There have been a number of incidents at MVR premises in which employees suffered serious burns when the diesel tanks they were repairing exploded. The common feature in each case was the failure to have the tanks properly cleaned and gas freed before carrying out ‘hot work' on them. For example:
An HGV diesel tank had split along the seams and it was decided to repair it by brazing. The tank was emptied using a hand-pump but not cleaned or gas-freed. The person carrying out the repair suffered the full force of the explosion and the fire-ball resulted in extensive burns.
A welder received serious burn injuries when patch-welding a diesel tank from a bus. The tank was emptied using a fuel retriever and then drained. Although the outside of the tank was washed with a hot water pressure-washer, the inside was neither cleaned nor gas-freed.
A careful assessment of the risks should be made before carrying out any process that generates flames, sparks or heat (‘hot work') including welding, cutting, grinding and sawing. Other safer options should be considered including:
