"the damage caused by the fire led to the shutdown of the company...."

 

Combustible materials igniting when an aluminium plant is closed is a hazard few in our industry acknowledge. The Aluminium Plant Safety Blog has posted numerous incidents where fires occurred when an aluminium plant was closed and no workers were present. Here is a recent incident:

On a Sunday morning in March 2021, shortly before noon, the firefighters responded to a fire in an industrial building of the (anodizing) company, specializing in the surface treatment of aluminum and titanium for the automotive and aeronautics in particular. The company is located in the small town in Europe. Due to the presence of chemicals, firefighters were numerous on the scene: 25 to 30 people. A spear has also been deployed.

The fire turned out to be less dangerous than expected, having started on a treatment line, without chemicals. Two hours later, the operation was over, no injuries were to be deplored. However, the damage caused by the fire led to the shutdown of the company's activity. The 18 employees will be technically unemployed.

We are thankful no one was injured in this incident. Thankfully, it occurred during the daylight. If it occurred during the night time during a weekend, the fire department may have decided upon containing the fire rather than extinguishing.

The news media article does not state what caused the combustible material to ignite. Unfortunately, the fire caused enough damage to halt production and to temporary suspend employment for 18 workers. We pray that the damage can be repair quickly and the worker be employed again.

If a fire breaks out at your aluminium plant while it is closed. Who will the fire department call? Does the fire department have access to a blue print of your plant with shutoff locations marked?

Please Comment.