A salvage yard scrap metal cutter was killed by injuries from a storage tank explosion. Could something similar happen to one of your workers? The experienced welder was cutting a vehicle frame with a torch, about 10 feet from a 1500-gallon steel tank unloaded from a truck earlier. The tank may once have stored fuel underground, and warm days caused the fuel to evaporate. Heavier-than-air vapors probably escaped the tank's openings and flowed along the ground. Spatter—bits of molten metal—ignited vapors, causing the explosion. Flames engulfed the victim, setting his clothing on fire and causing burns over 45 percent of his body. […]
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