Industrial accidents involving serious bodily injuries sustained from fires, chemical release, or outright explosions are a daily risk facing workers in a variety of industries here in Indiana and Illinois. The danger of harm from explosive material is a serious concern facing construction workers, along with those working in our local mines and mills, as well as employees of manufacturing plants, and those involved in transporting hazardous materials (“haz mat”) by train or truck.
For more, read:
- Grain Industry Mill Workers Face Great Dangers of Injury or Death on the Job: Explosions, Suffocation are Real Risks
- Construction Worker’s Danger of Being Hurt or Killed on the Job
- Hazmat Trucks in Illinois and Indiana: Increased Risk during Emergency Winter Conditions
- Feds Change Hazardous Materials Regs for Trucks and Semis and Carriers on the Road
- Steel Mill Workers in Indiana and Illinois: Rising Production and Greater Danger of Injury or Death
- Train Crashes: Indiana Ranks High in Railroad Accidents.
Explosions Can Cause Significant Harm with Numerous Victims
Accidents involving explosions are unique in both the extent of injury they can cause the victim, and also for their ability to hurt a great many people at the same time. Each explosion has its own unique characteristics, depending upon the type of explosives involved; the amount of these materials that blew up; the location of the blast (indoors is more deadly than outdoors); how close the victim(s) were to the source of the explosion; and any contributing environmental hazards.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (“CDC”) describes this as “…the potential to inflict multi-system life-threatening injuries on many persons simultaneously.”
Another concern facing explosion victims in Indiana and Illinois is the need for immediate medical care and treatment that is capable of handling these types of bodily injuries. The CDC warns that many health care professionals lack experience with triage, diagnostic, and management of explosion victims.
Causes of Serious or Fatal Workplace Explosions
Catastrophic injuries or death can be caused in a number of ways involving explosives and flammable materials. Some job sites in Indiana and Illinois are particularly notorious for these types of accidents, such as our local steel mines and our residential and commercial construction sites.
Workplace explosions and fires can be caused by things like:
1] Flammables and Combustibles
These are materials that easily catch fire, with flammables having a lower flashpoint than combustibles. Flashpoint defines the degree of risk that the liquid or solid will ignite. According to OSHA, flammable liquids have a flashpoint of 199.4 degrees Fahrenheit.
Examples of flammables include paint on a construction site or chemicals (think turpentine or gasoline) used by construction workers during the course of their work day. Combustibles include things like wood, lumber, paper, drywall, and anything made of plastic.
2] Electricity (Electrical Arcs)
Electrical accidents can result in explosions or fires when electric current becomes so great that electric arcs are formed. When volatile chemicals are nearby, these explosions can be massive.
3] Explosives and Blasting Agents
Experienced, specially trained workers with job titles like Blaster, Explosive Technician, and Powderman are tasked with using explosives and blasting agents on the job site to take down existing buildings or structures, or to help establish the site by displacing or removing things like stone and rock. Defective tools and equipment, or the improper use or storage of explosive materials can cause a serious explosion or fire.
Employers’ Duty to Protect Workers From Explosives and Explosion Risks on the Job Site
Industrial use of chemicals, as well as the need for flame or heat and the requirement of flammable materials all contribute to the hazards facing workers of a potential explosion or fire. Accordingly, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (“OSHA”) oversees employers’ compliance with a series of regulations designed to protect against on-the-job explosion or fire accidents.
Employers in Indiana and Illinois have a legal duty imposed upon them to make sure that workers are safe on the job site from the risk of serious harm or death from explosives.
The legal duties here not only involve the employer’s general duty of care regarding workers on the job, but the regulations go into specifics about these dangerous situations, with duties that include:
- Employer’s Legal Duty for Fire Protection and Prevention Program. The employer shall be responsible for the development and maintenance of an effective fire protection and prevention program at the job site throughout all phases of the construction, repair, alteration, or demolition work. The employer shall ensure the availability of the fire protection and suppression equipment required by Subpart F of this part. 29 CFR 1926.124
- Employer Duty for Oversight of Handling and Use of Explosives. The employer shall permit only authorized and qualified persons to handle and use explosives. Smoking, firearms, matches, open flame lamps, and other fires, flame or heat producing devices and sparks shall be prohibited in or near explosive magazines or while explosives are being handled, transported or used. No person shall be allowed to handle or use explosives while under the influence of intoxicating liquors, narcotics, or other dangerous drugs. All explosives shall be accounted for at all times. Explosives not being used shall be kept in a locked magazine, unavailable to persons not authorized to handle them. The employer shall maintain an inventory and use record of all explosives. Appropriate authorities shall be notified of any loss, theft, or unauthorized entry into a magazine. 29 CFR 1926.900 (a) – (d).
On a work site, employers should make sure that employees in range of dangerous explosives or hazardous chemicals are trained in the risks they are facing as well as provided with appropriate and well-maintained safety gear that includes things like goggles, safety gloves, and steel-toed boots.
Justice for Victims of Explosions and Fires on the Job in Indiana and Illinois
Sadly, workers in our part of the country go to work each day where supervisors, managers, and corporate heads choose to put profits over people and do not take the necessary steps to keep employees safe from harm while on the job site. Their risk analysis of saving money in training, equipment, repair, or maintenance balanced against the possibility of a serious or deadly explosion or fire can result in tragic consequences.
Both Indiana and Illinois have state laws in place to protect workers in the event that their employer has violated legal duties of safety and care which have caused an explosives fire or explosion on the worksite. In some instances, legal claims may also be available against product manufacturers, suppliers, distributors, service companies, and others whose actions or failures to act have resulted in the severe or deadly accident. See:
- Workers Compensation in Indiana and Illinois: Work-Related Injuries and the Fight Against Corporate Greed
- Companies Ignore OSHA Safety Regulations and Workers Get Hurt on the Job
- AFL-CIO 2021 Report: Shocking Risk of Dying on the Job for Workers in Indiana and Illinois
- Fatal Accidents and Wrongful Death Lawsuits in Indiana and Illinois.
There may also be situations where the federal government provides the explosion or fire victim with legal redress. For more, read: Work Injuries and On-the-Job Accidents in Indiana and Illinois With Federal Law Protections: FELA, Jones Act, LHWCA, DBA.
Working with materials that can explode or ignite is much more commonplace on the job sites of Indiana and Illinois than many people realize, leaving workers at risk of serious injury or death in an explosion or fire. Please be careful out there!
