Explosion accidents on the job can happen at any time, in any number of ways. For instance, recently there was a huge explosion at an Illinois food processing plant where several workers were hurt. Read, “Explosion at Illinois processing plant leaves at least 8 injured, officials say,” written by Michelle Watson and published by CNN on September 11, 2023. The blast happened around seven o’clock in the evening at the Decatur plant operated by Archer Daniels Midland Company.
Explosions are notorious at industrial facilities, particularly food processing plants. Experts opining on the tragic loss of seven workers with another ten suffering serious injuries in a chocolate factory explosion explain that food processing brings particular risks of explosions on the job site. Read, “Deadly chocolate factory blast highlights combustion risks, hazards of food manufacturing,” written by Michael Rubinkam for the Associated Press and published by KCRA on March 28, 2023.
However, explosions on the job can also happen in incidents like commercial truck crashes on the road. A recent example here is a garbage truck exploding as it collided with an interstate overpass in Indianapolis, Indiana. Read (with video), “Watch: Garbage truck explodes into flames after hitting overpass in Indianapolis,” written by Kelly Hayes and published by Fox9 on December 1, 2022.
And, of course, construction sites are known to come with an increased risk of explosion due to the particularities of the work. An explosion happened less than a month ago when two people working pipeline maintenance perished in a blast involving the construction site of the Kinder Morgan Natural Gas Pipeline in Grand Tower, Illinois. Read, “2 killed at gas pipeline construction site in Grand Tower, Ill. Identified,” written by Olivia Tock and Madison Steward and published by KFVS on October 23, 2023.
Dangers of Explosions: Force of the Blast and Number of Victims
The risk of fire immediately after an explosion is a sad reality in many work accidents on industrial sites. However, workers need to know that the explosion itself, without any other consequences or events, can cause severe bodily injuries or death.
According to studies published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), blast pressure on the human body causes its own independent injuries. Studied in part for the potential impact of mine explosions on miners, the CDC explains:
- At one pound per square inch (1 psi), with maximum wind speed of 38 mph, window glass will shatter in a blast. This can cause cuts and abrasions, such as eye injuries, to workers near to the explosion;
- At three pounds per square inch (3 psi), with maximum wind speed of 102 mph, structures will collapse and people are at risk of dying in the blast;
- At five pounds per square inch (5 psi), with maximum wind speed of 163 mph, deaths are “widespread” and
- At twenty pounds per square inch (20 psi), with maximum wind speed of 502 mph, “fatalities approach 100%.”
The National Fire Prevention Association (NFPA) explains that an “explosion” is defined as “a sudden, rapid release of energy that produces potentially damaging pressures.” How does this happen?
First, an “explosive atmosphere” is created where air combines with a combustible (like fuel). Second, there is an ignition source present in this area. When that ignition source comes into contact with the air-fuel combination, then the gases expand, pressure builds, and an explosion occurs. How deadly that explosion will be depends upon several factors, including the amount of pressure that is involved in the event as well as how fast the energy is released in the blast. The faster the release, the greater the damage.
For details, read, “Explosions, Deflagrations, and Detonations,” written by Brian O’Connor and published by NFPA-Today on March 27, 2023.
Each industrial explosion is unique; an interior food processing plant blast will have different characteristics than the outside blast involving an oil pipeline. However, most explosions come with a shared hazard that because they are so sudden and so powerful, there is the risk of a number of people being hurt or killed in these kinds of industrial accidents. As the CDC warns, explosions have “…the potential to inflict multi-system life-threatening injuries on many persons simultaneously.”
Causes of Industrial Explosions
A shocking variety of industrial worksites in Indiana and Illinois come with the risk of workers being hurt or killed in a job site explosion. Facing particular danger are those workers employed at our local:
- Agri-business
- Food processing facilities
- Chemical plants
- Construction sites
- Manufacturing plants
- Mining operations
- Oil and gas industry sites
- Transportation companies (truck, train, shipyard).
In fact, any workplace where the following blast risks can be found must be considered as hazardous for an industrial explosion accident:
Electricity (Electrical Arcs) – if electric currents become so great that electric arcs are formed, they can provide an ignition source for any nearby flammables or volatile chemicals. Static electricity can also serve as an ignition source;
Explosives (Blasting Agents) – particularly in construction and mining, tasks may include the use of blasting agents to move rock or to demolish structures (demolition); these explosives come with their own inherent risk of exploding on the job site;
Flammable Materials (Combustibles) – any workplace where materials, products, goods, or cargo can be found that can easily ignite can be at risk of an industrial explosion. This may involve things like turpentine on a residential construction site; grain stored at an agri-business facility; to combustible dust in a number of industrial work areas.
Machinery and Equipment – sparks from heavy machinery and equipment can provide an ignition source in an industrial site, with faulty wiring being a particular concern; combustion engines on a job site may be necessary equipment but improper design, repair, or maintenance can result in an explosion.
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
- Steel Mill Workers in Indiana and Illinois: Rising Production and Greater Danger of Injury or Death
- Train Crashes: Indiana Ranks High in Railroad Accidents.
Range of Bodily Injuries From Explosions
When there is an industrial location, there may be more than one explosion victim who is need of immediate medical care and treatment. Sadly, explosions come without warning and can be horrific. Too many times, as the CDC warns , many health care professionals on the scene may lack the experience or education needed to triage explosion victims.
For workers involved in an industrial explosion, injuries can include one or more of the following:
- Blunt force trauma
- Burns
- Eye injuries or blindness
- Fractures
- Ruptured eardrums
- Internal organ damage including internal bleeding
- Loss of use of limb
- Lung damage (pulmonary barotrauma)
- Pain and suffering (long term)
- Psychological trauma (long term)
- Spinal cord injuries
- Traumatic amputation
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Death.
For more, read Traumatic Amputations in Industrial Accidents; Internal Injuries After an Accident Can Be Silent and Deadly; and Burn Injuries and Death from Accident Burns.
Duties to Protect Against Industrial Site Explosions
Employers on the industrial worksite, as well as any entity or individual with possession, custody, or control of aspects of that workplace, not only have legal duties to keep people safe from harm while on the job, but they can be held liable under the law for any damages that result from an explosion caused by a breach of that duty of care.
There is the overall duty of care for worker safety. Read, What is the Employer’s General Duty Clause? There are also specific safety regulations for different industries and situations, such as 29 CFR 1926.900 (a) – (d), defining the Employer Duty for Oversight of Handling and Use of Explosives.
Under the law, housekeeping must be at a high standard on any industrial site where there is the risk of explosion. There should be daily inspections to make sure there are no ignition sources near explosive atmospheres. Worksites should be clear of things like combustible dust.
Equipment should be inspected to make sure it is working properly. Is an engine overheating? Has a worker reported machinery that is faulty or defective? Is the area free of live wires?
For more, read:
- Industrial Housekeeping and Construction Site Accidents
- Supervisors, Safety, and Work Accidents on the Job in Illinois and Indiana
- Explosives and Fire: Workplace Explosion Accidents
- Known Causes of Industrial Fires: Duty to Keep Workers Safe from Burn Injuries.
Injury Claims for Explosion Accident Victims: Workers and Loved Ones
When there is an industrial explosion in our part of the country, workers and their loved ones will have lives forever altered in a matter of seconds. This tragedy is horribly compounded by revelations in later explosion investigations that reveal that those in positions of power and control over the site have failed in legal duties of care.
It is a travesty to know that all too often, some corporate risk determination has found that it was too costly to the bottom line to provide the necessary training, inspections, repair, or maintenance that would have kept the explosion from happening or would have protected workers from harm.
Also 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
- Wrongful Death Damages After Fatal Work Accidents in Illinois or Indiana
- Catastrophic Injuries in an Accident: Damages for the Loss of a Normal Life.
Thankfully, explosions are not commonplace in the industrial worksites of Indiana and Illinois. However, when an explosion does happen not only can the harm be catastrophic but a horrific number of workers can be injured or killed in the event. Work explosions are preventable accidents. There are known safety measures to follow that protect against them, but if these measures are not followed tragedy can result. Please be careful out there!
