At around 9:00 p.m., a technician assigned to end-of-shift cleaning at a waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) treatment facility smelt smoke. The shift supervisor and heavy machinery drivers searched for the source of the odour. Smoke was found coming from a cell containing small electrics that had been pre-shredded (prior to being placed in the shearer). The smoke set off the fire detection system. The employees evacuated the building and the firefighters were called. The employees used a dry chemical fire extinguisher. The material was spread out using telescopic handlers and loaders. The firefighters extinguished the fire and ventilated the building before leaving at 11:20 p.m. The facility resumed normal operations the following morning.
The firewater was confined to the pre-shredded small electrics storage area. The small amount used to fight the fire evaporated by itself. The damage was limited. A hot-melt panel retracted as it was designed to do (it was replaced at a cost of €20), the wooden wall of the storage cell was blackened and a dry chemical extinguisher had to be recharged (€56).
A short-circuited battery in the waste may have caused the fire. Indeed, an abnormal amount of batteries was found in the pile of small electrics involved in the fire.
The next day, the operator reminded the shift supervisors of:
- the priorities in decontaminating materials;
- the instructions in case of fire;
- each person’s roles.
A noticeboard indicating the presence of a fire-hose reel was posted as a reminder near the area where the fire started. Training in fire safety and sorting instructions for permanent staff was stepped up.
A number of improvements were envisaged:
- round-the-clock operations to avoid periods when the buildings are empty;
- hiring a local security firm to watch over the facility on weekends and at night;
- installing an automatic fire suppression system (sprinklers, deluge guns, etc.)
The site has already been the scene of multiple fires (52396, 52395, 52394, 49740, 47473). Yet another accident occurred 10 days later (52938).
