At about 2:30 p.m., a fire broke out on the dust collector of a shot-blasting machine at a surface treatment company. The surface treatment line was in operation at the time. A technician gave the alert and immediately activated the line’s emergency stop. The fire was put out internally with eight water extinguishers. Absorbent was spread on the floor and the employees were evacuated. The firefighters were called in to prevent the risk of the fire spreading. All the absorbent was cleaned up.

The fire was caused by a hot spot that formed in the dust collector’s cone and by the presence of flammable shot dust. The dust collector’s thermostatic sensor was not working because it had been incorrectly refitted (the sensors are not systematically checked). Preventive maintenance of the filters was insufficient.

A number of actions have been implemented since the fire:

• the thermostatic sensors of the dust collectors and cyclone separators were rewired and some were replaced;
• a thermostat, with a low-position sensor and a high-position sensor, was added to the dust collectors’ filters;
• the program was modified to display an alert message if a sensor fails;
• an alarm now appears in the guardhouse;
• the operator is looking into finding a material that is more durable than aluminium for dust collectors ;
• a valve key is now used to close the compressed air inlet;
• the replacement frequency of the dust collector’s filter has been revised;
• the emergency response and evacuation procedures have been revised.

How emergencies are dealt with has also been revised.