"I don't want to start the world on fire" Topic
10 Posts
All members in good standing are free to post here. Opinions expressed here are solely those of the posters, and have not been cleared with nor are they endorsed by The Miniatures Page.
Remember that you can Stifle members so that you don't have to read their posts.
For more information, see the TMP FAQ.
Back to the Tales from Work Plus Board
Areas of InterestGeneral
Featured Hobby News Article
Featured Recent Link
Featured Showcase ArticleNeed 16 square feet of gaming space, built to order?
Featured Workbench Article
Featured Profile Article
Current Poll
|
Tom Bryant | 30 Apr 2012 6:07 p.m. PST |
The soundtrack for this missive can be found here: YouTube link Please play this before continuing, Ready? Good. I work in a metal fabrication facility. We have six auto load laser cells and two single station laser cells. Now attached to these are a series of dust collectors to pick up the small particulates blown out of the cut areas. These are an iron oxide based material that is so fine, when spilled it flows like water. Needless to say proper cleanliness is important as metal dust this fine is flammable in the extreme. Unfortunately, we tend to be somewhat short of a preventative maintenance program so the dust collectors don't get cleaned out as much as they should (We do however attempt to routinely change the filters) Anyway, one of the dust collectors started a fire a couple of months back. No big problem. It was to one of the older laser cells and was put out with fire extinguishers. Jump ahead to last week Wednesday. I come in to start work and say "hi" to one of our welders and ask what's up. He says, "We had a fire. The dust collector on laser six (one of our big lasers) went up." Boy he wasn't kidding. They had to call the fire department, cleared the plant for two hours and run the ventilation system full bore, which is usually done only in the summertime. They had the cabinet open to the unit and the door and interior looked like components from the Apollo 1 spacecraft. Maybe now we'll install spark arrestors and a nitrogen gas dump into the dust collectors like we should. |
Ditto Tango 2 3 | 30 Apr 2012 6:25 p.m. PST |
Sounds like no one was hurt. Managers, or more usually, the executive branch/bean counters never want to invest the time, switch-outs or shut-downs, and hours for PMs. Hopefully this was the "spark" for your folks! -- Tim |
Terrement | 30 Apr 2012 7:29 p.m. PST |
Maybe now we'll install spark arrestors and a nitrogen gas dump into the dust collectors like we should. I sure hope so but suspect that with the basic mindset that got them there in the first place, this will be a one time moment, the significance of which will fade in time until the next "accident." JJ |
zippyfusenet | 01 May 2012 5:42 a.m. PST |
I don't expect that proposing government regulation will be popular, on TMP or where you work. But. Doesn't OSHA have anything to say about this? It sounds like this workplace could kill or cripple you any time. |
Ed Mohrmann | 01 May 2012 5:45 a.m. PST |
Tom, you might want to (or not – there could be consequences) point out that this is basically a safety issue, and that management who knew about and ignored a safety issue subsequently did some time as a guest of the government. It's called 'negligence'. Granted, not real hard time, but time nonetheless. The fines were impressive, too. OSHA is not vindictive, but they do believe in workplace safety. And oh by the way – does the company which carries your company's insurance know about this condition and periodically inspect the equipment for these kinds of conditions ? If they don't, they should. |
MahanMan | 01 May 2012 8:14 a.m. PST |
Geez! I'm in charge of our PM program where I work, which my former supervisor put in place three years ago to prevent exactly this sort of thing from happening (and we works with dust too, not to mention things that can explode and poison the environment). I have to agree with Ed; this needsneedsNEEDS to be brought to the attention of the company's head honchos, right now. Otherwise, it'll end in tears and a possible appearance on the next installment of Engineering Disasters. |
Klebert L Hall | 01 May 2012 9:02 a.m. PST |
You're lucky you only had a fire, instead of a dust explosion. Industrial dust is bad news. -Kle. |
Parzival | 01 May 2012 12:25 p.m. PST |
I smell a huge negligence lawsuit in the making. Unfortunately, it also smells like a "wrongful death and/or dismemberment" suit, too. From what little I know about industrial workplace environment, this sounds like it's headed for tragedy, all because someone is either too lazy, stingy (or greedy) or just plain clueless to do what needs to be done. If you've got any influence at all with a thinking manager or supervisor (rather than the show-up-for-the-check, suck-up-to-the-boss type), I'd approach him with just those concerns, especially if no positive action occurs as the result of this accident. Then I'd evaluate my own safety and if necessary look for a different place of employment. |
Tom Bryant | 01 May 2012 1:13 p.m. PST |
Well, here's the fun bit guys. The company was sold last November (more about that one in a later dispatch). Lets put it this way, it was a real eye-opener for the new owners when they saw what they were left with. Now, we trying to move to a lean manufacturing model (good luck with that one!) and trying to improve our work flow. Also from what I understand, the new owners are going to be deducting all, or as many of the costs as they can from what they paid the previous owner. From the sounds and looks of things we are headed in the right direction. |
Ed Mohrmann | 01 May 2012 6:25 p.m. PST |
Tom, I interpret your post to mean that the new owners didn't look at the processes or equipment prior to buying the business. I sure hope that's an incorrect interpretation ! |
|