Many accidents at work sites can be prevented with the proper safety equipment. When faulty equipment fails to alert employees of dangerous situations, the risk of injury may occur.
A series of recent explosions at a paint factory in suburban Chicago injured three people, according to the Daily Herald. Emergency response teams were called to the Fox Valley Systems, Inc. factory in Cary, Illinois after the explosion at 1:10 p.m. March 6, and remained there for almost three hours to fight the blaze. The first blast blew out a brick wall at the facility. The second occurred around the time rescuers arrived on scene.
The incident also led to the evacuation of more than 20 businesses located near the factory. The three injured workers suffered non life-threatening burns as a result of the explosions. They were immediately taken to a local hospital to receive treatment for their injuries.
The Daily Herald reported there were approximately 24 people inside the factory at the time of the second explosion.
Hazardous materials in the factory made the fire difficult to maintain. A foam truck and a hazardous-materials response team arrived to aid firefighters around 3:30 p.m., the article said. The cause of the explosions remains under investigation. Faulty or non-existent safety equipment could have played a role.
OSHA will step in
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration will look into the incident to determine if there were any safety violations present at the factory at the time of the explosions, according to the Daily Herald.
Fox Valley Systems, Inc. was issued seven serious safety citations in 1995 from OSHA after two workers were burned on the job and hospitalized. The workers were cleaning a spray paint can filling line when solvent splashed into a 5-gallon plastic pail they were using, generating a static charge that ignited the solvent vapors, the OSHA report of the incident stated.
Proper safety precautions and equipment like fire and gas detection systems from Safety Systems Technology can help prevent dangerous accidents and injuries to employees.
Industrial Safety News brought to you by Safety Systems Technology, Inc., leaders in fire and gas detection systems.
