Ep. 22: How to Avoid Fires and Explosions Involving Flammable Liquids in the Workplace

🔥In this week's episode we break down five real-world incidents where chemical fires and explosions occurred and share five ways you can reduce risk in your workplace. These incidents can be catastrophic, causing injuries, fatalities, and major damage to businesses, communities, and the environment.

We also discuss packing groups (PG1, PG2, PG3) which determine storage requirements for flammable liquids

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Chapters

• 0:00 Introduction to Flammable Liquid Fires
• 0:41 Incident One: Paint Primer Flashback
• 1:26 Incident Two: Boiler Oil Leak
• 2:22 Incident Three: Alcohol Cleaning Hazard
• 2:56 Incident Four: Fatal Toluene Transfer
• 3:41 Incident Five: Welding Spark Ignition
• 4:30 Packing Groups for Flammable Liquids
• 5:16 Episode Recap and Conclusion

Transcript

Melissa Hampton: 0:06

Welcome to Chemical Safety at Work, the podcast that simplifies dangerous goods storage and safety so you can keep your workplace compliant and your team protected.

Patrick Gee: 0:16

Today we're talking about a serious issue flammable liquid fires. These incidents can be catastrophic, causing injuries, fatalities and major damage to businesses, communities and the environment.

Melissa Hampton: 0:28

That's right, pat. We're going to break down five real world incidents where chemical fires and explosions occurred and, more importantly, share five ways you can reduce risk in your own workplace.

Patrick Gee: 0:41

So let's start with a story about a worker who was spraying a flammable paint primer under a gas water heater. Unfortunately, they didn't turn off the pilot light first. The flame ignited the paint, causing a flashback, and the worker was hospitalized with serious burns.

Melissa Hampton: 0:57

A completely avoidable situation. The key takeaway here is to develop clear work procedures for handling and storing flammable liquids, including pre-operational checks for all tasks that involve the use of flammable liquids. Before using these chemicals, workers should always clear the area of ignition sources, shut down gas and electrical appliances, ensure proper ventilation and wear the correct PPE. The next one is about preventative maintenance. Pat, can you tell us about the incident involving a boiler and a fuel leak?

Patrick Gee: 1:34

Yeah, sure, so this one was particularly dangerous. The worker was adjusting fuel flow between two strainers when pressurised oil leaked from a boiler. The oil sprayed across the room, ignited and caused second degree burns. Another worker, who was trapped at height, had to be rescued by fire services.

Melissa Hampton: 1:53

That's terrifying and, the worst part, the equipment regularly leaked oil, meaning this accident was preventable.

Patrick Gee: 2:00

Yeah, exactly, businesses need to have routine maintenance and inspections in place. Yeah, exactly, businesses need to have routine maintenance and inspections in place. Some key areas to check include air vents and ducts to prevent dust ignition. Lubrication to avoid heat and sparks spill. Sumps or buns to stop flammable waste from accumulating. And electrical connections to eliminate sparks and discharge.

Melissa Hampton: 2:22

Next we have a case where a diesel mechanic was cleaning a workbench with alcohol. They left the container open and when a torch fell and sparked, it ignited the vapours. The worker suffered burns and spent 12 days in hospital.

Patrick Gee: 2:36

That worker had not received any chemical safety training. Training workers on chemical hazards is essential. They need to understand what causes a chemical to ignite, the fire and explosion risks of the chemicals they use proper storage and handling and housekeeping procedures like keeping the lids on. This one was heartbreaking. A worker was transferring toluene in an enclosed mixing room right next to an almost empty drum of methyl isobutyl ketone. An ignition occurred, triggering a flashback explosion. The worker suffered burns to 90% of their body and tragically passed away 11 days later.

Melissa Hampton: 3:16

A devastating loss, and one that could have been avoided with proper chemical segregation. Every workplace should conduct risk assessments for all highly flammable liquids. Follow Australian standards for segregating dangerous goods, store high-risk flammables in dedicated flammable liquids cabinets and remove empty chemical drums promptly.

Patrick Gee: 3:41

Finally, let's talk about flammable liquids cabinets. A worker was welding when a spark flew into an open jerry can of fuel. The vapours ignited instantly, leading to serious burns.

Melissa Hampton: 3:52

That's why chemical containers should never be left open If they're not in use. They must be stored in a compliant Class 3 flammable liquids cabinet. These cabinets contain vapours, spills and leaks, reduce fire risks. Keep hazardous substances properly contained.

Patrick Gee: 4:12

How and where your flammable liquids must be stored, the required separation distances from protected places and the maximum quantities that can be stored in minor storage are all determined by the packing group of your flammable liquids. Right Mel.

Melissa Hampton: 4:25

That's right.

Patrick Gee: 4:26

Can you tell us more about what exactly packing groups are?

Melissa Hampton: 4:29

Yeah, sure. So. Packing groups are hazard groups applied to dangerous goods as assigned in the Australian Dangerous Goods Code, the ADG code. Flammable liquids may be assigned one of three packing groups. The packing groups are listed in Roman numerals, from most to least dangerous on a scale of one to three. The packing groups for flammable liquids are packing group one PG1, high danger. Packing group two PG2, medium danger. Packing group three 2, pg2, medium danger. Packing group 3, pg3, low danger. We'll go into packing groups in more depth in another episode very soon.

Patrick Gee: 5:12

Yeah, thanks, Mel. So that wraps up today's episode. To recap, the five ways to avoid fires and explosions when working with flammable liquids that we discussed today are conduct pre-operational checks, carry out preventative maintenance, train workers on chemical hazards, segregate dangerous goods properly and store chemicals in a compliant flammable liquids cabinet.

Melissa Hampton: 5:38

Thanks, pat. If you found this episode helpful, don't forget to subscribe and leave us a review, and if you have any questions or topics you'd like us to cover, send us a message.

Patrick Gee: 5:49

Thanks again for tuning in to Chemical Safety at Work. Stay safe and we'll catch you next time.