Date: January 3, 2019
Location: Detroit, Michigan (USA)
Address: 19300 Filer Avenue, 48234
Type: Dust Explosion
Fuel: Titanium Dust
Industry: Titanium Manufacturing
Equipment: Titanium Shredder
Company: Global Titanium Inc.
Database Incidents: None Recorded
Loss: Three Injured
Capital Cost: Unknown
Status: Open
Confirmation: Unconfirmed
Company Description:
According to the company website, Global Titanium Inc. manufactures titanium metallurgical products and is one of the largest producers of ferrotitanium in the world. It was established in 1937 in Detroit, Michigan, and has evolved over the years from a titanium scrap recycler to a large organization that melts ferrotitanium for use by the steel industry. Its furnace capacity for ferrotitanium exceeds 9,000 MT annually.
Incident Description:
On January 3, 2019, the Detroit News reported a dust explosion and fire at a titanium plant in Detroit, Michigan.
When firefighters arrived at around 2:41 a.m., they had to move cautiously, because the incident created a Hazmat situation. The fire burned through part of the roof and damaged a golf cart with tools in it before it was finally extinguished.
Fire department representatives stated that the fire was caused by a dust explosion that occurred when a machine that shreds titanium to granular form was turned on. The machine was not damaged, but WXYZ Detroit reported that one wall was blown out.
Three people were injured and required treatment at the hospital. One man experienced nausea and vomiting, another reported leg, back, and facial pain, and a third suffered leg and back pain and a burned hand.
The Hazmat situation was soon cleared. There was no information about the value of any property damage.
OSHA Inspections:
An establishment search turned up four OSHA inspections for Global Titanium Inc., but none of the incidents were flagged for combustible dust.
Sources:
Detroit News
WXYZ Detroit
