The presence of static electricity where a flammable liquid is being handled or used is an extreme workplace hazard and can lead to explosions and fire.
This video slide show recreates an incident at a workplace in British Columbia where a fuel transfer worker was fatally injured when gasoline vapours were ignited by a spark from static electricity. It shows the importance of having effective bonding and grounding systems in place and the hazards of static electricity onboard fuel tankers, and provides information on industry best practices for fuel tanker loading procedures.
Using animation and photos from an incident site, the video depicts the events that led to the incident, and describes the underlying factors and unsafe practices, and how the lack of an effective health and safety program contributed to the incident. It also emphasizes the importance of adopting effective control measures such as engineering controls to reduce the risk.
Visit our website for more information and resources on workplace safety for fuel transfer and bonding and grounding: https://www.worksafebc.com
View other incident investigation slide shows: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6pXjAentDY&list=PLEA68E77FA552B096
Timestamps:
0:00 Intro to the incident: gasoline vapours ignited during fuel transfer
0:45 How static electricity is generated in fuel tanker hoses
1:14 Bonding and grounding to eliminate static electricity in a fuel delivery system
1:52 Incident recreation
2:58 Top-loading vs. bottom-loading methods and the safety advantages of bottom-loading
3:48 Safe work practices for top-loading and splash-loading
4:18 No way to check grounding and bonding
4:55 Process for fuel transfer
5:14 The components needed to start the fire
5:38 The three likely sources of the static electricity spark
6:27 The explosion and lack of fire control safety system
7:13 The factors contributing to the fire
7:44 Failure of the health and safety program to detect and control the hazard
9:18 Engineering controls required for effective grounding and bonding
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