" hot oil to fall on one of the employees, who suffered burns..."

Pressurized hydraulic fluid is commonplace in our workplaces. The hazards associated with pressurized hydraulic fluid is many times overlooked. Until an incident occurs. Here is a recent incident highlighting the hazard.

A fire in a foundry company in (town omitted) has left two workers injured this morning. The incident occurred at 8:16 a.m., at which time the emergency services received the warning, and a large response device was activated.

The fire originated in a machine due to the breakage of a hose, which caused hot oil to fall on one of the employees, who suffered burns and had to receive medical assistance. Another worker has been slightly injured. Both have been treated by ambulances moved to the scene.

Before the arrival of the firefighters, the company's own employees managed to control the flames using fire extinguishers, thus preventing the fire from spreading. Despite this, two crews from the local fire station, together with a sergeant, have moved to the scene to verify the safety of the area. Using meters, they have confirmed that there were no sources of high temperature or additional risks.

In addition to the firefighters, several patrols of the National Police and the Local Police of (local town) have gone to the industrial warehouse to collaborate in the attention to the emergency. The affected company, (name omitted), is located near the (name omitted) industrial estate. Investigations continue to clarify the details of the event.

We pray that the injured workers recover from their injuries. We feel this foundry was prepared in both training and having the proper supplies on hand in case of an emergency. The workers were able to stop the machine, extinguish the fire and take care of themselves all before the local fire department called. Great job!

We assume the hot oil was in a pressurized pipe/container. As we have seen in prior incidents pressurized hydraulic leaks can create large fires in seconds. That is why it is important to have multiple shutoff switches throughout the department.

Has your workplace performed safety audits? We pray the answer is yes. Has your workplace included “pressurized hydraulic lines” in your audit? If not you should.

Aluminum Times Magazine wrote an article on this topic. It can be downloaded here:

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