Welding accident explosion

When the welder was building a canopy above the sewage treatment pool, the welding sparks ignited the sacks and rubber-plastic insulation materials on the observation well cover. The external flames ignited the combustible gas in the pool that reached the explosion limit through the gap, eventually resulting in 4 deaths and 2 serious injuries. The accident exposed major violations of the construction party such as failure to obtain fire approval and failure to detect the concentration of combustible gases in the working environment, and the direct economic loss reached 5.3 million yuan.

Rescue process:
‌1. On-site emergency response‌
After the flash occurred, the on-site personnel immediately started the fire hydrant to spray water to extinguish the fire, and tried to extinguish the open fire at the observation well cover. Due to the collapse of the pool structure, 4 workers were buried, and the welder and another person were seriously injured by the explosion shock wave.

2‌. Medical rescue dispatch‌
The company's emergency response team called the emergency number within 8 minutes. After the ambulance arrived, the two seriously injured people were sent to the hospital first, and the buried people were excavated and rescued. Because there was residual combustible gas in the pool, the fire department used explosion-proof tools to carry out demolition.

‌3. Subsequent disposal‌
The local emergency management bureau and the public security department jointly blocked the scene and used gas detectors to continuously monitor the concentration of combustible gas to prevent secondary explosions. The bodies of the four victims were all found at 14:00 on the same day.

‌4. Enterprise emergency measures‌
The company announced the suspension of production of the subsidiary involved the next day and set up a follow-up working group to deal with the compensation of the victims' families. The local government then carried out a special rectification of the city's welding operation safety.