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Top 7 Causes of Workplace Explosions

Posted on May 31, 2022 in

Every year, an unfortunate number of people are injured in workplace explosions. Some of these workers sustain debilitating and even fatal injuries. Some types of explosions in the workplace are more commonplace than others. There are seven top causes of workplace explosions:

Hazardous Chemicals

Hazardous chemicals and their use or misuse represent one the most commonplace underlying cases of workplace explosions. A grim reality of a hazardous chemical workplace explosion is the fact that harm many times to workers but also to members of the public at large. A hazardous chemical workplace explosion usually results in a fire from which a plume of smoke of containing potentially harmful chemicals spreads from the site of the blast and into the broader community.

Combustion Engines

Combustion engines remain widely utilized in a number of manufacturing and other industrial settings. The operation and at times even the mere presence of combustion engines can result in workplace explosions that can have devastating consequences. Combustion engines become responsible for workplace explosions when a variety of situations develop or occur. These include:

  • Failure to follow combustion engine safety protocols
  • Failure to adequately train workers on equipment use
  • Improper, incomplete, or inadequate maintenance
  • Operation of equipment in improper location
  • Defectively built equipment
  • Defectively designed equipment

Static Electricity

When people think of static electricity, they more often than not have such things as clingy socks on their minds. What many individuals do not fully recognize, including people who work in an industrial setting, is that static electricity is a major cause of explosions and fires in certain types of workplace settings.

Static electricity has the potential to ignite flammable substances in the vicinity of a discharge of this nature. Moreover, depending on the types of particulates that may be airborne in a facility – the type of dust in the air – static electricity can also ignite certain types of floating particles

Mechanical Sparks

Machinery of different types has the potential to discharge sparks. In some instances, this type of operational byproduct simply cannot be avoided. On other occasions, machinery sparks because it is not working properly or has not been appropriately maintained. No matter the reason why a piece of equipment or machinery sparks, that type of discharges does have the potential to result in a workplace explosion or fire.

Faulty Electrical Wiring

Yet another of the primary causes of workplace explosions is faulty electrical wiring. Hazardous faulty electrical wiring comes in a number of forms that include:

  • Improper installation in the first instance
  • Work wiring and associated items
  • Inappropriately maintained electrical systems

Gas Pipeline Rupture

Gas pipeline ruptures are occurring with seeming greater frequency today. In part, this is due to the aging pipeline infrastructure in the country. A gas pipeline rupture can and oftentimes does have devastating consequences, including the loss of life.

Dust

The mandate to keep a dust-free workplace is not just about keeping everything tidy. Eliminating dust from a workplace is a crucial part of maintaining the safest work environment possible. Business owners, managers, and workers need to be vigilant in understanding that the accumulation of dust in a workplace can lead to a truly combustible situation that has the potential to result in fires and workplace explosions.

Speak with an Experienced Workplace Explosion Lawyer Today

If you or a member of your family have been injured in a workplace explosion accident, the legal team of The Doan Law Firm is here for you at any time. You can contact the firm either through our website or by calling is at (800) 349-0000. A nationwide law practice, we can schedule a no-cost and no-obligation initial consultation at any one of our 40 offices. We can also arrange a virtual case evaluation online as well.

The Doan Law Firm makes an attorney fee pledge to you. Our firm never charges an attorney fee unless we win your case for you.