CSB held a press conference on Oct. 30 to discuss the
new “Key Lessons for Preventing Incidents From Flammable Chemicals in Educational Demonstrations" Bulletin.
The release details a series of key lessons learned from
flash fire incidents in Reno, NV, Denver, CO, and Raymond, IL, where children were
burned while observing laboratory demonstrations involving flammable liquid
methanol.
The first incident explained in the bulletin is the
Sept. 3, 2014, incident at the Terry Lee Wells Discovery Museum in Reno,
where 13 people, most of them children, were injured.
Just 12 days later, a similar accident occurred at the
SMART Academy in Denver, severely burning a 16-year-old. Just 10 days before
the bulletin’s release, three Cubs scouts and one adult were injured during a
methanol demonstration in Raymond.
What all of these incidents had in common was that they
involved flames with a color additive, with methanol being the flammable
liquid. They all had flash backs to the methanol bulk containers and fire
engulfed the audience who were not protected by any physical barriers.
The
bulletin also included a segment about a 2006 incident that severely burned
then-15-year-old student Calais Weber. That incident involved a demonstration of a chemical rainbow that involved combusting salts with
methanol. CSB released a video about her story called After the Rainbow.
The
key lessons outlined in the safety bulletin as a result of the CSB’s investigation
into these incidents are as follows:
- Due to flash fire hazards and the potential for serious injuries, do not use bulk containers of flammable chemicals in educational demonstrations when small quantities are sufficient.
- Employers should implement strict safety controls when demonstrations necessitate handling hazardous chemicals — including written procedures, effective training, and the required use of appropriate PPE for all participants.
- Conduct a comprehensive hazard review before performing any educational demonstration.
- Provide a safety barrier between the demonstration and the audience.
For
more information, please visit CSB’s site.