Industrial Fire Prevention

From: Hazardex  21 SEPTEMBER 2021 An explosion and fire at a lumber plant in Quebec, Canada injured eight people on September 20. Two people received treatment at the scene while six others suffered serious burn injuries and had to be transferred to a specialist trauma unit at a hospital in Quebec City. Representative image: Shutterstock The incident happened in Beauceville, around 50 miles (80km) southeast of Quebec City. Local authorities said that three of the injured were in critical conditions following the explosion that occurred at around 07:30 local time. The regional health authority, CISSS de Chaudière-Appalaches, attended the scene along with the provincial police service, the Sûreté du Québec (SQ). The SQ told local media that repairs were being conducted on the roof of the plant when the explosion occurred, however it is too early to say whether this was the cause. The company where the incident happened specialises in the drying and processing of laminated w...

From our Friends at: Powder Bulk Solids   Image courtesy of Pixabay Representative image Reports said four contractors were hurt when a blaze ignited Monday at the Spartanburg, SC facility. John S. Forrester  | Nov 04, 2021 Sent to the Littlejohn Street location around 10:30 a.m., crews discovered that some people were trapped in the building after arriving at the scene, television news station WSPA  said . The fire was quickly doused.  A blaze broke out Monday morning at the Innovative Fibers plant in Spartanburg, SC that left four workers with injuries, local news organizations reported. Four injured workers were taken to area hospitals for treatment. “The fire was caused by an outside contractor performing routine maintenance,” the company said in  a statement  to broadcaster WYFF. Innovative Fibers said all the injured persons were employees of the contractor. Powder & Bulk Solids  reported in January that  a worker was fatally injured aft...

From our Friends at: Woodworking Network  Don’t ignore wood waste risks By Michael Culbreth   November 10, 2021 | 9:17 am CST                                                                      Wood waste that catches fire can have catastrophic consequences for any woodworking business. As demand for construction and renovation projects has skyrocketed nationwide during the pandemic, the woodworking industry has found itself rather busy. As the industry continues to grow rapidly, businesses should take the time now to make sure they are properly managing their risk exposures. In particular, wood waste has plagued woodworkers as a fire hazard and source of respiratory illness for as long as the industry has existed. Taking the time now to address this exposure can save woodwo...

 From: Powder Bulk Solids Image courtesy of Pixabay Representative image A man reportedly fell into the vessel at the Oklahoma City facility Tuesday while performing maintenance work. John S. Forrester  | Nov 03, 2021 A worker was fatally injured Tuesday morning after they fell into a silo of hot asphalt at the T.J. Campbell Construction facility in Oklahoma City, OK, local news organizations reported. Emergency personnel were sent to the location at about 11 a.m. after a staff member noticed that the man was missing and discovered that he fell into the vessel, according to  coverage  by KFOR. The worker who died was performing maintenance work on the silo when the incident occurred. “Our team is still trying to determine what safety gear was in process, but there would generally be a harness and other safety equipment that would have been used to protect that or arrest that fall,” T.J. Campbell Construction Public Information Officer Jeffrey Taylor   told ...

From our Friends at: Dust Safety Science Explosion Damages Toner Production Plant in Japan Source: Google Maps Date:   August 12, 2021 Location:   Tatsuno, Nagano Prefecture (Japan) Address:   4333-1, Oaza Inatomi Aza Shiromae, Kamiina-gun Type:   Dust Explosion Fuel:   Toner Dust Industry:   Imaging Technology Production Equipment:   Unknown Company:   Konica Minolta Database Incidents:  None Recorded   Loss:   No Injuries Capital Cost:   Unknown Status:   Open Confirmation:   Unconfirmed Company Description:   According to its website,  Konica Minolta  is a technology company headquartered in Marunouchi, Chiyoda, Tokyo, with offices in 49 countries worldwide. It was founded in 1873 and manufactures business and industrial imaging products, including copiers, laser printers, multi-functional peripherals (MFPs), and digital printing systems. It also makes optical devices, medical and graphic i...

From our Friends at:  Dust Safety Science      In this episode of the  Dust Safety Science  podcast, we’re talking about dust explosion loss history in North America. In the last episode, we explored some of the earliest resources and regulations from North America to illustrate several interesting points about combustible dust. Today, we’re moving into loss history, with an emphasis on North America. Why is Understanding Loss History Important? Why is it important to understand loss history? The most important thing is to not forget what we already know. If you’re not learning from the past, you tend to repeat it. For example, we had a sugar and cocoa standard in 1924, but fires and explosions are still occurring in these facilities today. That’s one of the biggest reasons why understanding and keeping track of loss history is really important.  So what loss history information is actually available in North America? There are six sources we’ll be rev...

From our Friends at: Advanced Biomass      SOLID BIOFUEL STANDARDS November 16, 2016 Introduction Woody biomass has been used for hundreds of years as a fuel source, primarily as solid wood being burned in a fireplace or stove. For much of the 20 th century, excessive waste residuals from forest industry facilities such as sawmills, were disposed of by burning in piles or `tee-pee’ burners. Even today, most logging residuals are unused and are disposed of by burning in slash piles. In the mid part of the 20 th century, industry started to use their woodwaste as a fuel source for process heat and electricity (cogeneration / combined heat and power).  Also, wood pellets started to be used as a domestic fuel in homes, primarily in Europe. Climate change and global warming have become big topics in the last 20 years, and most scientists believe that mankind is a significant contributor to global warming, particularly through the use of fossil fuels. Recen...