Simultaneous Tragedy: Fire at Evergreen Packaging

A CSB safety video about the September 21, 2020, hot work incident at the Evergreen Packaging Paper Mill in Canton, North Carolina. A fire erupted in a confined space when a heat gun fell into a bucket of flammable resin killing two contract workers.

[@brettbarden1133]

I am a chemical engineer who works in a manufacturing plant with PSM-governed processes. These videos are incredibly educational (much more so than written policies and procedures). Studying these videos has actually resulted in identification of hazards in our plant and improvement to process/equipment designs. PLEASE CONTINUE TO PRODUCE THESE VIDEOS!!! These videos save lives

[@padathir]

❤

[@jed-henrywitkowski6470]

Not all alphabet soup agencies are useless!

[@sydposting]

I don't feel nearly so bad about my tax returns this year now, I'll think of it as going toward this department's budget in some small way! 😂

[@uski]

+1 and watching all the videos of this channel should be mandatory for everyone working in the industry, or having relatives who do. In fact, they should also show them in high-school !

[@mikeysgametime8914]

Well it just really shows , that no matter how safe you think you are , anything can happen, doesn't hurt to be a lil paranoid

[@JKH079]

This narrator never fails to deliver.

[@TheVleckChannel]

Almost expecting a title crawl going up the screen for each video.

[@palm0607]

He makes these video much smoother to watch.....very calming, but serious undertone that we are suppose to learn fro.these videos

[@KathrynsWorldWildfireTracking]

_A master of his trade._

[@bjammin7d]

Good ol Sheldon Smith!

[@gregergreg]

Perfect voice for these types of videos.

[@MPKampersand]

One of the most awful things about these situations is that anyone who's ever worked a low-level job doing almost anything recognizes this exact type of corner cutting as something that happens all the time. "It'll be fine, we just need to get this job done, no point bothering the higher-ups..." so on and so forth.

[@Dwightstjohn-fo8ki]

"contractor" is a nice name for "Temp" personnel. I could write a book on it. It was an end run around liability and best practices all over North America from the advent of "Labor Ready" in the mid-eighties to today.

[@LatitudeSky]

Did that sort of temp work once. With zero training, they put me in a cleanroom suit applying epoxy to a floor. And when said epoxy took too long to harden due to temperature, they rushed hardening with silica, which got dust into the cleanroom and caused all kinds of hell. I was just doing what I was told. Rushing a project is so common. Nobody wants to let things take time. Time is money.

[@MrPLC999]

You know, corporate management could implement every last OSHA rule to gut wrenching perfection, and STILL there will be a worker or even a supervisor who thinks his bright idea is perfectly safe...but with fatal consequences. As long as humans are doing dangerous jobs, people will die due to someone's stupidity. There will never be a way to stop it. Ever.

[@natesmodelsdoodles5403]

Hell, even in fast food this can cause issues. There's no end of stories about some poor kid blowing up the fryer, and a mixer can kill you if you aren't careful. Hell, I walked off one of my first jobs (in a pizzeria) because the guy who was supposed to train me to use a slicer didn't know how to use it, and his trainer didn't know either!

[@andrerenault]

This is what comes to mind for me as well. It seems so obvious what the safety issues are in these videos, but at the time no one would have thought there was an issue...

[@AbsolutelyCriminal]

Blastco sounds like a place cartoon characters would buy their explosives.

[@uski]

USCSB shoud have written ACME on the image of the box that contained the drum heaters

[@Battleship009]

That's what I thought.

[@MyHandelsMessiah]

Sounds like a company from Fallout 😂

[@KhreamedKhorne]

​@@MyHandelsMessiahBlamco mac & cheese is one of their subsidiaries

[@Fredrick_6]

It's a good name for marketing

[@Christopher_TG]

It's always a bitter sweet moment when these videos are posted. On the one hand, they are exceptionally well made with with fantastic narration and fantastic animation. On the other hand, each of these videos represents a tragic accident that could and should have been prevented.

[@left4twenty]

It's a noble endeavor that I think the victims would appreciate. Their tragedies don't pass without notice, they're presented compellingly, and will likely inform and save lives

[@bobbyshen7826]

If you are a psychopath who likes learning, win win

[@jakedee4117]

Very true. Although each video is a fascinating story each must be based on some workers who will never go home to their families again.

[@miamijules2149]

Agreed. But they really do themselves and these topics a great service by providing such excellent material.

[@SECONDQUEST]

I feel exactly the same.

[@Kumquat_Lord]

As much as I love these videos, it is never a good day when they need to be made.

[@rippspeck]

Every time you're sad people had to die for a video like this to be made, try thinking about the uncountable people who can work more safely because of them.

[@sittinonthegodamcornerdoindope]

This vid a fuckin banger u already kno

[@crowbrocaw]

@@sittinonthegodamcornerdoindope Straight up bussin!

[@clydesweetfeetlivingston1180]

​@@crowbrocaw Hell yeah they are brb gotta pack a bowl before I watch

[@CIARUNSITE]

Workers dying means capitalism is working as intended.

[@kevinlopez2794]

I am an EHS manager at a power plant. Anytime these videos are released I show them during our Safety Meetings. They are an incredible resource that generate a lot of discussion with our employees. Please continue these videos as they have tremendous value to all industry. My condolences to all involved and the families of those lost. Hopefully, the lessons learned and shared in this video will save others lives. Thank you USCSB.

[@faster4tec]

For sure. They are of a quality (in both use of code/legalities/safety requirements, animation and story telling) that many staff and contractors are able to really absorb the information. Whereas a 39 page amendment to a particular safety code violation that was recently discovered on site X isn't going to be willingly digested by the third tier back shift tea and coffee making person on site Y, unless its in video form and they can relate to it. Really decent job by the USCSB in achieving this reach.

[@firstlast8902]

It is remarkable that no one here questions why the CSB spends hundreds of thousands [edit: millions] of taxpayer dollars to produce animated videos. That is not their job. I might care less if they were actually doing their real job, but in reality, the CSB is one of, if not the most historically scandal-ridden, ineffective, and mismanaged agencies across the entirety of government. Why did it take thirty years and a federal lawsuit before they did one of the few things that congress directed the agency to do when it was established in 1990: create a rule requiring companies to report accidental releases. Surely it didn’t have anything to do with the fact that industry didn’t want it. No. Nope. No way. “Dear CSB, Make videos! They are so helpful! Don’t make silly rules that would require us to report when we have accidents. Why do the public and the government need to know if something explodes and might impact peoples’ health in the town next door? Toxic chemicals into the atmosphere? They are accidents! We are sorry! Sheesh! Why do we need to REPORT them? And *don’t say* because congress mandated that we make the rule. You can do whatever you want. We need cool videos. Y’all know that videos are better than rules! People on Reddit love them! Just… whatever you do, guys, _please_ don’t do your actual job. Don’t do what congress created you to do. We’re begging you, k? What? You’re in? Cool. Thanx, guys! Your friends, The Oil & Gas industry”

[@truthsRsung]

Do your employees need a video on making toast while bathing? What untrained human doesn't recognize the danger in the term "Heat Gun"? The same kind of person who refuses to read the side of the epoxy buckets or the manual that came with the hair dryer on steroids, or can't read them. I don't see how a video helps those that don't think at all, nor the people who employ them. Anyone with ANY experience with epoxies, paints, concrete or other chems knows they are sensitive to temperature. Showing up to a job sight with materials that weren't ready for application is what caused this issue...piss poor planning. A half hour in the cab of their vehicle with the heat blasting would have been a wise choice to add energy to the bucket of epoxy. I bet there were restrictions regulating running vehicles on premesis and/or dangerous materials placed in passenger areas of them.

[@medicbabe2ID]

@@truthsRsung Tell me you didn't watch the video without telling me you didn't watch the video.

[@truthsRsung]

@@medicbabe2ID ...I endured every last word and visual of the malarkey.

[@ericlaw171]

Glad I watched this video. My company currently defines hot work as work producing a flame or spark as well, which is essentially the OSHA definition. We probably wouldn't have identified this as hot work. I think we'll change the definition to "work that is capable of producing heat in excess of the flash points of the combustible objects within the work area" or something to that effect.

[@sootikins]

I'm almost positive it would not have occurred to me to consider "just a little heat gun" to be hot work. Now I know better.

[@almilhouse9059]

Anything electric, anything with a gas, anything that creates heat or is a highly flammable product.... The materials used and been in such a confined space should all scream hazard..... Also the material already in place such as the construction of the pipes, walls and so on...

[@moczikgabor]

In the EU, the ATEX directive identifies these hazards way more rigorously. For example, ignition sources can be: - lightning strike - open flame - mechanically generated impact sparks (hammer blow on a concrete for example) - mechanically generated friction sparks - electric sparks - high surface temperature. This includes hot liquid/gas let into an otherwise cold vessel can be a hot surface, for example a room heater radiator can be hot enough to ignite some materials - electrostatic discharge - radiation - adiabatic compression (gas pumped into a vessel, and it heats up, for example a simple air compressor) Considering just spark in sense of a grinder and flame as ignition source hazard is way too layman and inadequate. Disclaimer: I am in no means an expert in this area, just interested, especially I am afraid of explosive things. Too feel the severity of this, for example in my country, it is a requirement to use copper or other non-sparking wrench when you replace a Propane-Butane gas tank at home. It's a different story that a lot of people just neglect all of this, but the rule exists.

[@h8GW]

Wow. I guess it _really isn't_ common for people know that heat guns are dangerous around combustibles. Ignoring the fact that they can ignite paper, can't people at least assume the motor inside might create sparks? Personally, I unplug my heat gun after I'm done using it, so in case it malfunctions when I'm not around, at least it won't be running unattended.

[@paxundpeace9970]

We have to blame criticism on OSHA too because it's definition falls short. Hot work can be cause be so many reasons.

[@johndoyle4723]

Thanks, I worked in the Chemical industry all my life, I hated hot work and confined space permits,.If i signed a permit, I would always attend personally, and not relax until everyone was out safely.Contractors were always a worry, and multiple contractors operating at the same time just increased the need for more supervision. I could not live with myself if I caused an accident. Fortunately ,I never had a serious accident. Now safely retired.

[@Ea-Nasir_Copper_Co]

Sounds like you had the right attitude, and that's in part why you never had an accident.

[@explanoit]

You did good John thank you for your work.

[@9volt65]

Wish we still had supervisors that cared instead of ones that just wanted a quick job and buck. Thank you.

[@LittleVolii]

much respect for a long career keeping workers safe.

[@jayjaynella4539]

I worked with Derakane for 10 years at Dow in the 90s. Heating the top of the bucket of resin would have caused uneven temperature spread across all the material and would have caused problems when it came time to spread the frp. I am surprised that a mains powered device was allowed into this confined space.

[@Soup69God]

I feel bad when I'm excited to see a new video, but I really appreciate the information.

[@acsangiorgioItalia]

They're kinda fun to watch

[@isbestlizard]

@@acsangiorgioItalia Best use of USA taxpayer money EVER

[@ZaHandle]

@@isbestlizard And save lives too

[@jojomakes]

This is probably a dumb comment, but I live in NYC, and I really take for granted how the things I use on a daily basis get to me in the first place. Production plant workers, farm workers, factory workers, etc. they do so much dangerous, yet vital work but we only see the end product in the store. We have no idea what actually went into creating it. I don't personally know a single person who's ever done industrial or agricultural work. Living in a huge city, I'm so far removed from it that it's not something I ever even think about. Thank you and God bless everyone who works these kinda jobs. You deserve way more appreciation and acknowledgement than you get 💙

[@jakebrodskype]

It is actually a very thoughtful comment. Most of the hazards are things we never see during our careers. For example, I went in and out of confined spaces on nearly a weekly basis for over 30 years working for a water utility. 99.99% of the time we never saw anything wrong with the atmosphere we sampled. But every now and then, we'd notice a low oxygen level in the atmosphere. A quick circulation of air with a flexible air duct and fan was usually enough. Our supervisors made sure we'd hear about accidents or people who got away safely because they noticed something wrong. Naturally it kept us on our toes. So we were vigilant and we checked. Once you've been to a funeral for a colleague who died on the job, you realize the hazards are as real as they can be. Personally, I think training and a strong culture of safety has a lot to do with why the accident rate is as low as it is. The places where CSB gets involved are those where there may have been confusion as to what the standard was, or there was lack of oversight, or with unexpected factors that were not considered. This is one of those cases.

[@uski]

This is exactly why I love this channel. A lot of this stuff is totally outside of my normal environment, which means it is unlikely I hear about it from my circle at work or family, and also, it is unlikely I ever get trained against it. But still, some of these risks are very real and can happen to a layman. Who never went into a confined space without realizing the danger ? I certainly did, when I was younger. I believe these videos save lives because they provide good education to whoever wants to hear it, in an accessible way.

[@ReR7474]

Very great comment! Hey, im glad I survived the whole asbestos era and im glad I made it with no carcinogenic repercussions to my health. Others close to me were not so fortunate

[@strikersemperfi2531]

I was there that night, working as an E/I supervisor on the board machine. I remember hearing people screaming for an electrician over the radio to come kill power. We knew something bad had happened. One of my employees was a member of the rescue squad and pulled the bodies out after the fire was put out. It was tragic. He is still bothered by that memory. Safety takes hard work. It takes dedication to information gathering and then action. Rest In Peace.

[@jameslumpkin9777]

Was coming off graveyard when this happened man. a buddy of mine was on the rescue team who got the call and he told me what happened 😢 really sad how wally treated it.

[@tubester4567]

I dont know what that thing does but grinding fibreglass in a confined space is a crazy idea. Why not make the stack out of metal so it doesnt need this kind of maintenance? If the inside deteriorates so badly, make it out of a better material.

[@FrozenHaxor]

@@tubester4567 Too expensive.

[@christopherrogers303]

​@@FrozenHaxoryou can either pay a large amount once and not have to worry about it for a long time, or pay a 'cheaper' sum many times in that same period to maintain it while at the same time suspending your operations longer and exposing your employees and/or contractors to greater hazards.

[@FrozenHaxor]

@@christopherrogers303 Yeah tell that to the bean counters over at the management, they'll laugh you off. If it's cheaper option now - it goes. It is what it is, always been and I see no change to that in foreseeable future unfortunately.

[@MikeinAustin]

I work in the field of Pulp and Paper and I hate to see these videos related to my industry. But like others, am happy for the service CSB provides. The written report at the CSB site from last year is excellent and highly recommended. I was not surprised that the repair of the linings of these two connected bleach towers was contracted to two different companies (very likely competitors). They were in a cold outage and usually they are trying to minimize the down time on this long process of repair. The types of lining repair were similar but different. Two tasks rarely perceived as being flammable. The Rimcor employees (Brett Burgueno, Curtis Butler) were on a special type of scaffolding that brought the platform up over 200' off the base, very close to the crossover, and the platform could take a very long time to lower. When they realized there was smoke or fire, I suspect they could not have gotten down quick enough. The negligence of simple proper handling of the heat gun that allowed it to ignite a 5 gallon bucket of resin is maybe the worst to me. Absolutely no reason to have the heat gun inside of the confined area. It would be easy to forgive the workers for not realizing the Fibre reinforced plastic lining was flammable but that is also their expertise. Hopefully the entire industry and safety management at mills are aware of these sorts of dangers and all mills are following the advice of OSHA.

[@myleswillis]

Thank you for the extra information. I was waiting for them to explain why the Rimcor employees didn't just get out of the tube as soon as they smelled smoke but the video never covered that. Surely allowing employees to be practically trapped insided that thing with no expeditious means of escape is just as negligent as any other topics covered here. An emergency abseiling rope would not take up much space on the platform and you can be trained to use it in under 1 hour.

[@LFTRnow]

I made a point earlier that work should always have a fast, safe escape route at all times and they were not provided one. In addition, they were working in a confined space with no emergency air, ie a scuba or 2+ min compressed air breather can. It probably wouldn't have taken that much - a rope ladder and some canned air and both would have made it out alive. I argue these are the 5th and 6th points the investigation should have also added to the list of the 4 items they mentioned.

[@namibjDerEchte]

@@DontCryAboutIt No, the heat gun is just a special hair dryer, with an inner hot flow and an outer cooling flow to keep the casing on the outside from burning the operator. The coolant flow is just a ring of air flowing in the annular space between the outer plastic and the inner metal; the inner hot flow is just a normal hair dryer style with lower airspeed, so the same electrical power produces hotter air. This hot core contained orange glowing resistor wires that normally heat up the passing air; if they come into contact with the resin while on, they are effectively an electric match being touched to the resin. Edit: the effect would have been like a car cigarette lighter.

[@marvindebot3264]

@@myleswillis Correct, no way should it have been signed off on without the platform having emergency decent devices. The wind turbine industry learned this the hard way several years ago in a similar incident.

[@SergeantExtreme]

It should also be pointed out that FRP does not _have_ to be flammable. There is ASTM certified fire resistant FRP, but as you can imagine, this is much more expensive than the non-fire resistant FRP.

[@uski]

Does the fire-resistant rating applies to the uncured resin too ? Or just the cured one ? It could be a very important distinction as the chemical composition of this type of resin changes drastically when curing

[@namibjDerEchte]

@@uski Notably, the self-extinguishing resin typically is bromine-based, from my understanding. If that burns (like, due to an external heat source), it creates particularly toxic smoke.

[@mrtransient]

Should have used a drum warmer

[@stony6221]

Tragedy that could have been easily avoided. Rest in peace to the workers and condolences to their families. These videos and the quality of them are such an important learning tool and information that is easily digestible/possibly applicable to many people. Sad, but good videos. Great quality.

[@Flesei]

They were fatally injured, not dead you dummy. Watch the video then comment.

[@skylinefever]

Before I got a job, my father said "Never enter a confined space for any reason unless fully trained. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise." I didn't know exactly what he meant, but I heeded his warning. Anyone here, no matter what your boss tells you, if a safety code is being violated, never obey, and feel free to raise hell in any form if being ordered to do so. You are fighting for your life, and you must treat the situation as such. My grandfather was a safety officer at Sun oil. He tolerated no violations and was very successful. Everyone called him "Safety Mac" and he won an award for his success. He was called "Safest one in '81." He also knew where employees would hide their weed stashes and paraphernalia. He would show the marijuana paraphernalia to my mom to show that she would never get away with smoking the stuff. He passed before I entered the auto repair business. I am sure if he observed the improperly maintained and repaired automotive lifts, he would be as harsh as as he was around his oil workers.

[@Dwightstjohn-fo8ki]

Fortunately, the oil industry usually follows some pretty good best practices. I grew up in the fifties on the pipeline builds across North America. But most industries don't have that legacy.

[@specialopsdave]

Oil workers keeping weed stashes at work? Where could you smoke it without putting the entire place at risk of going ip in flames?

[@skylinefever]

@@specialopsdave I'm sure there is an area protected from smoke. My grandfather was a cigarette smoker during his oil business career.

[@specialopsdave]

@@skylinefever Where they would be instantly caught anyways?

[@skylinefever]

@@specialopsdave He only told me a few stories from the oil business. I was probably too young to even know what a marijuana stash was while he was alive anyways. In addition, he worked in many parts of the oil business, so I'm sure he became familiar with various places people would secretly stash and smoke their weed.

[@FerroequinologistofColorado]

These videos are so informative and so well done with the animations and explanations. Another well done video USCSB!

[@WhiteHatMatt]

May I just say that I love your username? “Iron Horse” indeed :P

[@FerroequinologistofColorado]

@@WhiteHatMatt thanks.

[@Thiefnuker]

Hello fellow Ferroequinologist and USCSB enjoyer! :)

[@titan_o7]

A fellow Coloradan I see, and a train connoisseur at that!

[@matthewcandler4179]

This one is extra scary for me, since I can see how easy it was to make the call for a heat gun due to having a problem on the job without fully thinking through the implications. It got really sad to hear that they had heat bands that would have total prevented this issue, but didn't think to use them.

[@chir0pter]

they did think to use them, but they weren't available ("staged") for use by the workers, who had been at it all night and had probably been working similar jobs at random hours of the day all week, at 5 am on a Saturday morning. Remember all this work had to be done over the weekend at any effort because Evergreen didn't want to lose profit by having the plant shut down during normal working hours.

[@rawbacon]

Spent a few years of my life working with torches and welders everyday, hazards are everywhere and fire spreads unbelievably fast. I had a guy from the company we we working for watching with a fire extinguisher while I was welding, flip up my helmet and see something burning below me (I was on a scaffold) look over the guy's got his back turned while he's chit-chatting with someone. Of course I proceeded to yell at him "Hey, hey put that out!". No big deal that day but you can see how easily it could have been.

[@Dwightstjohn-fo8ki]

And today: head buried in his cell phone.

[@tribulation138]

I work in a big laundry plant with lint floating around everywhere and covered all over the machines. Everytime we have have to do a weld a repair we have one guy with a water spray bottle putting flames out.

[@lewiemcneely9143]

@@tribulation138 CSB has a video when a sugar processing plant blew up because of dust. Sounds like you've got a bomb fixing to go off. De Ridder Ga. I think was where the plant was and I do mean WAS!

[@blackmooncultx9552]

Good on you for not sweating that. But that actually sounds like thats a big deal. His complacency, lack of awareness and lack of urgency almost ended in tragedy. Sure, it "almost" caught fire, but almost is definitely a big deal.

[@gerry5712]

I can relate. Many years ago in my home garage I was kneeling on a piece of packing foam as a cushion while welding some rocker panels. Stopped in the middle of the weld and looked own to see a flame propagating from a drop of molten metal that had fallen on the foam. Quickly stomped it out and did the rest of the job kneeling on the concrete floor.

[@jakebrodskype]

This is yet another excellent video from the CSB. Unfortunately, we learn this lesson because people died. Like Aviation Safety, these lessons come to us written in blood. Honor their memory by taking these lessons to heart.

[@firstlast8902]

It had better be excellent. The production company has a $2.5 million contract.

[@NG-cf7zh]

@@firstlast8902 they’re great videos, can’t deny that

[@tim3172]

@@firstlast8902 So... 1% of the budget for The Avengers for, *checks notes*, three years worth of videos? That sounds like a bargain.

[@TheInstrumentalist]

Conflicting feelings when USCSB uploads. Happy, since I get to learn from high quality, well made videos, and sad as a tragedy had to have occurred for the video to have been made.

[@muenstercheese]

It must be expensive to produce such consistently high-quality content. I really hope companies work on their safety to make you guys make fewer videos!

[@firstlast8902]

The CSB made six recommendations from this investigation. They are all still open.

[@RobinTheBot]

Not really! Compared to your average lab paul video, or even just the cost of sitting down a couple suits to watch it, it's nothing.

[@firstlast8902]

@Lila Ralston No, it doesn’t.

[@firstlast8902]

@@RobinTheBot The CSB has completed seven investigations in the last four years. During that time, they have paid Abbot Media Productions more than $1.5 million for approximately two hours of animated videos. The contract has another million dollars in options that will likely be exercised. *It is not the CSB’s job to produce videos.* *It **_is_** their job to investigate chemical accidents at fixed industrial facilities.*

[@kylehenline3245]

@@firstlast8902 This is such an asinine comment. Their job is to raise awareness of and make recommendations to remediate workplace hazards. The investigations are only there because how else do you identify the hazards. Making well produced actually interesting videos workers will pay attention to that companies love to play during safety meetings because it's free and easy actually gets good information out there to the boots on the ground. 2.5 million is a pittance considering the engagement they are getting.

[@09impala]

The USCSB probably has some of the best videos of any government agency

[@firstlast8902]

That’s because it’s not the government’s job to produce sexy videos. The CSB neglected its _actual_ job for more than twenty years, instead funneling taxpayer money to a private video production and PR company while managing to always be embroiled in scandal. It’s great that the CSB has a nice video library, but it took a federal lawsuit and court order before they did one of the few things that Congress _created_ and _mandated_ them to do in 1990: enact a regulation requiring companies to report chemical accidents.

[@trainer2653]

This video is pretty sad. Railways have been successfully dealing with this kind of thing for decades. Like confined space work, track work requires a permit/authority. You receive limits you are allowed to work in and a time frame. However, with track work like that, if there are any other workers who are working in your limits you are required to talk to them. It's called a confliction (instead of a SIMOP, same premise though), and before you can begin any work you are required to talk to the other group(s) and resolve your confliction. Just because you can see the other workers doesn't mean you can't affect them. Whoever did the risk assessment on the pipe and decided it's 2 seperate entities should really be retrained.

[@CannonFodder873]

You should try high voltage electrical work and the communication between industry, the utilities and maintenance/contract workers. (...lockouts, orders to operate, grounding equipment for maintenance isolation, station guarantees etc.) 4 hrs. of paperwork for 4 hrs. of ACTUAL work....sometimes MORE. Personally...my OWN common sense and instinct for self-preservation got me to retirement. YOU are your own last line of defense....KNOW the hazards.🤔

[@jesspavlichenko5745]

Not a particularly prescient comment unfortunately, considering only a few months after you wrote this multiple train derailments in the U.S have resulted in toxic gases contaminating entire towns

[@ZantharEos]

The team that makes these videos are legends

[@firstlast8902]

You, too, can have pretty videos in exchange for $2.5 million.

[@tim3172]

@@firstlast8902 You, too, can grossly underestimate how much time and expense goes into making any form of animation.

[@MilesLexicon]

This narrator deserves all the credit he can get, his voice is perfectly soothing even when talking about such a tragedy, thank you USCSB.

[@rustymotor]

Greetings from central Australia, these videos are such high quality in presentation and content, a must see for anyone working in industrial work places. Terrible tragedy for everyone involved but just hope these videos will make future workers aware of their working environment and to take care for their own personal safety and that of others.

[@Xezlec]

It's remarkable to think that these videos can be helpful throughout the world, even outside the country they were made for. One of the good things about the internet age!

[@JCDxDRaMa]

I cannot get over how well made these videos are…

[@firstlast8902]

Guess how expensive they are.

[@ryaiariot]

Had a similar, but luckily not fatal, incident at a shipyard that I worked at for a few years. While I wasn't working in the same hull that it happened in, I was in the same building, probably only 70 feet away. The crew with the accident was working with a cord-powered mixer for a bucket of resin, and a nearby bucket of acetone. The cord at the moment before the accident had created sparks which shot towards the acetone bucket, causing a quick and violent eruption of flame at one of the workers next to it. He got some nasty burnts on his right arm but fortunately nowhere else. The crew was able to get back and with the assistance of a nearby crew, got a fire extinguisher to put the flame out. While there wasn't anything but minor damages to the interior of the hull and fortunately only one burn injury that wasn't fatal, it still served as a huge reminder for everyone involved about how easily something can go wrong.

[@uzaiyaro]

I think with air crash investigations, there’s some odd comfort in knowing that these instances are so extremely rare that you never seriously need to think about it happening to you. These, though? It’s so, so easy for it to be you. You can’t say you wouldn’t have ever done some of the same things. I’d absolutely fire some heat into some resin if it doesn’t want to harden as quickly as it needs to and is thus causing problems. All it takes is a tiny little fumble, and you’re lucky to leave with eyelashes, if you leave at all. I think that’s what make these somewhat more terrifying. It’s so damn easy for it to happen.

[@TimeSurfer206]

As a Retired, and OLD Electrician, I always used to love to hear the rookies moan about "All these durn safety regulations." I'd just let them rant, and then say, "These regulations were written because some poor Hourly Sucker didn't get to go home one night."

[@xanderunderwoods3363]

Anyone else binge watching these videos? I'm just a software engineer, however I find these videos incredibly fascinating. So much useful knowledge that can be applied to a wide range of circumstances. The quality of these videos is fantastic. Also I love the narration :) My heart goes out to all involved in these tragedies.

[@soooslaaal8204]

Exactly the same as me, I take several courses with chemical and mining engineers so I've known and gained an interest in their respective areas

[@mangamaster03]

I always get excited when new videos are released, but it's always sad to think of how many near misses were ignored before a major accident happens.

[@noahater5785]

Exactly 😐

[@throin1]

I can't say I'm happy to see another video on this channel because it means people got hurt or killed, but these videos are so interesting.

[@stevenrs11]

As an aside, could you imagine how miserable it would be grinding off old fiberglass in an inclosed space like that?

[@DoveyBoii]

Yeah I work at blastco man it's horrible I started after this but it really is rough

[@pauljoseph8338]

The production quality of this video is amazing. Kudos to the people at the CSB for spending the money for top tier content. Lessons will be learned and lives will be saved.

[@sydposting]

I think it says something about me as a person that I have notifications turned on for the Official KZbin Channel of the US Chemical Safety Board. 😂 These videos are so well made and educational tho!!

[@left4twenty]

WorksafeBC puts out some good ones too

[@miamijules2149]

I love them though

[@NappyHappyDrumMajor]

You’re not alone, I was pleasantly surprised today too 😆

[@gsuberland]

Excellent production quality and clarity of information as always.

[@WojciechP915]

Most people would never think of a heat gun as "hot work" and it would never occur to them that fire extinguishers are necessary.

[@madisonbrown8851]

Because most people are morons who lack common sense.

[@uski]

Pardon me if this is a dumb question, but I am surprised as to why it is not mandatory to always have fire extinguishers on hand when working in confined space ? Fires in confined spaces regularly cause casualties and it is often because of unidentified hazards. Having fire extinguishers handy would provide a safety need, should a hazard has been missed. I remember the other video from this channel when I believe a crew was painting a tunnel inside a mountain and the drums of paint caught fire.

[@tomtucker3193]

If the cover for the resin bucket was brought into the tower it could have been used to extinguish the initial fire.

[@OmmerSyssel]

@@tomtucker3193 there must have been a high level of flammable fumes in the tower. If they all carried Breathe equipment no one would notice problematic levels.

[@TheBanjoShowOfficial]

just don't be a moron, it will save your life 99% of the time and others' lives as well. Never allow a heat gun to be on without you or someone holding it and paying attention to the business end of it. Tools should almost never be on if they aren't actively in use with close supervision.

[@c2h7]

I wish the situation of the injured team was explained better: How did they enter their workplace? What were their escape options? Through the top connecting pipe?

[@deckjacobson4230]

Some of your questions might be answered by the full CSB report, which you can find here: www.csb.gov/-evergreen-packaging-paper-mill---fire-during-hot-work-/

[@MikeinAustin]

The Rimcor team were on a platform 200’ above the ground on a suspended platform that was not quick to get down from. I fear that (while they didn’t mention it) the flammable epoxy vinyl ester resin and sheets of fiberglass may burn with very noxious gasses that burn hot and maybe blinded them or asphyxiated them. The link from the full CSB report is relatively detailed.

[@blockstacker5614]

@@MikeinAustin I've been near the aftermath of a yacht fire before, the plastic fumes are overpowering even after the fire was gone; a smell I will not forget anytime soon. It must have been horrible to inhale that kind of smoke directly.

[@myke5696]

From the report, they almost made it out, they were found a few feet from the exit. If there had been a prompt warning to Rincor employees as soon as the fire started, good chance they'd have made it out.

[@Dwightstjohn-fo8ki]

@@myke5696 inotherwords, a "spotter" like when you're cleaning stacks: a spotter's only job, and in Alberta though "contracted out" he is usually also a Medic or advanced FirstAid

[@tacocat1714]

The animation gets better and better every video!

[@TheJchulce]

Somehow you've raised the video quality bar yet again. Bravo, excellent work.

[@jamesragains9194]

I watch these videos over and over. Whatever work I'm doing, I am always attentive to potential dangers, especially in confined spaces, or around hot work

[@PC10.8]

I have nothing but respect for the brave folks who work at places like this. It sometimes seems like it’s not a dangerous job day to do day but incidents like this are a pungent reminder that it can happen to anyone in these environments.

[@solaris-music]

There are always mixed emotions when the CSB uploads. On one hand, I’m hyped about a new high quality animation, but on the other hand I’m disappointed at the lack of safety which leads to loss of life, and the reason why this was uploaded in the first place.

[@tyroniousyrownshoolacez2347]

Retired Carpenter. Union. OSHA 15, 30, 50-500.CERTS +++. Train and educate your people employers! So sad people died over ignorant practices like these, easily avoidable. This channel is a gem. Thanks for sharing.

[@RitosM]

The exceptional quality in the detail and animation of these safety videos never fail to stun me.

[@trevormcintosh5564]

The flames look like real flame

[@StormbringerMM]

The animation and narrator are so good. These lessons hit a lot harder when presented this way.

[@Rouphis]

I don’t completely understand why, but this is legit my favorite KZbin channel

[@Nurhaal]

The CSB is one of the few ways I'm actually happy to see my tax money spent. These vids are worth so much, despite the heavy reality they bring. The voice of the narrator is also near god-tier at this point. All the souls lost in the line of work seen in these investigative reports should be remembered. They were working men and women (by far, mostly men. Like... by FAR.) The lessons these CSB videos provide are timeless and should be kept for all to see. It's how we learn. It just saddens me that some of our fellow brothers, sisters, mothers and fathers or best friends, often have to die before we take Safety seriously. As a user earlier had posted (user name, Brett Barden), the knowledge provided herein is absolutely invaluable and for us curious minds that actually enjoy the detail and depth these CSB videos go - it helps us spread the knowledge to our own workplaces, hopefully preventing tragedy from ever occurring. I'm not too big on Government spending, but the CSB has a golden seal of approval in my book. Keep up the good work USCSB! And may all those who gave their lives in their line of work, rest in peace.

[@topduk]

Taxation is slavery. I can do without videos.

[@Nurhaal]

@Top Duk then why are you here watching it, you ignoramus?

[@topduk]

@@Nurhaal If I'm being robbed, at least I can taste the scraps.

[@Nurhaal]

@@topduk well... how does it taste?

[@topduk]

@@Nurhaal Not as sweet as having the fruits of my labor.

[@Suburp212]

finally, a new video . the quality of this is insane. Well done. let's hope it prevents further loss of life

[@BadPenny3]

This was the one thing that always spooked me about working at the oil refinery. I might be the safest worker possible, but how can I predict the actions of other people I can't even see or communicate with?

[@buckadillafilms]

right? the chain is only as strong as the guy who showed up 10 minutes late

[@OmmerSyssel]

You must have pretty low educational levels with that uncertainty present. Ignoring safety regulations here around, everyone stops working until the unsafe guy has left/been ordered away. All employees has to be certified, never mind which educational background and any lack of respect or cutting corners will be criticised, or have one fired.

[@buckadillafilms]

@@OmmerSyssel not all of us have the privilege of working at The Big Rock Candy Mountain

[@OmmerSyssel]

@@buckadillafilms as professional marine engineer, technician and merchant sailor I don't work such fancy named facilities. Is that part of Disney World? Or naughty Orange Man universe?

[@marlinderwall8873]

I appreciate the effort that goes into the analysis of these incidents.

[@busterbeagle2167]

Y’all upgraded an already top notch animation department

[@trouty7947]

You've seemingly struct gold here. Several hundred thousand people now have a greater aware of seriously dangerous situations and practices. And if even just one actually ends up apply the lessons learned here, you've saved lives and jobs. And this might even get across to people more effectively that just standard Training videos, if they're watching this in their own time.

[@geobeta1351]

I just discover this channel because a HAZWOPER class. i gotta say, it is one of the best channels in the whole KZbin. Don't know how you guys summarize such important and vital reports in such a 15 min. Congratulations! great job!

[@BioHazardCL4]

Great video. Such a tragedy but I think the animation and way they're laid out are so impactful. It gets the message across so much stronger than any slideshow or poster.

[@skeetrix5577]

you know it's gonna be a good day when USCSB posts! just in time as I sit down to eat!

[@CannabisTechLife]

Holy hell the quality of these videos gets better every time! Anyone else remember when the humans faded frames between animation positions? It's come so far!

[@beatbasher]

These videos are useful, informative and very well presented. The CSB deserves a lot of credit for these as they have no doubt saved lives.

[@Wasmachineman]

Oh nice another USCSB video. A very subtle detail is that the bulb of the hanging lamp breaks due to the fire.

[@j-man6001]

These are expertly done, even better than television quality! Keep up the grea5 work

[@goldenfloof5469]

Used to work as a cart boy in high school, we had these machines that we were told never to exceed 30 carts on a run with them, but the machines could easily handle triple that. When I joined, they had 3 cart guys on one shift, and since they were all new like me, stuck to the rule pretty hard since they didn't want to get in trouble and the job didn't have many opportunities for breaks. Eventually though, we realized that we didn't have to stick to 30 carts, and if we did a lot more in a run, we didn't have to do near as much work. Managers started noticing that we were getting done with the carts way faster than normal, so they started cutting their own corners by reducing the number of people on a shift. Eventually, what started out as a corner cut for the workers turned into a necessity because of managerial corner cutting. By the time I quit after I graduated, we only ever had one person on a shift, and even if they were new and weren't comfortable doing 90 carts at a time yet, they had to or else they wouldn't keep up. Of course, this was about pushing grocery carts around a parking lot, the stakes were never very high, and that was probably part of the reason nobody cared enough to say anything.

[@ZeddZeeee]

another fantastic video! these videos have changed alot about how i look at these systems many of which i dont understand yet am still in awe of the thinking that went into them and the work that went into finding out how they failed and why. Keep up the awesome work! great visuals, narration and explanations, one of my favourite channels!

[@ElmerCat]

The USCSB is a national treasure. With more funding they could do more good work, which would ultimately result in less death and suffering.

[@bubba99009]

This one was pretty understandable - most wouldn't see the heat gun to be dangerous like they would an open flame such as a torch or something like an arc welder.

[@N1njaSnake]

One of the best narrator voices on KZbin and improving production values.

[@vincentrusso4332]

I worked for a composite coating company and this video is spot on, however we struggled with humidity more than temperatures. Furthermore we would measure out epoxy in plastic tubs and microwave them to a workable temperatures when needed. Excellent video team.

[@arym1108]

I’ve loved these videos for years. It’s incredible that we are now blessed with these incredible animation upgrades!!! 🤗🤗

[@RaptorGTA]

Animations and narration are always awesome in these videos. So informative!

[@Randybootseric]

Wow, the animation of these videos has really come a long way, it looks really good now. I would say that I hope we get to see a lot more of this quality animation, but then again I also hope that you never need to make another video. Whenever I watch these I feel nostalgic about watching Mayday on Discovery Channel 20 years ago, anyone else?

[@ipadize]

got to say, this is a very nice animation. even the grinding of the walls

[@profounddog3831]

This is a brilliant production - thank you so much! It's unfortuante when these incidents happen but hopefully someone else can prevent incidents where potentially more damage to life can be done.

[@jakepierson6208]

These videos that you make, always give me a good mood, even though they send chills down my spine.

[@idothings6685]

Why are these videos better than Hollywood movies nowadays... whoever running the CSB is killing it

[@imcoolaroundtown]

Your 3D animators aren't being paid enough. Simply amazing work.

[@mattmgmhs]

Wow. These graphics are impressive! Thanks for the info too. Be safe everyone.

[@kiwifarmsdotnet]

woah dude is it 1992????????

[@BobertGubson]

The animation is really well done. USCSB does a great public service with these videos.

[@firstlast8902]

If only they also fulfilled their statutory mandates

[@JordansDroid]

These videos are top notch quality. Clearly they know something about NOT cutting corners!

[@gabos7892]

I've been watching these videos for years and the graphics are getting so goooood 😍....RIP to all those who lost their lives...

[@dfdemt]

I wish that more of these videos would be made and posted, because the quality is outstanding. I don’t wish an accident on anyone, but there are accidents on job sites all over the country every day that deserve to have their story told so everyone can learn from them. Never forget, all safety regulations are written in blood.

[@ReverendTed]

Another exceptionally well-produced and informative video from USCSB. Hopefully there is meaningful progress in worker safety as a result of their recommendations.

[@luckycharms1246]

Top notch animation.. well done. Thank you for taking the time to put these videos together.

[@mimipham17]

Can't tell you how excited I was to see another USCSB video! Amazing animations as always!

[@sophierobinson2738]

Appreciate the work put into these videos.

[@boreman2579]

Notification squad let's goooo

[@LurkMoar101]

Long live Sheldon Smith. Animation on point in this one, little details are everything. Nice work Abbott

[@MikeMatzke]

Thank you USCSB for this and all other extremly infomative videos you produce.

[@GabrielPettier]

Incredible quality work, these keep getting better… please don't make me wish for incidents to happen just because that means we'll get more of these. But in all seriousness, thank you for making such information so accessible and engaging, i don't even work in a related field, and don't even live in the US, and i still think they are useful in the way they make me think about how things can go wrong, and how to prevent it, especially the way you identify all the things that could have prevented the event from happening, or have helped make it less catastrophic, and clearly explaining and categorizing the relationships between them.

[@GeradMunsch]

Yeah, they promote critical thinking skills. A dying set of skills, unfortunately.

[@GabrielPettier]

@@GeradMunsch i think it's actually a common misconception, i don't think critical thinking was ever perceived as being the norm, we always see the fails in the thinking of others (and even more when we disagree with them a-priori, and use facts and logic to confirm our opinions, rather than put them to the test), we retain the best of critical thinking effort from the past, without thinking about how long some misconception survived before being refuted, while they now seem pretty obviously wrong.

[@EpicATrain]

Whoever did the animations and scenes did an outstanding job! I would love to know what company or person did this.

[@Abbottanimation3D]

Thanks! We are a small, veteran-owned team here at Abbott Animation and appreciate your kind words. This particular animation had 4 people working on various aspects of it, from modeling, to lighting, to dynamics, and character animation. We tend to all be well-rounded here, ha.

[@EpicATrain]

@@Abbottanimation3D Subscribed! This is fantastic work for just 4 people! I hope to request your services in a future project if I ever get the chance.

[@firstlast8902]

Good luck paying for that yourself, EpicATrain. The CSB has spent more than $1.5 million on Abbott Media Productions, and their contract has an option for another million. To be clear, I have no issues with Abbott Media. They seem to do great work. I do have a problem with how the CSB spends its limited budget, considering that they are not doing their actual job. Congress did not create the CSB to produce highly realistic animated videos…

[@EpicATrain]

@@firstlast8902 To be fair, they created these animations to make it more clear to everybody the dangers and policies that need to be followed so the same mistake doesn't happen again.

[@RichTapestry]

@@firstlast8902 You seem to be the only one who has a problem with how the CSB spends its budget, in this comment section at least. Did Congress specifically limit their mission to written reports?

[@shawniscoolerthanyou]

I was working in a chemistry lab where we needed to heat the ends of a piece of glassware while keeping the middle cool. Because of the geometry of the glass, it was decided that a can of computer duster with its straw would be suitable for cooling the middle, while a heat gun was used to heat the ends. At one point, the accelerant (likely butane), squirted into the heat gun, causing a small fireball (and burning the hair off of my hand and forearm). That was a total oversight on both accounts: not recognizing that the accelerant was flammable, and identifying the heat gun as an ignition source.

[@OmmerSyssel]

Are you educated in Chemistry and still capable of doing such things? No wonder uneducated people screws up...

[@minhducnguyen9276]

@@OmmerSyssel To be fair, we have enough safety measures to prevent a disaster. In my university in Germany, every laboratory have an emergency fire button that will shut down the electricity in the entire floor and flood the room with inert gas or water. If anything, I'm surprised that they trust highschool kids with such devices because even in highschool, under every labs table have one of those emergency fire button and not a single kid had done anything stupid with it.

[@davidpalin1790]

Great video This shows a classic example of changing the method of work and not carrying out a new risk assessment

[@465maltbie]

Thank you for posting this, may we all learn from your lessons. Charles

[@621Tomcat]

Happy to see a new video :) While these incidents are tragic, these videos are very educational even for people like me who aren’t even in the industry. It’s just a lot of neat stuff to know! Edit: these new animations are great!

[@CAdeadman]

This channel has really opened my eyes to how cavalier many companies are in regards to their safety regulations, and how dangerous it is to work for these companies.

[@lanceanthony198]

Why does it look like they’re working in Gotham city

[@speeddemon4484]

I hate the fact that I work for a company that very well might wind up on this channel or one like it. There's been well over a dozen near-fatal incidents in the past three months, as well as a fatal one at our sister plant in canada recently. It is so, so easy to get seriously injured or killed in industry. You can take care of yourself and mind your own safe keeping all you can, but all it takes is one other person either not communicating what they are doing, or being careless/in a rush and get killed. Just the same as you would look after yourself on a jobsite or in a production plant, look after the people you are around. It's much better to be the guy who raised the flag then the guy who let it happen.

[@craigjensen6853]

My company is the same. If you question anything the bosses tell you to do, you'll get fired and have to sue for your last check as they make up bogus claims against you. I can't tell you how many times I've heard "I don't care, just do it". They have been reported in the past only to hire expensive lawyers and wiggle their way out so it has emboldened them to get away with more. It's not like they don't have the money to do things right, it's just that it's less money going into ownership's fleet of homes and cars and boats.

[@johpfit760]

@@craigjensen6853 collect evidence and file a claim with OSHA, it also helps if you are part of a union that has the resources to protect you.

[@myke5696]

Maybe you can find a way to report this company

[@KarinaMilne]

Thank you for another video, sad that there is a need but still very important to watch. Thank you to the narrator for his long standing service to this channel, the videos wouldn’t be the same without your voice

[@isbestlizard]

Oh my god it's been so long since a USCSB video!! You guys are the BEST I love watching your disaster videos :D

[@theofficialczex1708]

Always a good day when the USCSB uploads a new video.

[@matthewcraver9917]

NO. No its not. USCSB uploading a new video means somebody died needlessly.

[@theofficialczex1708]

@@matthewcraver9917 It's not as if they killed someone to make this video. The USCSB turns tragedy into lessons and methods for the betterment of working practices. Every USCSB video is an information goldmine that improves standards and brings about legislation that reduces risk and loss of life.