Image Credit: The Free Press Standard. http://freepressstandard.com/231-2/
A company in Carrollton, Ohio that manufactures plastic pipes had a plastic dust fire in their manufacturing plant on August 22, 2015. Luckily no one was injured and the fire was extinguished before it could cause extensive damage.
According to investigators, a machine used to mix the plastic together overheated and caused a buildup of plastic dust to ignite. The Assistant Fire Chief for the area explained what happened: “It wasn’t anything big but it could have been. We had it contained to the part of the plant where they mixed the plastic together to make plastic pipe and things like that. It wasn’t equipment failure as much as it was the dust buildup catching fire.”
The notorious West Pharmaceutical Industries explosion was caused by plastic dust that came in contact with an explosion source; this explosion killed 6 people and destroyed the plant.
The Ohio plastic dust fire took over 50 firefighters five hours to completely extinguish, and is estimated to have caused at least $50,000 worth of damage to the facility. The Ohio EPA was also called to the business location to monitor the air and surrounding area. The fire caused black smoke to billow out of the building, and since it was plastic dust burning there was a risk of toxic fumes being released. The EPA found no health issues, however.
To prevent accidental fires and explosions, combustible dusts must be regularly cleaned with equipment designed for combustible dust collection. Hughes Environmental technicians are trained in the industry best methods for cleaning these explosion hazards and use equipment designed for combustible dust cleaning. Contact us now to find out how we can help you avoid a fire and damage to your facility.
CLICK HERE or Call 888-845-3952
Employees worried about their safety or who notice possible violations being committed are able to anonymously contact OSHA to file a complaint or request an inspection by calling 800-321-OSHA (6742) or visiting https://www.osha.gov/as/opa/worker/complain.html