Gamboa, Kurl Vincent P.

ECEA121L-E01
OLA # 3
nd
2 Term, SY 2022-2023

CASE STUDY 1:

In 2004, two 35-yr old Vietnamese Immigrants, Toan Bui and Ha Vu, were refinishing hardwood floors in a tree family
house in Somerville, a city on Boston’s northern periphery. This was not at all an unusual scene. The older cities of
New England feature tens of thousands of nineteenth and early twentieth-century houses with fine old wood floors,
which periodically need to be refinished.

Toan Bui and Ha Vu were typical workers in a typical trade – until in 2004, when they died on the job in a fiery and
entirely preventable disaster in which two co-workers were also badly burned. They had finished sanding the old
floors and were coating them with a lacquer sealer that is typically 80 percent flammable solvent, with the remainder
a mixture of resins that serve to coat and protect the wood. The entire house caught fire in a matter of seconds after
the lacquer sealer was ignited by a pilot light in a gas stove.

QUESTIONS:

1. What caused the accident? Explain in detail.

The tragedy took place as a result of a flammable solvent used to cover the floor being set ablaze by the
pilot light of a gas burner. The highly combustible solvent that was used in the wood flooring came into
touch with the flames, which caused the entire home to catch fire.
2. Do you think the accident could had been prevented? Why or why not?
I believe that it would have been possible to stop the disaster from happening. Insufficient risk assessment
on the part of the workforce contributed, in my view, to the occurrence of this disaster. The employees
should have been more careful and not applied the sealer, which is very flammable to wood at a short
distance from the pilot light, because it is highly combustible to wood. Knowing that there is a pilot light in
the home, the workers should have been more careful. If they had required to paint the entire home,
another option would have been to do away with the pilot light, which presents a risk of starting a fire.
3. What are the hazards in working with flammable substance?
In this particular scenario, the risks associated with dealing with the highly flammable chemical include the
pilot light, an ignition source, and the surface of the wood where the employees were applying the
substance. This might result in a large fire that either directly burns personnel or causes their deaths by
exposing them to hazardous chemicals that they inhale via the smoke.
4. What could the workers do to prevent the fire?
Before putting a highly flammable chemical on a highly flammable surface, the employees should have
conducted an inspection of the surrounding area to look for potential sources of ignition. As soon as they
see the pilot light, they will formulate a strategy to decide whether to get rid of the pilot light, which is a
permanent ignition source for a strong gas burner, or whether to bypass the region close to the pilot light.
5. What are the ways to extinguish fire caused by flammable substances?
It is possible to utilize fire extinguishers that are suitable for the type of fire that has occurred. It is possible
to put out this fire with a fire extinguisher that has foam spray and ABC powder in it. The fire was caused by
combustible liquid and wood. On the other hand, because the flammable chemical is coupled with the
 flammable surface, it will be difficult to put out the fire in this scenario. The staff would have been wise to
leave the building as soon as they realized what was happening.

6. What are the fire equipment and devices that must be used to prevent fires especially when handling and
working with flammable substance?
Sprinklers, fire alarms, smoke and flame detectors, and fire extinguishers are some of the different types of
fire equipment and devices that should be installed and kept on hand in this scenario because it is possible
for a fire to start. These items should be used to prevent, detect, and put out fires.
7. What are the OSHA regulations with regards to fire safety?
In this scenario, the person who recruited the workers is the one who is responsible for providing the
workers with knowledge on all of the fire threats to which they are exposed. It is also the obligation of the
employer to conduct a review of the appropriate fire prevention strategy in order to ensure the safety of
the employees.

CASE STUDY 2:

An owner of a boat sales and repair shops inspected a boat his assistant was repairing in the shop. During the
inspection, he smelled gasoline vapors, so, before opening several doors to air the place, he instructed his assistant
not to activate a grinder. As the owner turned to enter the showroom, he heard the grinder and spun around to see
about a dozen fires burning throughout the repair shop. Both men escaped with minor burns, but the boat was
destroyed and the shop suffered extensive damage.

QUESTIONS:

1. What caused the accident? Explain in detail.

Static electricity from the grinder caused a spark that came in touch with gasoline vapor , a highly
combustible material that sparked a flash fire .
2. Do you think the accident could had been prevented? Why or why not?
It is true that the disaster could have been easily avoided since there would not have been a fire if the worker
had not activated the grinder as the owner had directed him to do. An accidental spark from the grinder
combined with the highly combustible substance to ignite the fire.
3. What are the hazards in working with electrical equipment and accelerants?
Sparks and gas leaks are the dangers that come with working with electrical equipment and accelerants.
These risks can generate large flames or explosions, which in turn can inflict mild to serious burns, which
can ultimately lead to death. It is likely that the employees would try to flee the scene of the accident by
jumping into the sea, but there is a risk that they will die if they do so because the accident had place on the
boat.
4. What could the workers do to prevent the fire?
The employee should have listened to the directions given by the proprietor and refrained from turning on
the grinder while they looked for the cause of the gas vapor leak so that the fire may have been avoided.
5. What are the ways to extinguish fire caused by electricity and accelerants?
Depending on the type of fire, the appropriate fire extinguishers can be utilized to put it out. It is possible
to put out this fire with an extinguisher that contains ABC powder because it was caused by electricity as
well as accelerants.
6. What are the fire equipment and devices that must be used to prevent fires especially when working with
electrical equipment and accelerants?
In this scenario, it is very necessary to put in place and keep various pieces of fire protection equipment and
devices, such as smoke detectors, fire extinguishers, and flame detectors, in order to stop the fire from
spreading. It is also essential that each piece of electrical equipment be inspected, and that accelerants be
appropriately sealed, so that there are no leaks.
7. What are the OSHA regulations with regards to fire safety?
It is the responsibility of the owners or employers to ensure that their fire safety plans are consistent with
dangers, fire safety, and emergency procedures, and that all employees are aware of these things. This is
especially important in confined places, where it is difficult to escape.