WAUSAU, Wis. (WSAU) – Companies that do welding or other work which can spark an explosion like the deadly blast at a Tomahawk paper mill in 2008 should use a cheap detector to monitor for flammable gas, federal authorities said today.
The Chemical Safety Board issued the guideline to use the handheld devices in a new safety bulletin. It’s one of seven lessons learned from explosions around the country that have killed 60 workers since 1990.
The portable handheld detectors cost roughly $300 to $400 and monitor for flammable gas. The detectors alert workers when they measure gas at about 10 percent of the lower explosive limit.
Such a device could have prevented the July 29, 2008, explosion at the Packaging Corporation of America plant, said CSB investigations supervisor Don Holmstrom, who led the PCA investigation.
The detectors would have discovered the presence of flammable gas as the three workers were welding a flange fitting on top of an 80-foot tall storage tank containing recycled water and paper fiber. A welding spark caused gas vapors that were venting from the top of the tank to ignite and explode.
PCA now requires workers that perform so-called hot work to use the detectors.
The Chemical Safety Board is still working on a final report which it plans to release early this summer.
Part of that report may recommend guidelines that federal safety regulators like OSHA can order to prevent future industrial accidents from happening.
OSHA cited PCA with several safety violations and fined the company $22,500 for letting workers weld in an explosive atmosphere without the proper training to use some equipment. The citations also alleged the company failed to recognize the risks caused by a build up in flammable gas.
