Thailand: Exploding extinguisher kills student during fire drill
I always use fire extinguishers as my example when trying to explain to management how safety devices that are not maintained properly can actually pose a HAZARD.
Most of us have probably had a discussion when a manager blows off fire extinguisher inspections that are not being done. They will almost surely say something like, “A missed FE inspection is not causing our injuries.”
Ask them how much pressure is inside a 10 lb ABC Dry Chem extinguisher. Yep, it is a mini-pressure vessel that requires pressure testing and annual inspection by a state-certified inspector. If these inspections and tests are not performed properly, and at their necessary frequencies, we end up with a safety device becoming a serious/lethal hazard!
A CO2 extinguisher like the one in this fatal accident has around 800 psi of pressure at room temperature.
A 10 lb ABC Dry Chem has about 195 psi.
Check out my YouTube Channel to see what the release of these pressures looks like: https://youtu.be/HvMBk0Z-v5c