Pollution
Humain
Environnement
Economique

In a pyrotechnic plant, the untimely activation of a fireworks shell (composed of black powder and a pyrotechnic composition) occurred during a manual firing. An initial series of 5 shells had been shot off without incident; each firing had been accompanied by altitude measures and proceeded at a rate of one shell per minute. A second series of 5 shells was then placed in the same battery. After a normal firing of the 6th shells, the next shot was triggered on its own, before the technician assigned to load the round had the time to strip the fuse wire to an adequate length, in accordance with the corresponding guideline (to allow delaying the projectile launch relative to lighting the fuse). The technician sustained 2nd-degree burns to his left hand and forearm in addition to suffering bilateral noise-induced hearing loss. The accident was caused by the presence of an incandescent object, more likely located inside the mortar shell than outside the shell. This object might have originated from a previous round. Pyrotechnic experts generally recommend wearing additional individual protective gear as well as verifying the absence of any incandescent objects inside the mortar shell as part of the launch preparation procedure.