Fire destroys chemical plant building

 

It is miraculous that no one was killed or injured – and is a testament to staff training and the actions of fire fighters – when a fire broke out at 3M Australia’s K & H Surface Technologies factory recently.

Fire has destroyed a building at the 3M Australia-owned K & H Surface Technologies plant in Dandenong, Victoria.

The blaze, which razed one of seven buildings on the site, was the result of an accident, initial investigations have found.

3M spokesman Gordon McRonald said when a worker was decanting fluid into a container, the vapour ignited, causing the blaze.

Miraculously, no one was injured or required first aid, McRonald said.

He said only part of the productive plant was destroyed, both raw and finished goods warehousing were unaffected, and paid tribute to the manufacturing plant’s staff for implementing emergency procedures to ensure minimal impact from the emergency.

He also paid tribute to the fire fighters’ actions, which helped stop the spread of fire to other buildings.

McRonald said fire fighters had recently visited the plant and undertaken an inspection, which would have further assisted their ability to react to the emergency more efficiently.
“Staff and the fire brigade did everything right,” he said.

After an initial investigation by fire authorities, the cause of the fire was put down to an accident.

K & H staff have now to return to the site to start the clean-up process, but more importantly, start shipping stock.

McRonald said there was sufficient stock in the finished goods store at the plant to ensure supplies.

The company will now look to contract manufacturing for its products while it goes through the process of rebuilding the damaged facility.

He said no staff had been let go as a result of the fire and that plans were in place to re-skill staff, if needed, or to have some reassigned to successful contracting manufactures.

“The current focus of the site is on our customers, ensuring minimum disruption in the supply of our products,” plant general manager Martin Davidson said.