Date: May 18, 2020
Location: Chicago, Illinois (USA)
Address: 1909 N. Clifton Avenue, 60614
Type: Dust Explosion
Fuel: Metal Dust
Industry: Metal Recycling
Equipment: Regenerative Thermal Oxidizer
Company: General Iron Industries Inc.
Database Incidents: None Recorded
Loss: No Injuries
Capital Cost: Unknown
Status: Open
Confirmation: Unconfirmed
Company Description:
According to the company’s previous website, General Iron Industries Inc. is a metal recycling business located in Chicago, Illinois. It processes and recycles over 700,000 tons of ferrous and non-ferrous scrap material annually and employs over 130 people.
Incident Description:
On May 22, 2020, Block Club Chicago reported that a metal recycling facility in Chicago, Illinois, was fined $6,000 after two explosions occurred there on May 18. The city shut down the company indefinitely and cited it for violating state pollution standards during the explosions.
According to the Chicago Sun-Times, the initial explosion occurred in a newly installed regenerative thermal oxidizer. The heat was so intense that it flowed back to the initial point of entry, triggering the safety ‘blow-out doors’ of the filter building and damaging it. A building to the north was also damaged.
The explosion created two large booms and sent a plume of smoke into the air. This smoke was viewed as a threat to local health and safety.
A spokesman said the company was investigating the explosion in coordination with officials. He confirmed that the damage was so extensive that operations could not resume until sufficient repairs were made.
No injuries were reported.
OSHA Inspections:
An establishment search turned up eight OSHA inspections for this facility, none of which were flagged for combustible dust.
Sources:
Block Club Chicago
Chicago Sun-Times
