• Journal of the Korea Safety Management & Science
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.63-70
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• 2014

There has been an increase in fire/explosion accidents caused by chemical substances used in new small/medium sized construction, reconstruction, or extension sites. There is vast room for improvement, especially in safety training, safety inspection, and selection of countermeasures because training, technicality, and management systems regarding fire/explosion risks in small/medium sized construction sites are very immature in most cases. The purpose of this study is to propose a differentiated technical, educational, and management application plan for preventative management of fire/explosion accidents caused by chemical substances used in small/medium sized construction sites.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.21-27
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• 2019

Many accidents have been occurring during welding and flame cutting work related to maintenance and repair as the domestic manufacturing facilities gradually become decrepit. However, it is not easy to find the accurate statistics and analysis data on accidents occurring during welding or flame cutting operations related to maintenance and repair of machinery and equipment. Therefore, in this study, the fatal accident cases of fire/explosion and asphyxiation that occurred during the welding and flame cutting work in the manufacturing industry were collected and their characteristics were analyzed. Then, we tried to find the connection of the accidents according to the machinery/equipment and the work content, and to provide the materials and measures that can be used to prevent the similar accidents. We collected 329 cases of the fatal accidents related to fire/explosion and leakage/contact of chemical substances in the domestic manufacturing industry during the last 10 years (2008 ~ 2017). Among them, 72 accidents occurred during welding or flame cutting were extracted and the related reports were investigated whether they occurred during usual work or unusual work. Also, the machinery/equipment and the work content related to the accidents were classified and analyzed based on the criteria. The analysis results showed that 31 cases of the fire/explosion accidents occurred during usual work and 32 cases during unusual work, and it was found that 9 cases of asphyxiation death occurred during usual work. Then, from the analysis results, the connections of the machinery/equipment and the work contents related to the accidents were schematized into a accident tree.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.9-21
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• 2024

Static-electricity-induced fires and explosions persistently occur every year, averaging approximately 80 and 20 cases annually according to fire statistics provided by the National Fire Agency and industrial accident statistics provided by the Ministry of Employment and Labor, respectively. Despite the relatively low probabilities of these accidents, their potential risks are high. Consequently, effective risk assessment methodologies and accident investigation strategies are essential for efficiently managing static-electricity hazards in fire- and explosion-prone areas. Accordingly, this study aimed to identify the causal variables essential for accident investigations, thereby facilitating risk assessments and the implementation of effective recurrence prevention measures to mitigate static-electricity hazards in fire-and explosion-prone regions. To this end, industrial accident statistics recorded over the past decade (2012 to 2021) by the Ministry of Employment and Labor were analyzed to identify major fire and explosion incidents and related industrial accidents wherein static electricity was identified as a potential ignition source. Subsequently, relevant investigation reports (63 cases) were thoroughly analyzed. Based on the results of this analysis, existing electrostatic fire and explosion risk assessment techniques were refined and augmented. Moreover, factors essential for investigating electrostatic fire and explosion disasters were delineated, and the primary causal variables necessary for effective risk assessments and scientific investigations were derived.

• Fire Science and Engineering
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• v.20 no.1 s.61
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• pp.6-14
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• 2006

The data of city gas accidents has been collected and analysed for not only predictions of the fire and explosion accidents but also the criteria of societal risk. The accidents of the recent 11 years have been broken up into such 3 groups roughly as "release", "explosion", "fire" d 16 groups in detail. Owing to the Poisson probability distribution functions, 'careless work-explosion-pipeline' and 'joint loosening & erosion-release-pipeline' items respectively have turned out to record the lowest and most frequency among the recent 11-years accidents. And thus the proper counteractions must be carried out. In order to assess the societal risks tendency of the fatal gas accidents and set the more obvious safety policies up, the D. O. Hogon equation and the regression method has been used to range the acceptable range in the F-N curve of the cumulative casualties. The further works requires setting up successive database on the fire and explosion accidents systematically to obtain reliable analyses. Also the standard codification will be demanded.

• 한국방재학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2007.02a
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• pp.405-409
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• 2007

This paper focused on the way of prevention of disaster in the accident of explosion when the fire broke out in the boiler room where installed the basement of the building, and showed the effective ways for sustaining people and property safely in the view of problems and improvement of the law and safety awareness of people.

• New & Renewable Energy
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.22-33
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• 2023

The number of fire and explosion accidents caused by pyrolysis oil and gas at waste plastic pyrolysis plants is increasing, but accident status and safety conditions have not been clearly identified. Therefore, the aim of the study was to identify the risks of the waste plastic pyrolysis process and suggest appropriate safety management measures. We collected information on 19 cases of fire and explosion accidents that occurred between 2010 and 2021 at 26 waste plastic pyrolysis plants using the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency (KOSHA) database and media reports. The mechanical, managerial, personnel-related, and environmental problems within a plant and problems related to government agencies and the design, manufacturing, and installation companies involved with pyrolysis equipment were analyzed using the 4Ms of Machines, Management, Man, and Media, as well as the System-Theoretic Accident Model and Processes (STAMP) methodology for seven accident cases with accident investigation reports. Study findings indicate the need for establishing legal and institutional support measures for waste plastic pyrolysis plants in order to prevent fire and explosion accidents in the pyrolysis process. In addition, ensuring safety from the design and manufacturing stages of facilities is essential, as are measures that ensure systematic operations after the installation of safety devices.

• Fire Science and Engineering
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.48-56
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• 2016

A crude oil leakage from a large atmospheric storage tank occurred on 4 April 2014 at 14:50 in Ulsan City, while storing the crude oil in the tank. Emergency Rescue Control Group was deployed in the scene. The company, Fire Service Headquarters and associated agencies got together in Command Post (CP) for discussing an effective corresponding strategy. Many solution plans were drafted in the debate such as power down, stopping the facilities, checking the density of inflammable gas, suppressing oil evaporation, moving the leaked crude oil to a nearby tank and a processing plant and avoiding marine pollution. All the solutions were carried out in cooperation with several agencies and partners. The oil leakage accident was successfully settled up within the process of responding, The Fire Service Headquarters and the company thought that the most important thing was the suppression of oil evaporation and the elimination of ignition source. With Fire Service Headquarters and several agencies' every effort, an explosion and a fire didn't occurred in the scene. This study suggest the improvement of the operating system in Emergency Rescue Control Group in case of petroleum leakage, explosion and fire accidents of atmospheric storage tank, different from a ordinary disaster. Assuming that petroleum leakage in atmospheric storage tank develop the explosion and fire accidents, the spreading speed of the flame and the burning time was experimented and compared with each other. Furthermore, this study concentrates on the effective field response plan prepared for the afterward explosion and fire accidents from petroleum leak in a storage tank, with the database experimented and analyzed in accordance with the angle of radiation in the foam nozzle and the pressure of pumping in a fire engine.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Gas
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• v.10 no.1 s.30
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• pp.48-55
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• 2006

In order to establish the comprehensively, quantitatively predictable program to the fire and explosion accidents in the urban gas system, and to set up domestic criteria of societal risk, the collected urban gas accident data have been deeply analyzed. The Poisson probability distribution functions with t=5 for the database of the gas accidents in recent 11 year shows that 'careless work-explosion-pipeline' item has the lowest frequency, whereas 'joint loosening & erosion-release-pipeline' item has the highest frequency. And thus the proper counteractions must be carried out. The further works requires setting up successive database on the fire and explosion accidents systematically to obtain reliable analyses.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.38 no.6
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• pp.26-35
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• 2023

Sparks cause most fire and explosion accidents in the manufacturing industry during hot work, which ignites surrounding combustible materials. Such incidents lead to high casualties due to suffocation from toxic gases and lack of evacuation. Therefore, the government recently enacted and revised 'The Occupational Safety and Health Act' to prevent fires and explosions at work sites, incorporating legal standards for fire observers, which are important in preventing accidents and the spread of fire during hot work. However, there are notable shortcomings in conducting professional cause analysis of these accidents and in aligning them with advanced foreign legal standards. Additionally, there is a lack of literature review reflecting the manufacturing industry characteristics. Despite the recent enactment and revision of legal standards, gathering sufficient opinions and professional reviews remains insufficient. To address these gaps, interviews were conducted with safety and health workers, analyzing recent fire and explosion causes in domestic manufacturing industries, and reviewing both domestic and international legal standards. Conclusively, proposed improvement measures were centered on the professionalization of fire observer education, enhancing their roles and authority realistically, and improving fire observer placement and operation standards. Consequently, additional 'Occupational Safety and Health Act' standards are necessary for fire observer education and defining the government's role. Second, precise legal standards outlining the role and authority of fire observers are required. Third tailored fire observer arrangements and management standards appropriate for varying work characteristics and company sizes are required. This study emphasizes the importance of supplementing relevant legal standards to prevent fire accidents in the manufacturing industry.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.34 no.5
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• pp.37-45
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• 2019

The characteristic of fire and explosion related to electrostatic discharge is that it is difficult to reproduce the electrostatic charge and discharge phenomenon in addition to the large human and material damage. Therefore, in order to prevent accidents and disasters related to electrostatic in fire and explosion hazard areas, it is important to manage the level of electrostatic in a safe manner from the perspective of system between industrial facilities and human bodies. Rule 325 of the Occupational Safety and Health Regulations, "Prevention of Fire / Explosion due to Electrostatic", requires the use of grounding, conductive materials, humidification and electrification in order to prevent the risk of disaster caused by static explosion and electrostatic in the production process. In order to comply with these measures, related technologies, standards and systems are needed from the viewpoint of preventive measures related to electrostatic in fire and explosion hazard areas, but in Korea, it is still insufficient. Therefore, technical, institutional and managerial measures are needed as a precautionary measure to improve the level of ESD safety in fire and explosion hazard areas and prevent electrostatic related injury. In Korea, we analyzed the current status and characteristics of electrostatic related disaster by using the statistics of industrial accident and fire statistics of the Ministry of Employment and Labor. We also analyzed the current status and characteristics of electrostatic related disasters in Japan using JNIOSH accidents and disasters investigation cases and JNIOSH fire accident data of Japan Fire Bureau. The purpose of this study is to compare and analyze the current status of electrostatic related accidents and disasters in Korea and Japan in order to improve the safety management of electrostatic in fire and explosion hazard areas. In order to prevent accidents and disasters in the industrial field, The technical, institutional, and managerial measures to manage the level of electrostatic in a safe state were derived from the system point of view.