Welding accident - unlicensed operation

When a restaurant was illegally converting from gas to oil, an unlicensed welder risked working during peak business hours. Sparks from welding and cutting ignited the liquefied gas cylinder room, which eventually caused an explosion, resulting in a major tragedy of 17 deaths and 3 injuries. The accident investigation revealed three key issues: First, the construction party hired unqualified personnel to save costs; second, the construction was not suspended as required, and the work was carried out during a period of high traffic; third, there was no safety monitoring on site, and the windows were blocked by billboards, seriously affecting escape.

Common causes of similar accidents include:

Lack of personnel qualifications: 62% of welding accidents involved unlicensed operations

Insufficient protective measures: 89% of cases were not equipped with fire-fighting equipment

Chaotic on-site management: Many accidents involved illegal reconstruction and accumulation of debris

Material hazards: flammable insulation materials such as polyurethane accelerated the spread of fire

This case warns: As a high-risk operation, welding must strictly implement the "Ten Prohibitions" regulations, including no unlicensed operation, no operation in a flammable environment, and no unsupervised operation. Enterprises should establish a fire approval system, strengthen on-site combustible material cleaning and protective equipment inspection, and it is also recommended to use technical means such as remote monitoring to strengthen process supervision.