The hazard of molten metal is well known throughout our industry. Some companies believe that the mass of molten metal is directly related to the seriousness of the hazard. That is a false safety belief. A false safety belief is when a task, procedure, or a hazard is deem “safe” in part due to its past history of no incidents. False safety beliefs result in needless injuries and fatalities annually. Here is a recent story emphasizing the hazard of molten metal.
A fire from molten aluminum broke out in a foundry in the (town omitted) urban area on Friday. The cause is so far unclear. The fire brigade was on site with a total of 17 vehicles. Two employees were taken to the hospital.
Shortly after ten o'clock, the local fire brigade was called to an operation in the city area with the keyword "B6 industrial fire". According to a press release from the fire brigade, several people had previously reported heavy dark smoke developing on the building. When the first forces arrived, the situation was as follows:
An unclear fire from molten aluminum broke out in a foundry and then spread to the ventilation system. The metal was then covered by employees of the company and the heat supply to the melting tank was interrupted. This procedure meant that the spread of the fire was ultimately limited to the ventilation system.
Two employees hospitalized
After reconnaissance by the first SCBA squad, a fire was found in the ventilation system and several small blobs of molten aluminum on the floor. The fire spots in the ventilation were extinguished with CO extinguishers and then checked with the thermal imaging camera.
The hall was ventilated to eliminate the massive smoke in the
hall. Two employees of the company were taken to a hospital by the rescue
service with suspected smoke inhalation, all other employees were able to leave
the building in time without suffering any injuries.
Management group dismissed after a short time
The local fire brigade was on site with five additional fire departments and the operations manager and the management group. The fire brigades from a local town (with turntable ladder), another community (respiratory protection equipment truck), and three local fire departments (each with a personnel carrier as part of the leadership group) were alerted to provide support.
However, two participating fire brigades were able to break off their mission on the way there, and the lead group was also released from the mission after a short time after the situation had been clarified by the investigation. In total, the fire brigade was on site with 17 vehicles and 72 people.
The injured workers suffered smoke inhalation. We pray that the injured workers recover fully from their injuries.
No doubt we do not know what the company in this incident believes regarding molten metal hazard. What we hope is for the reader to understand is that a small amount of molten aluminium escaped its intended holding spot and/or exploded from where it was. Molten metal ignited some combustible material that generated a large deal of smoke.
Do you store combustible material near your molten metal?
The answer to that question is always “No”. But, when we point out cardboard containers (of consumables) needed for casting, alloying, etc. stacked on wooden pallets. Companies quickly realize that “yes” they do have consumables near molten metal. It is important to remove any nearby combustibles but restricting the stock of cardboard boxes and wooden pallets.
We do want to commend this foundry for quickly evacuating the
building. We also want to mention that the fire departments use of thermal
imaging camera to confirm that the hotspots (molten metal, flames) were
properly dealt with.
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