a hospital 10 kilometers.

A man who was in the vicinity of the victim is being lauded as a hero, Haydock said, as he acted quickly in removing the victim's burning clothing and saving him from further injury.

"It really makes me happy when somebody jumps in to save the day, I just always encourage everybody to be cautious and worry about your own safety as well when doing things like this," said the Department of Public Safety sergeant. "In this case, it worked out great and I'm glad he intervened."

He said the fire, which quickly spread throughout the entire vehicle, was more stubborn than a regular vehicle fire given the gas stored in the rear of the truck for the generator and other chemicals involved for power washing.

We pray that the injured worker recovers fully from his burns. This injury could have easily been a fatality if his burning clothes were not removed. We commend the individual who removed the workers burning clothes. In all likelihood that individual received some burns to his hands while removing the burning clothing. We are thankful that individual did what he did to save this worker, without his actions in our opinion the worker would have died.

Twenty years ago if a worker’s clothing caught fire in our industry they commonly would die. That is the reason why small molten metal explosions 20 years ago had large number of fatalities compared today because in the past worker’s clothing would ignite if contacted by molten metal. Now a days it rarely if ever occurs because fire proof clothing is commonplace in our industry.

Fire proof clothing is not commonplace among the many different visitors that enter our plants on a daily basis. From vendor, suppliers, contractors, visitors, etc. explosions because the workers clothes would catch on fire. Should aluminium plants require these “outsiders” to wear fire proof clothing? We acknowledge that some companies already force outsiders (mostly visitors) to change into their plant approved clothing. But, in our experience that is a rarity. On a recent visit we had to change out of our fire proof clothing (which we pack in our luggage) to enter the premises of a smelter. We did not ask our hosts about contractors, vendors, etc. who frequently enter their premises. Are they required to wear fire proof clothing?

For the reader, this question should be brought up within your companies and/or plants. Should non-employees (outsiders) who frequently enter our plants be required to wear fire proof clothing?

Please comment.