Pollution
Humain
Environnement
Economique

At around 8:40 p.m., a fire broke out at an iron and steel plant while a furnace was pouring molten metal. The casting technician saw that data were no longer appearing on the control PLC. A great deal of smoke began rising from the loading platform. The ladle was moved and the furnace was closed. Fire extinguishers and a fire hose were used to put the fire out. However, the pressure in the hose reel was very low. The site’s main emergency stop was activated when it was found that electrical wiring had been damaged by the flames. The pump sets were turned on at 9:00 p.m. and the firefighters were alerted. Due to the power outage, the site’s gate did not open. The firefighters sprayed water from 9:20 p.m. to 11:00 p.m., and then sprayed foam. One worker was taken to hospital for possible smoke inhalation. A damaged electrical conduit, which supplies peripheral systems such as raw material management, forced the workshop’s closure for one week. The workers were assigned to other positions.

The opening of a furnace caused a shower of molten metal and slag to spew out in the direction of a belt, igniting it and an electrical conduit. The belt caught fire because it was inadequately protected from spatter. In addition, combustible materials stored nearby, and a poorly placed cable, helped the fire to spread. Extinguishing was delayed due to the lack of visibility (heavy smoke) and difficulties in using the firefighting equipment.

The operator plans to have three people per shift take fire safety refresher courses. He also plans to protect the electrical wiring and belts. Lastly, he gave instructions not to store combustible products under the belt.