Following the explosion at the Hayes Lemmerz International Plant, the US Chemical Safety Board investigation report investigated six possible sources of ignition discussed below. The first possible cause of the ignition was a thermite reaction of aluminium and iron...

October 29th, 2003, at about 8:30 p.m., aluminium dust in the scrap reprocessing area caused an explosion and fire in the Hays Lemmerz International plant in Huntington, Indiana. USA. One of the operators nearby lost his life and two others were critically burned....

The HSE Report on the investigation of the explosion at the Chevron Pembroke Refinery states they were unable to provide a definite answer for the source of ignition. They claim two potential sources which may have set off the explosion. The first possible cause for...

It is evident that the safety culture in the refinery was inadequate at the time of the explosion, with a significant amount of staff lacking appropriate training and experience. Days before the explosion, gas test and manual dip tests were carried out by the...

Following the explosion at Pembroke Refinery (discussed in part one), it was found that the contents of the tank had flashpoints close or below the operating temperature of 40°C. The hydrocarbon layer had a flashpoint of 54°C, the liquid sampled from the main drain...

On average across the 14 countries, the total cost of fires was 0.65% of GDP. The financial costs associated with serious fires are very high including, in many cases, the failure to start up business again. What may appear to be a small fire in a waste bin, if not...

The Pembroke Oil Refinery, located in Wales and operating since 1964, at the time of the incident, was owned by Chevron Limited and produced 220,000 barrels of crude oil per day. The refinery provided employment to 543 workers and about 700 contractors, one of such...

As energy costs continue to increase, people may choose to use portable heaters in addition to their central heating systems in residential, commercial or industrial premises. Portable heaters are often more affordable to purchase and operate compared to central...

In this week's article, we will be diving into the Imperial Sugar refinery explosion of 2008. Dust explosions have been outlined in previous blogs, however, the real-world effects of dust explosions has not been seen. In Ireland, the most common type of dust...

In this weeks article, we will be continuing our dust explosions series by discussing how zoning dust explosions can help assess the risk involved. In industrial settings, explosive dusts can pose a significant hazard, especially in environments where they can...

Introduction Combustible dust hazards pose significant risks across various industries, from manufacturing plants to food processing facilities. When fine particles are dispersed in the air at optimal concentrations, they can lead to massive explosions and fires. In...

What Are Dust Explosions The first blog on our dust explosion series focuses on explosive dusts and dust explosions. We will be discussing the science behind dust explosions aiming to provide a good understanding of the nature of dust explosions that may occur on your...

Electromagnetic fields are generated whenever electrical energy is used. The main piece of legislation which deals with electromagnetic fields is the European Parliament Directive 2013/35/EU of 26th June 2013 which sets out the minimum health and safety requirements...

The rise in electric vehicle (EV) usage in recent years brings about various benefits like cost savings, reduced emissions, and environmental awareness. However, conducting a Fire Risk Assessment for EV's and their charging points is essential as there are fire risks...