The Case of the Exploding Solvent Can

Safe Handling

When handling flammable and combustible liquids, employees need to follow these rules:

• Dispense flammable and combustible liquids only by an approved pump or self-closing faucet.


• Take only the amount of liquid needed for the job.


• Use only approved containers to transfer liquids.


• Bond and ground containers when dispensing liquids.


• Make sure transfer areas are well ventilated.


• Be prepared to clean up small spills quickly.


• Place rags and other materials soaked with flammable and combustible materials in designated tightly covered metal containers only.

Make sure your employees understand the importance of following these rules. Let them know that:

• Fire claims the lives of more than 5,000 people each year in the United States.


• In addition, thousands of disabling injuries are caused by fires, including burns and lung/respiratory damage.


• The property damage costs related to fire can be devastating. Businesses can lose entire buildings, plus inventory and materials.


• Catastrophic property damage can lead to a loss of jobs—if the costs of rebuilding after a fire are too high, the company may be forced to close down, leaving its entire workforce without employment.

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Can your managers and employees detect the causes of 25 different real-life accidents, each in a different safety area, direct from OSHA records? Find out, and have them learn hazard analysis while they’re at it, with BLR’s OSHA Accident Case Studies program. There is a separate PowerPoint® for each case. Try it at no cost and no risk.

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Real-Life Drama

The following is a dramatic example of what can happen when employees don’t follow these rules. It is a summary of an actual accident inspected and documented by OSHA (the case information is: Accident: 170710495: Employee Burned When Solvent Can Explodes. Report ID: 0111500. Inspection: 123164626):

• Employee #1 was using a solvent-soaked rag to wipe down a van in preparation for painting. He rubbed the van with the solvent rag for 10 to 15 minutes. (Rubbing cloth onto a metal surface will generate friction and heat that could ignite a rag soaked in a flammable solvent.)
  
  


• When he finished, he threw the rag onto a pile of other rags located next to the container of solvent. Employee #2 saw a small fire start. He ran to grab the 5-gallon container of solvent so he could move it away from the rag fire.
  
  


• Employee #3 was standing outside when he saw the fire. He ran into the building to get a fire extinguisher and help put out the fire.
  
  


• As employee #2 carried the solvent can outside and employee #3 tried to get a fire extinguisher inside, the two collided. The can of solvent was either dropped or put down after the collision. However, the can began to roll down an incline.
  
  


• The solvent can, which apparently had warmed up enough to ignite while it was near the rag fire, exploded. Employee #2 was set on fire from the exploding solvent can. He received 2nd- and 3rd-degree burns.
  
  

BLR’s OSHA Accident Case Studies, which includes this incident in its library of training meetings, asks your employees to figure out just what went wrong. For example:

• Do they think the solvent-soaked rags were disposed of properly?


• How should used solvent rags be stored?


• Do they think the solvent was in an approved solvent storage container?


• Should employee #2 have done something different with the solvent container?


• Did employee #3 respond appropriately?

The presentation then walks them, step-by-step, through each bad decision or safety rule that was broken. It is compelling content delivered in an unforgettable format.

“The Case of the Exploding Solvent Can” is one of 25 separate PowerPoint® presentations that ask viewers to look at actual hazard situations, drawn from real-life OSHA files. They then determine the cause from the clues, “CSI-detective” style, and suggest the fix. Some of the other “cases” presented in this unique program include:
   “The Case of the Unknown Chemical” (HazCom)
  “The Case of the Jammed Machine” (lockout/tagout)
  “The Case of the Heavy Boxes” (back safety)
  “The Case of the Overturned Forklift” (forklift training)

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Try BLR’s unique OSHA Accident Case Studies PowerPoint program at no cost or risk. Find out more.

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Each case is backed up with speaker’s notes, a handout, a quiz, and a plain-English analysis of the relevant OSHA regulation. And like all PowerPoints, each is easily customized with your own organization’s logo, policy points, even photos. The end result is nearly a half-year’s worth of ready-made safety meeting material, in a dramatic, highly motivational, and memorable format—and all for less than $20 a meeting.

You can try this unique program at no cost or risk (not even return shipping) for up to 30 days in your own workplace without obligation to buy. To do so, just let us know and we’ll send it to you.

Download topic list
Download multiple slide sample
Download speaker’s notes sample