Dive Summary:
- An explosion at a plastics recycling facility led to the death of one man and two injured employees.
- The incident occurred at Advanced Environmental Recycling Technologies, based in Springdale, Arkansas and is being investigated by OSHA.
- Due to the nature of its business, AERT has experiences an inordinate number of fires, two of which were investigated by OSHA, with one garnering a fine of $6,500.
From the article:
Dwayne Miller, of the Springdale Fire Marshal's Office, said the fire was just one in a series of 18 calls they have made to the factory since 2004.
Miller said if a spark is made, the entire area can go up in a flash fire -- one of the more dangerous types of explosions possible.
“Whether it be a gaseous state, a mist state or these fine powders, it mixes with enough oxygen and it has enough surface area that when it hits an ignition source wherever the product is, it flashes," said Miller.
