Fire and explosion inside any manufacturing or warehousing facility is possible if the employer or employees are negligent in their duties towards keeping the workplace safe. While your employer should only put you in a manufacturing plant after providing the training necessary for safety, we have a list of the most common hazardous areas that are likely to cause fires and explosions if handled incorrectly.
Flammable Materials and Dispensing Equipment
All flammable liquid/gas storage tanks pose a hazard and are ultimately the reason behind the explosions. However, what most employees get wrong is the identification of the less prominent but more dangerous hazard areas, including but not limited to vents, fill-up points, dip points, flammable liquid, gas dispensing apparatus and opening safety relief devices, etc.
Storage Areas for Flammables and Dispensing Apparatus
All warehouses, storerooms and even fume cupboards within a manufacturing plant that are specifically reserved for flammable liquids and gases should be cordoned off for restricted access, well-marked with signs and properly protected against accidental fires at all times.
Mixing and Blending Vessels for Flammables
The flammables inside a mixing and blending vessel are at risk for explosions. One wrong combination could send chunks of flaming metal and chemical towards the workers. Therefore, they are most certainly high risk areas to be wary of at all times.
Road and Rail Tanker Loading Areas
The loading facilities are potent fire and explosion hazard areas by nature since this is where the flammable gases and liquids are taken out from their storage, before being loaded onto the tankers.
Laboratories
Any and all labs are potential fire, chemical spill and explosion hazard areas, irrespective of whether they are used as storage for the usual flammables or not. Multiple different types of flammable chemicals are kept in industrial laboratories, so this one should actually be a no-brainer.
What if You are Injured Without Fault?
Whether you were injured with or without fault in a workplace explosion, you could be entitled to appropriate monetary compensations. Even if you might be made to feel like you were the one responsible, that may very well not be the case at all. Only a thorough consultation with a specialist plant explosion lawyer can inform you where you stand from a legal point-of view.
If you were not given the proper training, it was the employer’s negligence that caused the accident and they must bear complete financial responsibility for the damages caused to your health and wellbeing. Consult a plant explosion lawyer before signing any documents because if your company is offering a non-compete agreement in return for a seemingly handsome compensation amount, it is more than likely that you will get a lot more than what they are willing to part with by not settling on the first offer.
Keep in mind that what we have mentioned here is only an introduction meant to provide you with a general idea. There might be, and most likely are, a number of other explosion hazards that your employer or manager should inform you about in advance.