January 25, 2013 - Importance of Marked, Ventilated, and Approved Flammable Storage

Containers
On the morning of Wednesday January 9th, a job-box was delivered to a crew at a downtown Vancouver
construction site. Finding it locked with no key to be found, the crew decided to use a grinder to cut the
inexpensive and replaceable lock off the box in order to avoid further delays in starting the work day.
Unbeknown to them, the box contained
hoses for a Tiger-Torch and a small propane
tank, the valve of which had not been
completely closed.
The sparks from the grinder caused an
explosion that deformed the box and blew
the workers back a few feet. They were
assessed by first aid and sent to hospital to
be checked out, but luckily neither worker
sustained injuries other than singed
eyebrows and ringing ears.
Had the box been labeled as containing
flammable products, a grinder would likely
not have been used.
This incident brings to mind the tragic events of December 2011, when a volunteer firefighter was killed in
Enderby, B.C. During the mop-up phase of a fire that had been brought under control, a shipping
container or sea-can used as a shed exploded, and one of the doors struck and killed the firefighter.
Investigation revealed that the shed contained a collection of gas powered tools whose fuel tanks were
partially full, as well as approximately only 1 liter of another flammable liquid.
While the fire crews were aware of the small amount of flammables stored inside, no one expected the
explosive force that was created when they were superheated through proximity to the structure fire.
These incidents serve as an important reminder about
the hazards and risks of stored flammable substances.
ALWAYS use WELL MARKED, VENTILATED, and
APPROVED flammable storage containers, and do not
underestimate the explosive force of even small or
residual amounts of flammable gasses or liquids.