DSS225: Incident Update - 2022 Plastic Dust Collector Fire in Sheboygan, Wisconsin

In today’s episode, we provide an update on the 2022 plastic dust collector fire in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. These shorter episodes focus on our enhanced research work with the incident database, particularly on incidents that result in injuries or significant losses. Our team delves into fire marshal and investigation reports to bring insights to light, sharing this information on the podcast and in the Dust Safety Journal.

This all supports our Road to Zero Mission to eliminate fatalities from combustible dust explosions by 2038. With over a thousand dust fires and explosions in the database, we aim to add value and understanding to prevent future incidents.

We’ve already covered several incidents in previous episodes:

Episode #193 on a 2021 potato starch explosion in Tuas, Singapore
Episode #192 on a 2021 flour dust explosion in Savannah, Georgia
Episode #191 on a 2021 seed preparation facility explosion in Silverton, Oregon
Episodes #210 and #215 on a 2021 coal dust explosion in Baltimore, Maryland
Episode #211 covered a 2022 aluminum dust explosion in Fujian, Taiwan

Incident Overview: Total Loss of $500,000

On April 9th, 2022, local news reported a fire on the roof of a phenolic resin and thermoset molding manufacturer, with possible explosions. One employee was treated for smoke inhalation on-site.

Upon seeing the injury listing, our team dug deeper and gained access to the Sheboygan Fire Department report number 2022-01772. This report provided additional information that was not initially available, such as:

The total loss from the fire
The spread of the fire within the facility
The proposed cause of the fire

However, it did not clarify whether an explosion occurred. As a result, the incident will be reported as a dust fire in the 2022 incident report, which indicated a total loss of $500,000, with $100,000 allocated to property and $400,000 to contents. This is lower than the typical loss from dust fires, as reported by FM Global in 2012, but it still represents a significant portion of the overall value of the property and contents. According to the fire department’s estimate, it accounts for 7.2% of the total value. This loss could have a significant impact on the operating capability of the affected company.

Overview of the Plastic Pellet Facility

The facility consisted of a first-floor machine that makes plastic pellets, which are then bagged on the second floor. Any excess material is pulled into a dust collection system on the roof and dropped onto the third floor for recycling.

The fire department report states that the firefighters were taken to equipment on the third floor, which appears to be part of the recycling process. An employee had extinguished the fire using an extinguisher, although the report does not mention the specific equipment involved. It is also unclear whether the employee who put out the fire also suffered smoke inhalation.

However, the report does state that the fire in the equipment was extinguished by the time the firefighters arrived, although there were visible flames on the roof. Upon inspection, active fires were found in the dust collector, as well as in the suction lines and connected equipment. This indicates that the fire likely spread from the dust collector to other areas of the facility.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation, but the report suggests that hot pieces of plastic may have been pulled into the dust collector during the process, which started the fire. The fire chief noted that it is common practice for hot plastic or even burning plastic to go through the system and ignite other materials. This suggests that the company may have had combustion issues in the past and that an ignition source may have been sucked into the dust collection system.

Regarding the possibility of an explosion, it is still uncertain whether one occurred. The fire department report did not mention any deflagration, explosion, or ruptured equipment. There was also no indication of any fire prevention or explosion protection systems aside from sprinklers, and it’s unclear whether explosion venting had deployed in the dust collector or other equipment. Currently, we have recorded this incident as a combustible dust fire in our incident database, and it will likely be reported as such in the 2022 combustible dust incident report.

Conclusion

If further information becomes available, we will provide updates either in the article or in the incident database online and possibly release another episode of the incident update podcast. If you have any additional information, please send it to [email protected]. If you have any feedback on these incident update episodes and find them useful for your work or have suggestions for improvement, please do not hesitate to reach out and let me know.

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