Tanks Can Be Dangerous
An
assistant plant manager for Blacklidge Emulsions died when he used an acetylene
torch to cut a hole in a 10,000 gallon tank of asphalt emulsion.
He
was attempting to visually survey the amount of emulsion that remained in the
tank, but "no safety precautions were taken before the cutting operation
began," stated an OSHA representative. "[His} attention was twice
called to a warning sign on the side of the structure which stated the contents
were flammable or combustible. In complete disregard of safety procedures,"
he continued, the erstwhile manager "lit an acetylene torch and began
cutting, causing an explosion that blew him 93 feet away.