AYER, Mass. -- An explosion Friday evening at an Ayer commercial building has turned fatal.
Two employees were taken to the hospital following the explosion, which occurred around 5:20 p.m. at Advanced Vacuum Systems' building on Fitchburg Road. One of those employees, a man in his 50s, died of his injuries at the hospital, the Middlesex district attorney's office said in a statement.
The condition of the second employee was not immediately available. Two mutual aid firefighters also sustained minor injuries.
The cause of the explosion is still under investigation but preliminary findings suggest it was the result of a pressure vessel malfunction, according to the state fire marshal. Advanced Vaccum Systems makes specialty furnace equipment.
The federal Occupational Health and Safety Administration is conducting a separate investigation.
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AYER (CBS) – Two workers were hurt in an explosion and fire at an industrial building in Ayer Friday afternoon.
One worker was seriously injured and taken to the hospital by MedFlight. Another worker was not as severely hurt.
The explosion occurred at Advanced Vacuum Systems on Fitchburg Road, a company that makes specialty furnace equipment.
Damage from explosion at AVS in Ayer (WBZ-TV)
According to the State Fire Marshal, a preliminary investigation points to a failure of a pressure seal as the cause of the explosion.
The federal Occupational Health and Safety Administration is conducting a separate investigation.
Routine Testing of Hydrogen-sulfide Gas Monitors Critical to Safety
It is critical to routinely inspect and test low-cost gas monitors, like the one above, before using them during high-risk farm tasks. Photo courtesy of the University of Iowa.
Agriculture is one of the most dangerous occupations, both nationally and worldwide. Among its risks to workers are transportation incidents and exposures to pesticides and other dangerous chemicals.
An especially dangerous chemical is hydrogen-sulfide gas, which forms during the handling and processing of livestock manure. After several workers recently died while handling manure, interest is growing in easy-to-use, inexpensive gas monitors to warn workers when manure handling generates dangerous levels of hydrogen-sulfide gases. Many monitors are commercially available, but little information is available to help farmworkers select the right one or maintain it during long periods of use.
To address this issue, researchers in a NIOSH-funded study at the University of Iowa, in Iowa City, recently compared four commercially available monitors and published their findings in the Journal of Agricultural Safety and Health. The laboratory study simulated a year of use in a pig barn by exposing the monitors for 18 weeks to levels of hydrogen-sulfide gas comparable to those found in livestock operations.
Study findings showed that the performance of monitors that only sound an alarm decreased faster than that of monitors that both sound an alarm and display air concentrations of hydrogen-sulfide gas. Of particular concern was the failure of alarm-only monitors to sound an alarm in the presence of high gas levels, even when the monitors had not reached their expiration dates. Although the monitors that both sound alarms and display readings were more accurate in sounding alarms, their displays of gas levels were inaccurate in the presence of high levels.
These findings underscore the importance of inspecting and testing low-cost gas monitors before using them during high-risk tasks, including manure agitation, pumping, and pressure washing, according to the researchers. In addition, they advised the routine testing of all gas monitors, even in the absence of manufacturer’s recommendations, to ensure that they continue to work properly.
More information is available:
Evaluation of Low-cost Hydrogen Sulfide Monitors for Use in Livestock Production
In Livestock Production, Not All Gas Monitors are the Same
NIOSH: Agricultural Safety
NIOSH Extramural Research and Training Programs: Centers for Agricultural Safety and Health
During sand transport, a visible cloud of dust containing crystalline silica floats past this top sand-mover operator station. Photo courtesy of Barbara Alexander, NIOSH.
An improved, NIOSH-developed tool, or engineering control, can help reduce the amount of dangerous, airborne crystalline silica dust generated during sand moving for oil and gas extraction, according to research published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene.
During hydraulic fracturing for oil and gas extraction, workers use equipment that pumps millions of pounds of water and sand into rock formations deep underground. The purpose of this pressurized mixture is to create and maintain cracks in the rock to extract the oil and gas trapped within. The problem is that the sand usually contains crystalline silica dust, which, when inhaled, can cause severe illness, including lung cancer and the deadly lung disease silicosis. During certain tasks, such as moving and mixing sand at hydraulic-fracturing sites, airborne crystalline silica dust poses a serious risk to workers’ health.
Engineering controls are a critical part of preventing worker exposure to airborne crystalline silica dust. In fact, respirable crystalline silica standard 29 CFR 1910.1053 from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration will require hydraulic-fracturing companies to adopt engineering controls for crystalline silica dust by June 23, 2021.
NIOSH investigators who study and develop these engineering controls showed in previous research that a NIOSH-developed control effectively reduced levels of airborne crystalline silica dust released from inspection hatches on top of sand movers. Known as the NIOSH mini baghouse, it comprises four large bags made of filter material and a baseplate that clamps to the openings on top of sand movers. It is unique in that it has no moving parts, requires no power source, and can retrofit to existing sand movers.
In a study of the third generation of the mini baghouse, investigators tested it at an Arkansas sand mine during May 19–21, 2015. They collected 168 air samples at 12 locations on and near a sand mover, both with the mini baghouse installed and without it, and then measured the levels of respirable crystalline silica dust in the air samples. The measurements showed that air samples taken with the mini baghouse installed contained 98%–99% less respirable crystalline silica dust than those taken without the mini baghouse. In addition, other tests showed that the crystalline silica dust probably contained freshly fractured quartz, which is an especially dangerous type of crystalline silica dust.
Compared to earlier versions, this third-generation mini baghouse performed significantly better due to improvements, such as a larger surface area of a “slipperier” filter fabric. Now, the investigators are studying additional design improvements, including a cover to offer protection from the weather. They also are planning future trials looking at long-term use of the mini baghouse.
More information is available:
Field Evaluation of the NIOSH Mini-Baghouse Assembly Generation 3 for Control of Silica Dust on Sand Movers
Field Evaluation of a NIOSH Mini-baghouse Assembly for Control of Silica Dust on Sand Movers
NIOSH Research Rounds: Investigators Design Experimental Engineering Control for Silica Dust
NIOSH: Silica
Preventing Hearing Loss Caused by Chemical (Ototoxicity) and Noise Exposure
March 2018
DHHS (NIOSH) Publication Number 2018-124
Millions of workers are exposed to noise in the workplace every day and when uncontrolled, noise exposure may cause permanent hearing loss. Research demonstrates exposure to certain chemicals, called ototoxicants, may cause hearing loss or balance problems, regardless of noise exposure. Substances including certain pesticides, solvents, and pharmaceuticals that contain ototoxicants can negatively affect how the ear functions, causing hearing loss, and/or affect balance.
The risk of hearing loss is increased when workers are exposed to these chemicals while working around elevated noise levels. This combination often results in hearing loss that can be temporary or permanent, depending on the level of noise, the dose of the chemical, and the duration of the exposure. This hearing impairment affects many occupations and industries, from machinists to firefighters.
Preventing Hearing Loss Caused by Chemical (Ototoxicity) and Noise Exposure[PDF – 3 MB]
Motor vehicle crashes cause over 40% of work-related deaths in the oil and gas extraction industry. Driver fatigue, which may be a result of insufficient sleep, long distances traveled to well sites, and long work shifts, is a factor in some of these crashes. In addition to the loss of life, the average on-the-job fatal crash is estimated to cost employers $671,000. Legal settlements can be even more costly.
Oil and gas employers are responsible for the health and safety of their employees. This fact sheet recommends strategies for employers to manage fatigued driving among their workers.
Oil and Gas Employers: How to Prevent Fatigued Driving at Work[PDF – 245 KB]
Suggested Citation
NIOSH [2018]. Oil and Gas Employers: How to Prevent Fatigued Driving at Work. By Retzer K., Olsavsky R., and Dalsey E. Morgantown, WV: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, DHHS (NIOSH) Publication 2018–125, https://doi.org/10.26616/NIOSHPUB2018125
