"the screams of the workers, hit by a rain of metal...."

Explosions in our industry come from a myriad of hazards. We have not posted many explosions resulting from a failure of this magnitude of a hydraulic pipe bursting. Here is the recent incident:

The loud explosion, heard throughout the area of small firms and country courts. Then the screams of the workers, hit by a rain of metal and boiling oil. Five of them were injured in the accident that took place this afternoon in a foundry, the (company name, town name omitted).

One of the workers is in very serious condition. He is a 58-year-old (native), resident in the (town name omitted) area, urgently transported by helicopter to a burn center in (town 100 kilometers away) with 90 percent of his body covered by burns. The prognosis is very reserved and doctors will wait until night before making predictions.

He was, in all probability, the worker closest to the explosion that occurred shortly before 15.20 pm inside the company in (area name omitted): at that time, according to the first investigations carried out by the police of the provincial command of (name omitted), led by Colonel, and by the inspectors of (local government), a cylinder exploded that is used to bring the machinery for the press-fusion of aluminum into pressure. Some pipes containing incandescent oil also exploded in the explosion. And so a barrage of metal splinters from the cylinder and jets of oil at very high temperatures suddenly hit the five workers who, according to initial reconstructions, were regularly carrying out their work duties in the plant.

The alarm and the arrival of rescue were immediate: with the firefighters, the operators of the 118 and the crews of two helicopter rescues, which took off from (city 100 km away) and (another city 70 km away). The most seriously injured was also affected by the fall of bricks collapsed from the roof, which gave way right above him because of the explosion. In serious condition - but not life-threatening - there are a 67-year-old from (native) and a 38-year-old (expat), resident in the province, both taken by air ambulance to a burn hospital of the (70 kilometers away). While the conditions of two 39-year-old (expat) workers, both residents of (local town), are less worrying, hospitalized at the local hospital where they were taken by ambulance.

The company, on the disposition of the magistrate, was temporarily seized to allow all the necessary investigations. On the spot also the mayor who recalls that the "company has been in the area for about ten years and melts aluminum to transform it into minute (small) objects. There had never been any incidents before today."

Another news media article:

Serious work accident at the (foundry) four people suffering injuries and burns from the explosion of an aluminum die-casting machine.

 

To be precise one of the cylinders used to pressurize the machine would have exploded. To hit the workers would have been incandescent oil and pieces of the cylinder itself. The blast would also have caused a hole in the ceiling.

 

Five workers were injured, one in red code. The 48-year-old from (nearby town), the most serious, was transported to the burn center in (city 100 km away) by helicopter. The 67-year-old from (local town) and the 38-year-old (expat) resident in (local town) taken in a yellow code to (city 70 km away) by helicopter; the fourth injured, a 39-year-old (expat) resident in (local town), in an ambulance in (local town).

 

A fifth worker was slightly injured and transported to the (local) hospital.

 

We pray for the injured workers. Each worker has different types of injuries from burns, contusions, etc. We assume that the clothes of the worker who received 90% burns over his body were not fire resistant. Sadly, all too often the APSB will post an incident where a worker(s) is listed as having burns from 30-90% of their body. Everytime the worker should have been wearing fire resistant clothing that would have minimized their burns.

 

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