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Introduction
In 2011, Hoeganaes Corporation in Gallatin reported three incidents related to the violation of the fire safety protocols. Considering the CBS (2011) report, the primary risk associated with the corporation is dealing with a highly flammable steel powder. Thus, when contacted by moisture, combustible metal dust can produce hydrogen and lead to an explosion, creating an explicit fire hazard (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Organization, n.d.).
Discussion
The variables responsible for the explosion incidents at the corporation include combustible dust flash fires, miscalculation of the minimum ignition energy, and poor account for flame-resistant personal protection equipment.
There are three applicable regulations as far as the OSHA standards are concerned. The first regulation is 1910.103, Hydrogen, as it presents the recommendations and standards of hydrogen explosion prevention (OSHA, n.d.). The second regulation is 1910.119, Process safety management of highly hazardous chemicals, as it addresses handling the management of alkali metals (OSHA, n.d.). Finally, in 1910.39, a Fire prevention plan is a regulation that sets the standard for an on-the-spot action plan in a hazardous environment (OSHA, n.d.). Since the facility specializes in working with highly flammable materials, it shall comply directly with the NFPA Safety Code and its section on hazardous materials emergencies.
Conclusion
Considering the incidents, the safety officer should immediately run tests on combusting metal to identify the levels of flammability. Secondly, it would be critical to conduct a thorough analysis of the equipment to detect faulty machines and leaks that lead to hydrogen explosions (Reding & Shiflett, 2018). Thirdly, personal protection equipment tests should be run to identify the scope of employees’ protection. Based on the data received, the safety officer should develop the guideline and monitor the plan implementation one month after the incident.
References
CBS. (2011). Hoeganaes Corporation case study [PDF document]. Web.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Organization. (n.d.). Metal powder, flammable, N.O.S. Web.
OSHA. (n.d.). Fire safety standards. Web.
Reding, N. S., & Shiflett, M. B. (2018). Metal dust explosion hazards: A technical review. Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, 57(34), 11473-11482.
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