CSB Releases Video on “Hot Work” Safety
In the wake of a 2010 accident in Buffalo, the U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) has released a safety video entitled “Hot Work: Hidden Hazards.” The video is designed to outline the dangers of “hot work” like welding and to increase safety.
According to Occupational Health & Safety magazine, the video shows in computer animation the details of the accident that killed one person and injured another. The group hopes the graphic animation will drive home the importance of safety when dealing with what’s known as “hot work.”
In the fatal explosion, two men were working on a tank. The welder at the top of the tank died instantly when it exploded, and a foreman was injured and received first degree burns.
A CSB investigation found that the temperature of the welding ignited flammable vapors inside the tank. This could have been due to the welding increasing the temperature of the tank itself or from sparks falling into the tank.
The investigation found that “while DuPont personnel monitored the atmosphere above the tank, no monitoring was done to see if any flammable vapor was inside the tank.” Safety procedures and precautions must be thorough on all job sites to minimize the risk of injury.
Though the contractors did receive the necessary permits, those permits were issued by DuPont officials “who were unfamiliar with the specific hazards of the process and did not require testing the atmosphere inside the tanks,” according to the article.
When you are a construction worker, welder, or other contractor working inside a larger facility, you often find you have to answer to a variety of people. The owners of the building, your employer, and any other companies or people between you and the top likely have a say in how things are done.
While the safety of you, the worker, and everyone else on the site is of primary concern, often the rules and safety practices vary from company to company, leading to confusion and sometimes mistakes.
Within all of these levels of rules and safety precautions, each company or entity has legal responsibilities.
Safety videos like the one from CSB are just one way of ensuring all workers are on the same page in regard to how to do their job in the safest manner. But when dealing with welding and other similar “hot work” on construction sites, the potential for accidents is always present.
About Ginarte Law Firm
At Ginarte, we have experience helping people who have been hurt on construction sites. Whether you were employed to work on new construction or to fix or update facilities that were outdated, you should be able to have reasonable confidence that the job site is safe and procedures are followed to minimize the risk of accidents.
When you are hurt, you need someone on your side. Our New York / New Jersey construction accident attorneys can be in your corner. From helping you to understand your rights, to seeking compensation for your injuries, the construction law attorneys with Ginarte Law Firm are committed to each and every client.
If you’ve been hurt on a construction site, contact our NY / NJ construction accident lawyers today for a free consultation.
