September 23, 2013

Possible dust explosion during hot work

Thanks to Sujith for sending information on a possible dust explosion in a tank storing HDPE in Korea, during welding work. The news article in the Korea Joongang Daily mentions:
"The sudden and massive blast hit the plant, located at the Yeosu Industrial Complex, at around 9 p.m. Thursday, catching workers engaged in welding off guard, some falling 30 meters (98.4 feet) down from the tank to the ground, according to witness accounts.
The death toll is likely to rise as five of the 11 wounded are reportedly severely burned. Firefighters contained the fire within 10 minutes after the blast.
The plant, owned by Daelim Industrial, was undergoing maintenance work at the time.
Workers were welding a door into the tank to make an entrance so the company could send inspectors in to examine the interior, the company said. 

“We checked if there was remaining gas in the tank every time workers were put to work, thus multiple times a day,” said an official with Daelim’s public relations team, who requested anonymity.
“Each time, the result was zero. There was no gas lingering in the tank and thus that was not what caused the explosion.” 


Read the article in this link.


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