Inferno: Dust Explosion at Imperial Sugar

[@wello987]

The way the CSB presents their findings is better than watching any cable network.

[@retiredarthritic2083]

The CSB (Chemical Safety Board) is an independent investigative body which is not pandering to the whims of subscribers. The result of this is that the reports are based on only the findings of the CSB investigators in cooperation with fire investigators that have jurisdiction and are conducting their own investigation to determine the origin and cause of the fire. The reports also give instruction of how safety procedures could be improved. It is often far easier to see the failings of a system by looking at the aftermath of tragic and sorrowful events like these. For those who seek the truth this documentary of the true facts is much more interesting.

[@retiredarthritic2083]

I thought of this but decided not to include it as to explain the science involved at the molecular level is quite involved and lengthy but suffice it to say the whole of the investigation is very much based on science which is also referred to as fire or forensic science depending on how the science is being viewed. forensic science is divided into two subsets criminal and investigative.

[@peervermeiren8902]

I wish such nice presented investigations , root cause and actions plans would be presented also for non US cases such as in Canada, UK or mainland Europe, Japan and Korea. All of those have similiar safety standards and one could learn from all of them.

[@fattony123082]

“CNN gets offended by this statement and responds by calling you a racist. “

[@arbitrarylib]

Mhm.

[@WildcatWarrior15]

As an engineer in the dust collection industry, whoever approved enclosing the belt conveyors without proper ventilation should be locked up. That is an insane decision. The risks of sugar explosions was well known long before and anyone with a brain should have known that was a bad idea. I was on the team that rebuilt Imperial Sugar. It is now an impressive facility with no mechanical conveyors, all pneumatic dense phase conveying with all of the explosion protection equipment available on the market. It's an example of how sugar facilities should be engineered, but it's too bad it cost so many lives to get to that point. Having been in multiple other sugar refineries, the current state of Imperial Sugar is not the industry norm. The average sugar refinery is of a "legacy" design with similar equipment as Imperial pre-explosion. You do see some explosion protection equipment, but it's usually just on equipment that has been added in the last ten years. Everything else is still at-risk of explosion. Housekeeping procedures have changed, now that it's frowned upon to have dust laying around. Unfortunately dust collection and explosion protection is just not something plant management has on the front of their mind in any industry. Dust collectors or baghouses don't increase profits. Unless the dust is toxic to worker health and an OSHA issue, it's rarely seen as a major issue. Consequently, dust explosions keep happening every year costing many lives and millions of dollars.

[@revenevan11]

Thank you very much for what you do! I have asthma and my mother died of lung cancer (there may be a familial risk), so I'm extremely sensitive and a bit paranoid about avoiding inhaling dust, to say nothing of the explosion hazard!! I used to wear a mask (even before covid) and goggles while helping my dad bale hay on his farm, even in 100°F summer heat, since I'd be sick for days with allergies if I didn't. I've also worked in a plant nursery's propagation line, sticking plant cuttings in dirt after prepping them and putting a rooting hormone on them, and for some of that time I was handling trays by the machine for packing peat moss and potting mix at the beginning of the line, when I wasn't cutting and sticking plants into it. The dust collection system was a godsend, (and for the fertilization line as well for the few times I helped out there.) I still wore a mask (still before covid) but it was much better than it would have been without the systems they had. The place I worked with the most extensive and necessary dust collection system was a woodworking shop that makes promotional items for a variety of industries, we had all sorts of sanders, saws, a big CNC machine, and more, and it was almost *all* hooked up to a sawdust collection system. Plenty of it still got around, but the boss took it seriously and we swept every day, and I believe he had the rafters cleaned regularly as well to prevent any out-of-sight buildup especially in high risk areas.

[@Mygg_Jeager]

What else do you expect from Georgia? Land of "deregulation" and "industries can regulate themselves."

[@paulbrown3302]

All dust has freaked me out since I was a kid, I guess I just had awesome teachers because one of my elementary science teachers showed us how dryer lint can catch things on fire very quick and how dust can contain things like glass that can cut your lungs, give you cancer, catch on fire too etc.

[@kathyborthwick6738LakotaEmoji]

Agree Sir! We have beet sugar plants in Southern Alberta and once the elevators were removed a number of incidents have occurred! We pray that such has been rectified if not we anticipate a similar situation-reportedly “ Safety is being worked “ - not sure I believe it- budgets cuts and greed at play I think!

[@Mygg_Jeager]

@@kathyborthwick6738LakotaEmoji the fact that there are so many seemingly benign Industries and professions that have an explosive fire risk, is stunning to me. You expect it from munitions plants, carbon fuel sector, etc etc. You don't expect it from a Pulp and Paper mill, or agriculture, or an office supply depot.

[@deviousone5731]

I worked for a company that produced the little powder you found on your shredded cheese. While it was messy and hard to contain the dust during packaging, we would clean up the area after each batch (about one batch an hour). We would have safety demonstrations once a month to prevent something like this from happening. They would even have the fire department come out, throw a handful of the dust we were producing into a metal garbage can and would ignite it to demonstrate just how explosive it is. A single handful of dust sent the garbage can lid about 15 feet in the air. Imagine a large factory that had poor procedures. It's a recipe for disaster. A ticking time bomb that will go off the question is just when

[@eleanorlye8411]

That company needs to be named and praised

[@cjenkinsiv]

Wait. What powder on my shredded cheese?

[@phillipcalvin]

@@cjenkinsiv cellulose is added to pre-shredded cheese to prevent it from sticking to itself and making a single giant clump! like sucrose, cellulose makes a very flammable dust.

[@amberkat8147]

@@phillipcalvin Oh. Mine must not have gotten that, because it lumped up and now I have to stab and pry at it with a knife to get any cheese loose.

[@Ferdrew-rp5ey]

...do.not find it..?

[@wanderinghistorian]

When my dad told me about how the grain elevators sometimes exploded when I was a kid, I couldn't believe grain could explode. My dad taught me then, "anything that can turn into an airborne dust can explode, son."

[@davidkoter8556]

The other criteria is that only if it can oxidize. At least I don't know about sand explosions, for example.

[@davidkoter8556]

@Coo Koo It oxidizes = burns. But under a fraction of a sec. In sugar and air mix there is a huge surface.

[@CrashTestSkater]

@Coo Koo Anything that can burn will burn much better if it has a large surface area compared to oxygen, like diesel fuel, goodluck lighting it on its own, you need to atomize it (turn it into a mist) before it will ignite properly

[@CrashTestSkater]

@Coo Koo ❤️ I only learned sugar can burn today also, so went and found out, so I shared this lol

[@shoogeveen]

@Coo Koo If it's all together in a bag then there's almost no risk of explosion. It's when the powdered sugar is finely dispersed in the air like a cloud of dust, that every tiny dust particle has a bit of oxygen from the air next to it so then when there's an ignition source it can ignite and explode. If you want to know more look up 'combustable dust'.

[@adde9506]

Genuinely surprised that tons of spillage wasn't enough of a financial incentive to prevent this accident.

[@LeafseasonMagbag]

From the management perspective, the amount of stuff spilling over time isn’t a problem. They probably figured it was more expensive to clean sugar not immediately blocking work-spaces. Funny how that works. Real dam funny.

[@stargazer7644]

Tons of spillage was a rounding error on the bottom line.

[@TheMrCheezlezombie]

The spillage is pennies compared to shutting down the line to clean it.

[@htos1av]

In the 80's, I worked at a company that PREVENTED this type of problem in textile/industrial mills(the boss was from NASA). I did a few 24 hour days in mile long facilities with three story high Honeywell air handlers, we could walk in the duct work. Our vacuum truck produced 500mph suction power with 500 psi blower systems. There wasn't a SPECK of dust when we finished. My fav gig was where there was an electron scanning microscope in the lab, the contractor was pissed, *AND* intrigued, that I , joe blow off the street, could operate his microscope! :) Huber Mines, Macon, Ga.

[@theendofmyropemydude]

If I was in charge of the ESM and some random dude started fiddling with it is probably blow my stack. That shits expensive lol

[@GiordanDiodato]

this is why management of industrial plants should have a chemistry background

[@Daktangle]

@@GiordanDiodato Sadly they likely all just have business or economics degrees and experience, and no actual knowledge of the hazards involved.

[@trapperjohn2462]

The full impact of such irresponsibility goes beyond the tragic loss of life and the injuries sustained in the explosion. The company, I worked for supplied pallets to this plant. The loss of business, by the sugar plant being destroyed, caused my employer to go out of business. More than 20 people were put out of work, including me. Not to mention all the sugar workers that lost their job, too.

[@bigwu100]

Nothing goes beyond the tragic loss of life. that's the problem you can always find a stinking job. but when your dead that's it. start trying these CEOs for negligent homicide. no fine, prison time. you'll never see that.its all about the unholy dollar.

[@adamcvesely47]

Hell yeah! You forgot to mention: Other things happened as a result also. Some good some....Yeah...bad...Some things as a result of the fire expanded, other things vanished. It was terrible and great for many people, many of which - Had Not The Vaguest Frigging idea: What happened and/or If it was connected, even vaguely. Glad you're doing OK. Look what was gained by this TJ

[@Burt_Cokaine]

I used to bring pallets to Mr George on Tallmadge Rd. On hwy 80 just outside of Pooler GA. That was along time ago, but I remember him always wanting 40"x48" pallets because they're used as sugar pallets. He would refurbish them and resell them to Dixie crystals and some others. I know that the business he ran is still there, not sure if he still runs it. That was back before every guy with a pickup truck was grabbing pallets. I made deals with different businesses to remove their junk pallets in exchange for the sugar pallets I could salvage. Made pretty decent cash for a job that didn't any skills other than no fear of snakes and spiders and having a good running truck. Oddly enough I really miss those days. It was mid 1990s and $2000 a week went a lot farther than it remotely could today

[@VidkunQL]

As long as your company depends on one customer, it hangs by a thread. Some people learn this faster than others.

[@daleslover2771]

Trapper John.... yes really sad John, and all that could have been prevented by weekly Safety briefings and meetings, supervisors on their toes doing what supposed to be done! Pmcs, preventive maintenance checks service. I really feel sad for those poor individuals, they sure didn't buy into that!

[@michaelcuff5780]

I remember in the early 80s we had a friend that worked at Domino sugar on the east coast and they were storm troopers about fine sugar dust. You had to keep your area clean or else!

[@HEDGE1011]

Good for them! They were right! Thanks for the post.

[@pyronite59]

*This is not the sugar dust you’re looking for...*

[@timeckelmann1196]

My first job out of college was working at an aerospace machine shop. They had a fire one day in a dust collection machine in the debur department. The metal filters where covered in a mix of powdered Aluminum and Titanium dust. It had been 8 years since they had cleaned the filters because no one thought it would be a problem. Fortunately no one was injured though it did fill the building with smoke.

[@Fluffy65]

It goes a long way in preventing the domino effect of lax standards and eventual catastrophe. .. Dad joke laughter intensifies..

[@colinguo5855]

There is a huge difference in industrial workplaces in the south and north areas in the east oast.

[@artgoat]

Management, through their shortcuts and neglect of existing standards, killed 14 people, and all they get for it is "recommendations?" Given the history of the plant, "criminal negligence" seems more appropriate.

[@mrow9999]

artgoat Those watching this video should know that The Chemical Safety Board does not have any powers beyond investigation and recommendation. It would have fallen upon local authorities in this case to bring charges for criminal negligence.

[@sammhill8686]

At about 4 minutes into the video the CSB left out a critical fact, one that ultimately cost 14 workers their lives. It left out the fact that the conveyor enclosure was installed as a result of a government regulation. Probably something the CSB would rather everyone watching not realize.

[@FlameDarkfire]

The CSB is an investigative body, not enforcement.

[@zrspangle]

@@sammhill8686 but it was management who decided not to provide a dust collection system

[@Person01234]

@@sammhill8686 Why. Several things. 1. Was this regulation a result of CSB recommendations? 2. If so was it accompanied by any other recommendations that would have prevented it? 3. Why is this even something the CSB would mention? You know it's not some ideological organisation that needs to pat your head and tell you your beliefs are brilliant, it's an investigative board. When a plane crashes the NTSB doesn't list off every regulation that is tangentially related to a failure and they don't blame regulations about pilots needing pilot's licences for crashes involving pilot error. Just because you're an ideologue doesn't mean anything, the CSB investigate accidents and make recommendations about how they could be avoided in future. Even if they made a recommendation that directly resulted in another accident because of some unforseen problem, that doesn't somehow destroy their ideology. They'll just make new recommendations about how to stop it happening again. It's what they do. And btw, they make recommendations to the government about what they can do better (such as not building houses right near flammable chemical plants) and they make recommendations about practices, they don't just recommend new regulations.

[@scheimong]

Most substances in everyday life, apart from a small percentage of very stable ones, are combustible. This includes most metals, plastics, ceramics, etc. Normally they may appear fire-retardent because as a chunky solid, its surface area to volume ratio is quite small. Thus not much oxygen comes into contact with the material, limiting its reaction rate. The outer surface has to finish its reaction to allow the inner parts to come into contact with oxygen, like peeling an onion. However if it's ground down to powder, the combined surface area increases exponentially, which allows lots of material to react at once, causing an uncontrolled, rapid combustion reaction, colloquially known as an explosion. So yeah, it's not just sugar dust that's combustible. Almost anything in dust is.

[@Hexanitrobenzene]

Ceramics is not combustible in any form, it's already made from oxides. Unless you deal with fluorine compounds, then almost everything is combustible...

[@omfgacceptmyname]

like an onion, or an ogre

[@zach99998]

Imagine walking into that plant and seeing the conditions in there, expressing concern, and having one of the workers telling you that it was all normal LOL

[@calebrobinson1747]

And standing in inches of sugar on the ground.

[@Mboy245]

I worked in a plastic parts factory and it was a running joke amongst workers about the many OSHA and EPA violations. I tried calling attention to it and even contacted OSHA with someone pretty grave and serious OSHA violations and my company seemed to go out of its way to punish me. I live not too far away from my now former employer (got fired) so when things inevitably go horribly wrong it'll be plainly and painfully obvious. I just hope and pray my friends there don't have to pay the horrible price of upper management's mismanagement. If it explodes or burns I'll likely hear it from my house/see the smoke when out and about. I really hope and pray it doesn't come to that

[@kazmark_gl8652]

​@Mboy245 you might have a case for wrongful termination. sounds like they fired you in retaliation for complaining to OSHA which is super illegal. contact the Department of Labor..

[@Tortee2]

@@kazmark_gl8652****and pay your entire life savings getting a lawyer for the years long court battle

[@MGooGM]

And to think they had notices about the hazards for 45+ years and another explosion in the 60's and still did nothing about it. Negligence at its finest.

[@pamelaferguson7766]

I worked with magnesium in a car parts plant. Had buckets of sand at every burring station to smother fires. What I learned, magnesium and hydrolics cause nice big flames. While I felt relatively safe at the car parts plant, I had to quit a job over safety concerns working with magnesium and hydrolics at a chain saw factory. After the second near Miss accident, I just punched out halfway through my shift and went home. I can always get another job, lives are a little harder to come by.

[@Reynsoon]

also hands, fingers, eyes... yeah

[@MGooGM]

Hydraulics

[@pamelaferguson7766]

Too lazy to correct. Just wanted to see how many spelling bee champs were in the audience. 😄

[@yt74101]

Aside from the explosion hazard imagine having to breathe this dust for hours every day. What a messy ass process.

[@SergeantExtreme]

I was about to comment the same thing. Those workers must have been sugar high a.f. after their shift was over.

[@phuturephunk]

It's always the overheated bearing that does it. Sneaky rolling support structures!

[@bigwu100]

dirty stinking sugar. that plant probably ran 24-7-365. too fuel Americas addiction. same as drug dealers those sugar czars. we should outlaw sugar declare it a drug, have a war on it. throw sugar sellers in the prison. that's the American way.do not take responsibility, blame it all on sugar and those rotten sugar pushers, all of the American food industry. man what a lawsuit. my God the ramification is astounding.

[@jasonr9969]

Dumbass it’s a sugar factory when sugar is in the air it’s basically tnt

[@retiredarthritic2083]

@@jasonr9969 Only if the concentration of a sugar and air mixture is between the Lower Explosive Limit and the Upper Explosive Limit. No disrespect intended.

[@hannanpakthini7221]

@@jasonr9969... why the hell sugar goes into air-at first hand.

[@rock3tcatU233]

You can't trust those bearings, I tell ya!

[@keiyakins]

So the chain reaction could probably have been prevented by someone with a vacuum cleaner with a nice extendy hose attachment going through once a week?

[@jt8025]

It would have to be a special anti-static vacuum cleaner (about 10 to 20 times cost) and in general is only recommended for places that can not be picked up with other methods. These methods would include use of natural fiber anti-static broom/brush (not your synthetic ones as big box stores) and anti-static anti-sparking shovels, dust pans (such as aluminum not plastic or steel). Aluminum dust can explode like sugar dust also.

[@tommypetraglia4688]

Yea, it's called a system of dust collection through out the plant and adequate ventilation. See it as another necessary sytem of the process

[@obfuscated3090]

Pretty much. What the dumbfucks who think this was not negligence forget is dust explosions are VERY old news. They often took out grain elevators and still do now and then. I blame the US education system which collapsed in the 1970s. We covered dust explosions in science class in 8th fucking grade! The way it was demonstrated was by blowing corn starch across a lit candle.

[@brianleeper5737]

@@obfuscated3090 I think the worst effects of our failed education system have yet to be seen. Technical literature from the 60s was written at a 12th or 13th grade level. These days? 6th grade. Just one example.

[@brianleeper5737]

@SHAZBAT414 How about a public transit system that couldn't fix their false proceed indications causing multiple deaths and injuries? That would be WMATA aka Metro, in Washington DC. How about a municipal water system that failed to treat the water properly, causing it to leech lead from water pipes, resulting in lead levels exceeding Federal standards? That would be Flint, Michigan. In both of these cases a competent employee could have solved the problem long before it became a crisis. In both of these cases no competent employees were to be found.

[@CommentsAllowed]

1:20 This is awful! I can't imagine the pain of a full body sugar burn. For anyone who has ever burned themselves with melted sugar, and then you can't get it off, and it keeps on burn you.

[@Mtnmanmike62]

Napalm

[@xylfox]

The energy-density (J/Kg) of carbonhydrates is about 4 times of TNT which,of course,explodes much faster. They buildt unvolunterly systematically a huge bomb. The company was in economic troubles before and so they scrimped on cleaning.

[@anthonypatterson5061]

"explodes much faster" hmm....

[@robertschumacher2707]

@@J.G.H. I think there's a sentence in the U.S. Army's improvised explosives handbook that goes something like 'anything that can burn, will explode under the right circumstances.'

[@Raptorman0909]

@@robertschumacher2707 -- Even metal will explode if in small particle form and aerosoled. The solid rocket motors on the space shuttle used powdered aluminum along with ammonium perchlorate.

[@runswithbeer]

We were in Savannah the night this happened. We heard a big boom and didn't know what it was. It was awful. So many people were burned.

[@dylanjohnson2327]

Kristina Same here. My grandparents live right across the street from it and it shook the whole house

[@chrismoody1342]

Dust explosions are no joke. I live 9 miles from the DeBruce grain elevator (Wichita). Dust explosion occurred early one morning and I heard the explosion and felt shockwave like it was in my backyard. Shook the entire house !!! Killed 7, injured 10. Cause; dust, a failed bearing on conveyor, confinement and then lifting of more dust. Result a BIG Kaboom.

[@communisttrash8590]

OOOOOOF

[@adamrather9756]

I'm from Wichita, I remember that morning I heard the explosion over by Kellogg and meridian

[@kathyyoung1774]

Dust explosions blow up grain elevators and any facility that makes dust of anything.

[@lairdriver]

You know the problem with having all of these heavy industries in southern states is the lack of safety inspections, investment in new equipment, total disregard for protocols and a really shitty attitude "It's not broken until it explodes and kills people" dogma. Honestly some of these factories and facilities - that are still open - look like something out of the Soviet Union in the 1950s.

[@thejasonknightfiascoband5099]

Whoa!

[@vanadlehyde3600]

I love this channel it's like How it's Made but with a twist ending

[@andreamason50]

I'm quite familiar with this place. Frequently visit the area. My cousin works at GA ports authority there at the credit union. One of the 14 was a customer of hers that she was very fond of. Knew his family. Devastating to the entire community. They've built an absolutely beautiful memorial for them there.

[@blackredbleed]

What people dont understand is its not just sugar but flour and any other substance that is made of small particles and can be airborne. Also Id like to point out that incase you didnt notice from the film when companies make "improvements" they often dont include sanitation or clean-up efforts needed to go along with the new implements. Alot of times a company decides we need x machine to fit in y place and they dont think about what that all effects. Alot of times departments have no voice in implements and end up suffering because of it. Sometimes, like this video, the lack of a voice results in deaths...

[@Gamebreaker08]

Yup my chem 1 professor did an experiment like that with sand on the first day of class and showed us what small airborne particles can do when ignited.

[@lzszl]

No, not all substances form combustible dust. This is only found out in experiments. However, substances not normally considered combustible can form combustible dust. I reckon it has to do with surface area, as it will require a specific small size of the particulates, increasing contact with oxygen..

[@htomerif]

GM made a car in the late 70's that was powered by a coal-dust fueled gas turbine engine. When I say "a car" I mean 1. Technically 2. 2 individual cars, but they still existed.

[@KrotowX]

@@htomerif Technically yes, but not feasible for commercial use because then you must provide ginormous amounts of dust to customers. Also efficiency is poorer than for example gasoline have.

[@htomerif]

@@KrotowX The efficiency was ok. The problems was fouling, sulfur emissions and lag from their fuel delivery system. Those issues were on top of the high cost and "sets the ground on fire" that put an end to gas turbine engines in cars for other companies. I think they were built as a proof of concept and to have something on the table for when the price of oil skyrocketed.

[@lisaweaver986]

This was the longest night of my life. I was there. You people have no idea of the horrid to the lives given of this. I hope no one goes through ever a night like I went through. I lost so a friend that was last found to just bones to a bucket to collect. And a deaf husband . The magnitude was so profound that it cracked walls to home surrounding it home base. You dont ever wanna be inside of something like this. It killed a lot of people.

[@indowneastmaine]

You edited that already?

[@robertgift]

@@indowneastmaine Apparently English is not her first language.

[@windsofmarchjourneyperrytr2823]

If they were just bones, how did they ID them?

[@tfairfield42]

@@windsofmarchjourneyperrytr2823 dental records are a common method, and other on file xrays, I know of a guy identified by dental

[@101Volts]

Any time I hear the music in these videos I feel like I'm at a funeral. It's appropriate.

[@chadrutherford644]

I can't believe this. They operated with an undersized dust removal system that was not even functional at that time.

[@somatiform]

I have so much nostalgia for this weird presentation style from back then, and this guy's specific voice.

[@MrKabDrivr]

The only thing I retain from this documentary: those poor workers who never came back home...

[@PJBovio]

I wonder if there will ever come a time when it's realized that the people who keep the world progressing are the workers who risk their lives doing the crummiest, lowest-paying jobs in the most dangerous conditions and most often under the thumb of downright cruel management. I wonder if there will ever come a time when these workers will be celebrated and respected instead of overlooked and flipped off?

[@kenanfurcle786]

@@PJBovio Not in a capitalist world

[@ysammo214]

@@kenanfurcle786 nor a communist one, the death toll of that regime outweight gun crime, war, and workplace accidents combined. keep your marxist crap.

[@Argosh]

@@ysammo214 you had it until the last sentence. Karl Marx was actually banned in Soviet Russia...

[@ysammo214]

@@Argosh yet his ideology was used. What's your point?

[@j50wells]

These videos are addicting. I've already binge watched 20 of them today.

[@tjleonard8282]

2009?? I wish I had this quality of safety videos when I was back in my industrial job! Wonderful quality information and visuals.

[@zeberdee1972]

I used to work in a Flour Mill when I was younger , we regularly used to shut down to clean the Mill . We used industrial earthed vacuum cleaners . If you do this the chances are reduced , of course if management are more interested in production more than safety then this happens .

[@zeberdee1972]

@Coo Koo Flour is explosive and so is any dust when its in fine powder in the air ....just need an ignition source .

[@RemoveChink]

@Coo Koo Gunpowder contains oxidizers within itself, flour becomes "explosive" when suspended in air due to the availability of oxygen.

[@00bean00]

@@RemoveChink flour also contains oxygen but it just needs to heat to get going

[@Rhythm65536]

Even though CSB is an agency, and usually the videos of agencies are boring, these videos are absolutely awesome

[@DescendDab]

Whoever makes these animations, I wish you the very best in life, as you've entertained me for quite a good while

[@annasstorybox7906]

As far as I know coal mines in Germany started to use pretty simple contraptions against coal dust explosions quite early. Containers filled with water, that were intentionally loosely attached to the cealings of drifts. In case of an explosion the contraption would spill the water moisturizing coal dust in the adjacent part of the drift and therefore stopping the spread of the blaze. I guess a similar contraption would have been a decent safeguard...

[@SamEsss]

But that would have cost money. And it would cut into profits. A lot of management that doesn’t actually do the dangerous work don’t care because if it hasn’t happened yet, they will just cross that bridge when they come to it it seems.

[@windsofmarchjourneyperrytr2823]

So, basically a rudimentary sprinkler system? Modern sprinklers have been around since late 1800s. Made for protecting merchandise, NOT people.

[@tomfeng5645]

@@SamEsss Yep, until management properly faces the consequences and proper oversight organizations are established, this will keep happening.

[@rem45acp]

That's such a smart simple solution for the time.

[@relativemotion]

How did they not have ants and bugs everywhere?

[@Treblaine]

+Peter Pukdeesri Either they did... or they used metric tons of insecticides.

[@TowerClimber81]

+Peter Pukdeesri My guess is bug bait stations. Being food grade industry, I am positive it was OSHA and Department of Health required for food grade bait stations.

[@iamsmart00]

+TowerClimber81 osha has nothing to do with pest control...

[@cipmars]

Peter Pukdeesri nit only that, but imagine how sticky everything was! Yuck!

[@Nash1a]

Oh, good combination considering how explosive some pesticides are.

[@protonjones54]

You have two options: 1. Have your entire plant explode from a sugar rush 2. Have Bob vacuum the shop once a week

[@kathyyoung1774]

Doctor Jones Every few hours!

[@EllTheBob]

Doctor Jones But like Bob wants too much money for us to pay!

[@windsofmarchjourneyperrytr2823]

And climb in the father's every so often. And don't be stupid with the air hose, making it worse.

[@jeffreysokal7264]

You folks provide excellent videos. I only hope the people in power at organizations are watching them.

[@stephensmith3181]

Same type of catastrophe happened to a wood treatment plant at Bosley U K due to fine wood dust accumulation throughout the plant till one early morning a massive explosion destroyed the entire works followed by a fire which took days to put out and silos containing wood flour burnt internally for weeks till demolished parts of the roof ended up nearly a mile away

[@terrylunsford352]

The employees were likely low paid, unknowingly working in a dangerous environment. This is typically the type of thing that happens in non-union facilities where the employees are dependent on management & Fed.Gov. to keep them safe. Most union shops have on site safety inspectors to assure that proper procedures & protocols are being followed to assure a safe work environment to protect employees.

[@doctormcboy5009]

sure union workers do not get killed either. eh blowhard?

[@ginasmith5464]

I can’t stop watching these videos , very addictive

[@missionpassed4584]

so the flour mill explosion in 1977 never served as a warning?

[@kathyyoung1774]

MISSION PASSED All dust situations are explosive. Ever see a grain elevator explosion? When there are TOO MANY BS regs and outdated regs instead of ones that matter, then these things happen. That’s why we need to get rid of the thousands of BS regs and get MORE safety regs that make sense and then inspect these places more.

[@masterhodgkins9501]

Are we not gonna talk about the fact that the quality is great considering this was posted 11 YEARS AGO

[@timnickell]

I used to show this in safety trainings in the early 2010's and haven't watched this in years. It feels like an old video game now, but it still holds up.

[@thegeneralissimo470]

This is why you need dust accumulators, and regular sweeping and vaccuming.

[@TheTrueAdept]

That means cutting into profits by having personnel do anything NOT profitable. Companies are no longer beholden to the workers, only the stockholders.

[@ee4231]

The problem with dust collection systems is that if they are poorly designed or improperly maintained they become an explosive device themselves. What they needed was just simple good ole housekeeping practices in place.

[@jennylover456]

After all these dust explosions im gonna be sure to dust inside my room......

[@Mario7746]

Well shit, I didn't know sugar could explode.

[@verngoossen9733]

coffee, corn, wheat, milo, flax,oats, fine ground alfalfa,flour,from corn you have in the kitchen, can all explode, have the right humidity,spark-static,fire, and fuel ..

[@MannyFresh1x]

Same... Apparently so can Iron dust.

[@christianbuczko1481]

ANY carbon based dust can explode. The massive surface area of the dust can interact with oxygen and burns rapidly causing an explosion. Flour, coal dust are also very dangerous, coal dust sank the lucitania when the torpedo hit the coal storage bunkers.

[@alyx3706]

When sugar burns, it burns really hot and fast. When it is trapped and it burns, it explodes.

[@tookitogo]

Tepig Any combustible material, in powdered form, is explosive. Flour is highly explosive, so gristmills for example must be vigilant (and have had many explosions over the years).

[@txddyfarquh69]

Who would've thought something used in your Kitchen for many things, would prove so deadly in massive amounts of dust

[@edwardbianchi7637]

I am a licensed Professional Mechanical Engineer in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and have been the Project Manager on many food plant equipment installations and upgrades. The danger of dust explosions is well known, and the means to prevent them are well established. I am sure this video correctly implicates the plant culture, starting with management, in tolerating unsafe conditions and unsanitary housekeeping. Every company, and in fact every plant, has its own culture. Some are very by-the-book, others very lax. In this case a lax safety culture cost lives and livelihoods. On one of my projects I spec'd out and installed a pneumatic conveying system for a very dusty ingredient. This material was not combustible -- in was an oxide. Just the same I designed the system with the proper safeguards for conveying combustible, dusty material. Why? Just so, in the unlikely event the system was ever repurposed for a combustible material, it would be safe. The safety features were neither complex nor expensive. The consequences of not installing them, potentially catastrophic. OSHA and the NFPA publish detailed information and standards for every aspect of plant safety. They are the go-to sources for all professionals. Their information and regulations save countless lives.

[@cherylm2C6671]

Thank you for posting this documentary.

[@CheapSushi]

If the company was concerned about money, thus not maximizing safety, why were they then okay with SOOOO much of the sugar being wasted/contaminated to the point there's inches of layers on everything?

[@tommypetraglia4688]

CheapSushi Exactly..... all that spilled sugar, and the maintenance headache of a dirty facility meant lost profit and as well as the destruction of the facility... obviously

[@darkwaters1010]

Yep, dumb management and owners.

[@alandouglas2789]

CheapSushi you’re talking 0.0001%

[@obfuscated3090]

Because sugar is cheap and labor to clean it up is expensive. Workers ain't cheap. The price we pay for sugar is far more than what it costs to produce.

[@billk364]

sugar was selling for $24 per hundred pounds in 1980- in 2010 the government still had the price of sugar at $24. the only way to keep the facilities from going bankrupt is reduce workers. cleaning staff is the first to go. it would be like trying to sell gas at 63 cents a gallon now and trying to be profitable. welcome to government rules

[@LastAvailableAlias]

Better remove regulations, they just get in the way of profits. Blowing up a few employees is an acceptable loss.

[@jmkupihea7630]

This is why we need stronger unions, to force corporations to actually keep workplaces safe

[@TheTrueAdept]

@@jmkupihea7630 Nope, they're going back to the Gilded Age ways these days, which is if you unionize, fire the union and hire immigrants and non-union. So you'll have to have a strong GOVERNMENT to ensure that OSHA rules get enforced.

[@jmkupihea7630]

@@TheTrueAdept Right, like how Reagan destroyed the FAA union in the 80s? How about when they deregulated trade? Or not allowing institutionalized healthcare? Repealing EPA standards? Hmmmmmm

[@marciaosullivan3200]

Who is saying we shouldn't have regulations on explosive hazards

[@aaron5222]

@@jmkupihea7630 lol unions. Lazy people who can't be fired. Pass

[@DJC-System]

When I hear those piano notes I begin to panic 😅

[@jeremykingston1]

OMG seeing this for the first time in 2020 . As a teenager I worked with hammer mills making icing sugar and carster sugar. And when nut and bolts fell off and went in to the hammer mills you heard the rattling. We use to hit kill button and every body ran for the door because you knew an explosion was coming and it did . Just brought back memories watching this .

[@ZASurvivalist]

Gives a whole new meaning to sugar bomb..

[@stefanschleps8758]

Thank you CSB. We need to be well informed before making employment decisions based on trust in management.

[@mikadeca4031]

Had a college teacher who used to work as a maintenance guy for a sugar refinery. Computers overheated/short-circuited due the sugar that filtrated trough and encrusted within the motherboard.

[@macfahad]

Why am I hooked onto these videos? 😂 I’m binge watching all them … is it the commentator or what.

[@ymrbleav9577]

This is the greatest channel! Thank you for informing me with what can happen with these irresponsible facilities. I am baffled how our government doesn't regulate these companies vigorously. I think the big corporations pay them off. Money: the root of evil in these cases.

[@whatidahell8398]

The Government should not be able to regulate everything.

[@jamesedmond3351]

Greed, not money.

[@jacquesblaque7728]

Who said "regulate everything"? That's painting with a HUGE brush, and silly. Anything relating to worker safety is clearly fair-game. Fat-donnie just wants to go whacking regulation randomly.

[@Tricia_K]

​@@whatidahell8398Ikr? Safety costs money after all, and it's not like anybody *important* dies or gets injured...

[@bradmowreader5983]

Wood dust is explosive. I worked in the Weyerhaeuser particle board plant in Springfield Oregon where we installed huge vacuum systems. Along these three foot diameter ducts were blow out panels built-in to relieve chance explosions and not allow them to build up and blow out the whole line. They were about 5 foot square and we aim them so they would fly off harmlessly. That's in air quotes

[@ratheonhudson3311]

The animations make me really terrified at how no one could see the entire scope of where it came from to how it ended and put all the pieces together in a horrifying step by step explanation of what happened. I like the way this research was compiled and read. A good documentary on what safety needs to be implemented with regards to what happened.

[@Fluffy65]

There's no excuses for not overbuilding your ventilation system, and simply sweeping the damn floor a couple times per day. It costs fractions of pennies in the grand scheme.

[@Nash1a]

"Sugar and Spice and everythings gone."

[@nonperishables5870]

Everytime an industrial incident occurs, it's always the lowest paid workers who are in the greatest risk who get killed and injured. The highest paid workers...the C-level executives who's job it is to manage the company from A-to-Z are far away sitting on their asses in a corporate office...nice and safe..from harm or being held accountable for NOT doing THEIR job.

[@williammielenz3752]

I wonder how much Caramel residue was recovered.

[@hebneh]

I’ve known for years about flammable dust explosions but never realized that sugar could do this too. Crazy.

[@robertgift]

Did *STATIC ELECTRICITY* createnough of a spark to ignite the sugar dust? Friction between small particles can produce static elecrtricity.

[@Kuwaiti55]

I don't think so.

[@MrLongpointlessname]

+Robert Gift No. Static electricity would have ignited the sugar in the packing area before the tunnel if static electricity was a factor.

[@jessvagnar4957]

+Robert Gift They said in the video it was probably a heated bearing.

[@andyrix54]

+Robert Gift overheated bearing, according to video commentary.

[@elm_experience]

It can in certain cases if the particles are small enough, and evenly dispersed like a dust cloud. However special anti-static equipment and proper grounding are there to prevent this from happening.

[@gabrielbennett5162]

Something similar happened to the Union Sugar plant at Betteravia, near Santa Maria, CA in the late 80s. They never fully recovered and were completely shut down by the mid-90s.

[@mikef4832]

Wow I never thought of sugar dust as being so dangerous. If I worked packing at a plant like that I would think "well it's only sugar" and not think of it as dangerous at all. I would have been more concerned over just inhaling the dust crystals long term, never thinking of the whole place going up in a fireball like that. If the higher ups knew it was this dangerous though and they did nothing....that sucks

[@davejones9469]

Anything flammable that's in small particles and mixed with the air will create a fireball or explosion. This was done with sawdust in a barrel and a leaf blower a while back in several viral videos.

[@guildrich]

Who know that something so sweet could be so deadly?

[@marctronixx]

Sweet video. Thanks for the upload!

[@deadgiveaway-z3i]

*It's ONE .DECADE. OLD. . ....*

[@RainJetSprinklers]

I was visiting Savannah when this happened, I remember reading about the next day and knew that it was combustible dust that was the cause due to sugars nature. My grandfather knew many people who worked in this plant back in the 50's.

[@maxaw0]

1st comment in this old vid congrats

[@birdn4t0r7]

These combustible dust accident videos motivated me to take the extra time to dust some things while I was "taking care" of some ants that got into the house today.

[@rr7firefly]

My first boss after college was a health nut. He told me many times that sugar was one of the "four white poisons." (including white flour, salt and cow's milk). I think it is also possible for a flour mill to have a catastrophic explosion as well.

[@pkdude5334]

carbohydrates have energy. a calorie can be converted to a btu, and vice versa. our body can burn it, and it can burn outside our body as well.

[@redbullsauberpetronas]

Bruh how tf could someone thinks cows milk is poison? Seed oils and corn syrup are proper poison

[@rr7firefly]

@@redbullsauberpetronas It is not an either-or situation. Most informed people know that corn syrup is really bad. High fructose corn syrup is added to junk foods as a common practice in the food industry. One problem with consuming it is that it interferes with the brain's ability to know you've eaten enough, so people tend to overeat afterward. As for milk, 65% of the world's population is lactose intolerant, meaning that they lack the enzyme lactase so that the lactose in milk cannot be properly processed in the body. This can cause physical problems.

[@redbullsauberpetronas]

@@rr7firefly just because the Chinese were never exposed to it and can't digest it doesn't mean it's unhealthy for white Americans and Europeans

[@rr7firefly]

@@redbullsauberpetronas If you want to drink cow's milk then do so. I choose not to.

[@erentheca]

I am told, in the facility, the sugar dust concentration was only 3.6 ppm - not great, not terrible.

[@Cherry-bq4oh]

Not sweet, not bitter.

[@shanty6953]

All that suga dust in the air, feel like I would get diabetus for just breathing in there

[@henrygoodbar9477]

And all the while the company didn’t care Until a hole in the building an explosion did tear

[@joshuaruth6648]

I wonder where the music that plays in the intro is from?

[@donboy65]

Until now, I never thought sugar could be explosive.

[@MegaRazorback]

It can be used to make home made rocket engines for the scale model rockets, not as good as purpose built rocket motors though...The king of Random does have a vid or two where he makes said sugar based fuel and then tests the burn rates in big lego blocks before testing it with an actual model rocket.

[@Redbikemaster]

Many compounds can be if in dust form

[@kathyyoung1774]

All dust is explosive. So is flour, rice dust, etc. it’s the particle size

[@alelaera13]

@@kathyyoung1774 all oxidizable dusts. a compound that cannot reacy with oxygen isn't explosive.

[@hgbugalou]

Fuel-Air fires are scary and sugar contains a ton of energy. It seems inert at first look, but it may as well be gasoline at this scale.

[@jonaichs1976]

Another great example of a company putting profit above safety. 👍💣💥

[@nicholasroman1915]

Anybody else notice no ads during these vids

[@leosong829]

probably since its old and the topic (mass death) is unadvertiser friendly

[@arbitrarylib]

Wow, emergency ecacuation drills werent practiced?!!!

[@mopedmarathon]

I used to work at a small aluminium manufacturing plant. The processing room had “EXPLOSIVE ATMOSPHERE” written on the doors. I always thought it would be a good sign to put on the door of a club or bar.

[@rotaryskratch18]

Hmm... makes sense why I get explosive diarrhea after eating too many sweets.

[@patrickbrookings]

Thank you for sharing that with us, lol :p

[@kathyyoung1774]

Worse, much worse with artificial sweeteners like malitol.

[@ElTurbinado]

better than implosive diarrhea

[@DJC-System]

@@ElTurbinado made me laugh harder than I'm proud to admit XD

[@conqururfear]

Lol I could see it. Coming

[@heckinghomosexual2396]

Never would have thought that dust was so dangerous

[@kathyyoung1774]

Hecking Homosexual Ever seen a grain elevator explode? Rice or corn or wheat dust.

[@anonobot3333]

They obviously sucked at regularly cleaning their equipment.... this is just labor cost scrimping...either the production employees should've had a broom and vacuum cleaner or.... they should have had someone dedicated to cleaning... happens when a flour/grain/sugar mill never shuts down runs 24/7/365 unfornately the lesson was paid for in people's lives....

[@ianmoseley9910]

Anon Power Also change management, no proper consideration of the effect of enclosing the area

[@nigelft]

Willing to pay for enough staff to rotate in 3-4 shifts per day ... but not enough to either provide the correct equipment; not provide enough time, so people can clean their own station; or, as you say, not invest in having dedicated staff keeping the place clean ...

[@GCharlesLangisChip]

I'm a former U.s. sugar employee. U.s sugar is located in s. Florida. Its home is clewiston the towns motto when I was there was ."Clewiston ""we raise cain !" "the sweetest town in America. " I can only say that 8 or so years before this accident the sugar mill was a prime candidate for this type of disaster. Except it is not the sugar that poses the risk. it is the "bagass" dust that will be the cause. Bagass is a fibrous plant material that is a byproduct of the milling process. The mill runs 7 huge boilers producing enough power to run the mill and the entire town on bagass . U.S SUGAR produces so much electricity that it's excess power is sold to the state . I worked for them in field construction and later as a boilermaker/iron worker. I had serious issues with my own safety. While employed there three people lost their lives. Two of those three had no way of knowing that the task they were doing, was going to kill them. They were crushed and burned to death in the outside repair of number 3 or 4 boiler. When they removed the steel from the boiler the " 60 plus year old" fire bricks that had been laid had disintegrated, and spilled out on two workers guiding a crane used to lift out the steel plates. The build up of bagass dust is constantly being addressed but in my opinion it is just a matter of time before this same type of disaster happens to the people that supplied Savannah foods for so many years.

[@piiiyathedon3486]

to all chemical engineers at both BEng and MEng level.so to prevent these explosions,ventilation is key

[@obfuscated3090]

These sugar plants in whitetrashland don't have engineers on staff. It's just managers and technicians and the techs are barely trained. Engineers design then go on to the next job. Bubba ain't payin' no fancy college gradyooate.

[@meeetslife]

You are using application or software for making animation of disaster so I want to know name of that application or software. So please can you send name ? Please

[@louisvilleslugger3979]

So sad, terrible that things like this still hppen today the disregard of safety still goes on like a never ending cycly, until many die horrible to make the changes

[@northerniltree]

Any accumulated dust or vapors can ignite with potentially explosive effect. It is the air/fuel mixture that is the tipping point. Ventilation is key, with a clean workplace second. Employee training and vigilance helps enable everyone to stay safe.

[@GewelReal]

Looks like Chernobyl footage

[@pbgroseclose]

I’d like to use this as a training video. How can I get a file that can be downloaded?

[@jimsvideos7201]

To think, a dozen minimum-wage workers with vacuum cleaners could likely have prevented it.

[@SwiftyMcV]

Jim's videos No that creates static electricity

[@dirkturrell6460]

^^ there's always gotta be that one guy

[@ianmoseley9910]

Plant was bigger than 12 guys could manage

[@bluemountaindrivepae]

2 guys with hoses and brushes and good drainage.

[@Grimm1695]

I work at a factory that deals with a lot of fine powders for food/drink products, and during the new hire classes this is one of the videos they show us

[@crockett616]

This reminds me I should probably vacuum my appartment...

[@kcototheyoyoyo]

Can’t tell if we’re actually talking about sugar or metal powders😳

[@stevo450ify]

What gets me is that fire drills weren't routinely practiced!! Jeez I work in a very safe factory environment with no immediate dangers and I've done 3-4 drills and 2 planned planned E-vac with managers purposefully setting off alarms ( to represent an actual emergency... )... I can't understand why these facilities don't do the same to safe guard!?

[@ianmoseley9910]

In an office environment we had to have at least one formal fire drill every year. We also had additional evacuation drills back in the 1980s when Americans were paying the IRA to bomb us

[@chemech]

@david245611 - so is flour, oatmeal, sawdust, aluminum powder - anything that will burn can be a fuel/air explosive when entrained in air and ignited with a spark.

[@stevenvaughn7159]

this is why Hampton Lumber has a dedicated clean up crew

[@PWALPOCO]

Holy crap - how lax was this place?! How about a little inerting of some of these areas or something?