Date: August 23, 2019
Location: Nettgau, Saxony-Anhalt (Germany)
Address: Strohmweg 1, 38489
Type: Dust Explosion
Fuel: Wood Dust
Industry: Wood Panel Production (Wood and Wood Products)
Equipment: Unknown
Company: Sonae Arauco
Database Incidents: None Recorded
Loss: One Person Injured
Capital Cost: 300,000 euros
Status: Open
Confirmation: Unconfirmed
Company Description:
According to the company website, Sonae Arauco is a wood-based panel manufacturer headquartered in Maia, Portugal. It was founded in 1959 and currently has facilities in nine countries. The company presently employs over 3,000 employees and has a production capacity of 4,185 million cubic meters.
Incident Description:
On August 23, 2019, Volkstimme reported an explosion at a wood panel production plant in Nettgau, Germany.
Firefighters responded to the dust explosion, which occurred in the mill building, and extinguished the resulting fire. The police later stated that a spark from the milling equipment is believed to have ignited the explosion.
The impact from the blast shattered windows and tore gates from their brackets. A 38-year-old worker was seriously injured when he was struck by a roll-up door that had been torn from its frame, and had to be sent to the hospital via helicopter.
Officials estimated the damage to be about 300,000 euros. The investigation into the cause of the explosion is ongoing.
Sources:
Volkstimme
