NTSB: Hot Work Near Flammables Caused Fire on Passenger Steamboat
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has actually figured out that warm job near a pile of cardboard boxes created a fire aboard the traveler vessel Natchez, a Mississippi River riverboat homeported inNew Orleans
The Natchez started a deep overhaul in January 2021 as well as was anticipated to go back to routine traveler solution this year. The job consisted of substantial service her central heating boilers, generators as well as electric system.
On May 3, 2022, a staff of professionals came aboard to change the ship’s primary electric panel. The range of benefit the day consisted of prepping the workspace as well as eliminating the old panel with an acetylene lantern. An aquatic construction professional inspected the room for fire risks, as well as the vessel’s primary designer had deckhands placed an item of sheet steel in between the workspace as well as a surrounding diesel generator to safeguard it from triggers. An employee waited ablaze watch with a tube as well as extinguisher while the reducing continued.
The job team left at regarding 1700, as well as a diesel motor technology remained in the room till 1800. They all informed NTSB that they saw absolutely nothing uncommon prior to they left.
At regarding 1945, the safety watchstander aboard Natchez saw smoke originating from the engine area. He called 911, as well as the New Orleans Fire Department reacted rapidly as well as produce the fire. Most of the damages was restricted to the location around the electric panel, though there was small damages in various other locations of the engine area as well as some smoke damages in the decks over the fire. The complete price of fixing involved regarding $1.5 million, as well as no injuries or air pollution were reported.
After the fire, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms as well as Explosives (ATF) assisted with a forensic examination. Based on shed patterns, ATF figured out that the fire started along the bulkhead, beside where the job was finished that day. The vessel driver gave NTSB with images of the room from the day of the mishap, as well as the pictures revealed that cardboard boxes as well as plastic containers had actually been stored on wood racks regarding 2-3 feet far from where the warm job had actually been done.
Courtesy NTSB/ New Orleans Steamboat Company
In the training course of the examination, NTSB located that the vessel proprietor as well as the professional had no written plans for warm job security, as needed by OSHA. The proprietor informed NTSB that it trust its professionals to have fire security as well as warm job plans, as well as the job superintendent claimed that he considered the job website risk-free for warm job.
29 CFR needs a 35-foot range in between combustibles as well as warm job, or, if this is not feasible, guaranteeing that the combustibles are well-covered as well as protected with flameproof product. The superintendent as well as the welder that did the job informed private investigators that they were not familiar with this demand.
NTSB figured out that a trigger from the welding most likely landed in the pile of cardboard boxes, where it smoldered for hrs prior to lastly sparking.
“It is critical to evaluate work areas for fire hazards and ensure that combustibles are relocated or protected with flameproofed covers/curtains or otherwise shielded with sheet metal. In addition, crewmembers involved in hot work should be trained to identify hazards such as combustibles and to take action to remove or protect them from hot work,” ended NTSB.
The vessel additionally did not have a fire discovery system (she was not needed by guideline to set up one) as well as her set firefighting system had actually been disabled throughout her overhaul. NTSB did not determine these components as adding consider the fire.
