Three dead, four injured in explosion at Ratchaburi smelting plant

[webfact]

 

Three employees were killed and four others were injured in an explosion and fire at a smelting works in Photharam district of Thailand’s Ratchaburi province Saturday night.

 

Police said that three electricians were sent to the works to repair a malfunctioning control board but, while they were working on the device, it exploded and started a fire.

 

Other factory workers rushed to their rescue, using a fire extinguisher and water, but four of them received electrical shocks. The fire was brought under control shortly afterward.

 

Full story: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/three-dead-four-injured-in-explosion-at-ratchaburi-smelting-plant/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2022-07-18

 

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[RichardColeman]

Looks like the indoor plumbing from an old episode of Steptoe and Son

[ChrisY1]

I can't imagine the state of so many similar factories in Thailand.....maintenance rarely carried out properly...faulty electrical and mechanical equipment....very little safety outlook....

Many factories are probably death traps waiting to happen.

[JoePai]

rushed to their rescue, using a fire extinguisher and water, but four of them received electrical shocks

 

Zero training for accidents

[hotchilli]

4 hours ago, RichardColeman said:

Looks like the indoor plumbing from an old episode of Steptoe and Son

Top tier equipment when it was fitted... half a century ago?

[Aussieroaming]

Yeah, this really is so avoidable if they had trained personnel on the job. Likely there was no electrical isolations in place on the drive module in question  because follow up rescuers got electrocuted as well after dumbly pouring water onto a live electrical system, no lock out - tag out protocols used or the system would have been de-energized, no LV or HV PPE or rubber mats and no HV electrical safety fibreglass poles to drag the victims back.

 

I saw some good shots of the bus bars in the module all charcoaled, so assume they were investigating a motor drive panel or something similar and someone has inadvertently had a flash over. No perspex guarding sighted in front of the bus bars either, maybe it was removed to work on the system or it never existed in the first place.

 

Non electrical rescue personnel then pouring water on a "live electrical system" to stop a fire  instead of isolating the upstream energy source and then using powder extinguishers. So more needless deaths due to ignorance or panic during the emergency. I've seen trained ERT personnel nearly do the same with water when a transformer and MCC Room were on fire. Luckily the upstream circuits had already been de-energized.

 

What will the investigation find? Electricians used who obviously weren't  adequately educated or trained in isolating and working on electrical systems, no isolation procedures used otherwise the system would have been de-energized, no PPE, no risk assessments, no rescue plans, no HV safety gear, so what could go wrong, plenty it seems.

 

There are plenty of Thais who know all of these protocols and requirements because they work in the west or for western companies that have proper lock out tag out and safety sustems in place. But training and PPE costs money, which some of these smaller Thai companies don't want to pay for.

 

RIP to all those involved who needlessly died.

[Lopchan]

RIP to those killed, and condolences to families.

For those berating/ mocking/ belittling_  Thailand_

https://www.hazardexonthenet.net/article/151491/Rain-leaking-into-US-metal-plant-causes-explosion-on-contact-with-molten-aluminium.aspx

https://www.timesonline.com/story/news/crime/2022/01/16/explosions-hussey-copper-caused-molten-copper-firefighters-stop-no-injuries/6549824001/