Gyeonggi Fire Department, Frequent Vapor Accidents from Cutting Disused Drum Barrels

The Gyeonggi-do Fire and Disaster Headquarters recently urged special caution following an accident caused by flammable vapor during the cutting of a discarded drum.

According to the Fire and Disaster Headquarters, there have been six explosion accidents related to drum cutting in the Gyeonggi area over the past two years, with one case in 2022 and five cases in 2023. A total of six people were injured in these incidents.

All accidents occurred when sparks generated during cutting with an oxygen welding torch or grinder power saw ignited flammable vapors remaining inside the drum.

Gyeonggi-do Fire and Disaster Headquarters

The Fire and Disaster Headquarters explained that even empty drums often retain flammable vapors if they previously stored combustible oil, and sparks generated during welding or cutting processes can cause explosion accidents.

Accordingly, the Fire and Disaster Headquarters emphasized that explosion accidents often result in significant casualties relative to their scale, and urged thorough cleaning or inerting of flammable substances prior to working on hazardous material containers.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.