As we saw in the last post, without fire safety measures there can be devastating consequences. How safe is your operation or building? Do you carry out regular inspections? Are they thorough or is it a box ticking exercise? When repairing or maintaining equipment, is the person doing the job qualified and trained to do so. Make sure that your fire prevention plan is effective and up to date
On Tuesday 3rd September 1991, the Hamlet chicken processing plant, owned by Imperial Foods, situated in Hamlet, North Carolina, in the USA, caught fire. It caused the deaths of twenty-five workers and a further fifty-five were injured or suffered aftereffects such as burns, blindness and respiratory disease from smoke inhalation. Unbeknown to management, an employee of an outside company was restocking vending machines on site and was not missed until his company reported his truck missing.
Background
The building was eleven years old, although the basic structure dated back to the early 20th century. At the time of the fire, it included adjoining structures with a floor space of 2,800 m2. Construction was bricks and metalwork and was one storey high. Large rooms were separated by movable walls and the product moved from front to back. Management usually kept doors locked and windows barred to prevent theft. There had been no official inspection, but the poultry inspector visited everyday as part of food standards and was aware of fire safety issues which were not reported. Workers alleged that some of the meat was rotten and was processed into chicken nuggets to hide the taste. They also alleged that they were concerned about lack of fire safety measures, but did not report them, as they were worried about losing their jobs . The company had been cited for safety violations in the 1980s at another plant, but there had been no fatal accidents. These violations included poorly marked or blocked emergency exits. A large fire was considered unlikely as there was a lack of flammable materials other than packing materials in the rear. There were open spaces between rooms to allow passage of fork-lifts and the only barriers were curtains of plastic strip to hold in cool air. The floors were hard, smooth surfaces which limited heat absorption during the fire.
The Fire
Ninety employees were in the factory when the fire broke out at around 8:30 am. The fire was caused by a hydraulic hose which ruptured. The original hose had developed a leak and was replaced. However, it was too long and posed a trip hazard. A worker received permission to shorten the hose by cutting it and fitting a coupler. When the hose ruptured, hydraulic fluid sprayed onto the heating lines for the chicken cooker vat. This vapourised and erupted into a fireball. The hose continued pumping a further 200 litres of fluid before electrical failure shut the pump. An automatic CO2 extinguisher was installed over the vat in case of a cooking oil fire, so this prevented the immediate ignition of the cooking oil until a later stage. The fire spread rapidly causing panic in the work force and some suffered injuries in the stampede. Large quantities of smoke were produced from burning soybean oil, chicken and roof insulation. Gas lines in the roof also exploded.
The majority of those who escaped were in the front of the building and left through the unlocked front door. Others tried to escape by trying to kick open locked doors but were overcome by the smoke. A concentration of bodies were found around the locked fire exits and inside a large freezer where workers had tried to escape the smoke and flames.
Aftermath
The factory never reopened causing the loss of 215 jobs in the small town. The owner received a twenty-year prison term, serving four before parole and the company was fined over $800 000.
Takeaway
Cooking areas where hot oils are used should be separated from the rest of the building and other workers. Adequate fire safety measures and firefighting equipment must be present. Untrained personnel should never work on specialised equipment, and it goes without saying that fire doors should never be locked. High pressure equipment should have automatic shut off in case of failure. Regular inspections should be carried out and an environment where workers are free to voice safety concerns must be enabled.
If you have concerns or would just like the peace of mind to know that your operations are safe, contact Firebrand to find out about our full range of services.