Five Injured in Dust Explosions at Two Separate CHS, Inc. Facilities
Last week, two combustible dust explosions injured five people at two separate CHS, Inc. facilities in Minnesota. CHS, Inc.is a Fortune 100 agricultural company that supplies energy, crop nutrients, grain marketing services,…
New Research to Develop Best Practices for Photovoltaic Panel Installation
The Fire Protection Research Foundation is conducting research to develop best practices for the installation and an all-hazard assessment of photovoltaic panels installed on roofs. Photovoltaic panels, also referred to as…
One Fire Department’s Top Lessons Learned After a Combustible Dust Explosion Injures Three
While the cause of a recent fire and combustible dust explosion at North America, that injured three firefighters, is still undetermined and under investigation, a closer look into the events that occurred that day resulted in…
Dust Explosion Injures Three Firefighters
Three firefighters were hospitalized recently after a dust explosion occurred while fighting a fire at Deceuninck North America, a company located in Monroe, OH that manufactures window sills, doors, decking, and railing. Their…
Fire at Wooden Pallet Yard Causes $2.5 Million in Damages
In May, a fire ripping through a 10-acre wooden pallet yard and spreading to a nearby tire center, caused an estimated $2.5 million in damages. Nearby residents were evacuated, but thankfully, no one was injured. The fire…
Machine Explosion Kills One and Injures 10
A machine exploded last week at Arens Controls, a commercial automotive technology manufacturing plant in Arlington Heights, IL, killing one worker and injuring 10 others. The victim, a man in his 50’s, has not yet been…
Leak in Propane Line Caused Explosion and Injured Four
Late last week, four workers were injured at Campbell University when a gas grill exploded at J.P. Riddle Stadium in Fayetteville, North Carolina. The commercial sized grill exploded when one worker tried to light it and…
Mislabeled Chemicals Leads to Evacuation of Oklahoma City Business
Labeling chemicals properly is critical to work place safety. A recent incident at Oklahoma City’s Macklanburg-Duncan is an illustration of this point. The company manufactures weatherproofing materials, adhesives and coatings,…
Fatal Hot Work Accident Kills Three
Three workers are dead after an explosion occurred at an abandoned metal crude oil tank operated by Long Brothers Oil Company in Norphlet, Arkansas. The explosion happened earlier this week while the workers were performing hot…
Continuing Education Helps Fire Protection Engineers with Fire Sprinkler Industry Challenges
Continuing education is important in many fields and fire protection engineering is no exception. With rapidly changing technology and code updates, upgrading skills and the ability to adapt to new situations is becoming…
CSB Releases Report on Fatal Welding Explosion
On November 9, 2010 a highly preventable welding explosion occurred at the DuPont chemical plant that employs approximately 600 workers and is located in Tonawanda, NY. The explosion killed 57-year old welder Richard Folaron…
Industrial Oven Explosion at Bakery Injures One
Last month, we summarized an article that appeared in Process Safety Progress magazine that illustrated the tragedies that can occur if gas fired industrial ovens and dryers are not correctly inspected, maintained and tested.…
New Research on Fire Detection in Warehouse Facilities
The Fire Protection Research Foundation recently released its first project phase report addressing the growing concern of fire safety solutions in modern-day warehouses. The first phase of the project was conducted in 2009 and…
Important Research Aims to Improve Personal Protective Equipment for Firefighters
In 2001, the U.S. Fire Administration documented the need to improve firefighter’s self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) and facepiece design in order to withstand various extreme conditions, such as high heat loads. In the…