Industrial fires require skilled investigation. An industrial operation normally has a wide range of fuels and ignition sources that could be the cause of the fire. Our investigators have experience tracing industrial fires to their sources. Our knowledge of the machinery involved and the normal modes of failure that can result in a fire can speed the investigation, allowing us to check the most likely sources first.

Case:

A drilling operation appeared to be proceeding normally when an explosion and fire killed one of the workers. Our engineers investigated the fire and were able to determine that the worker had started to bleed an accumulation of natural gas. By selecting to bleed at a low rate he created a condition that resulted in a static electric spark inside the valve causing the explosion. Our investigation resulted in an industry wide change in the procedure for bleeding these gasses, to prevent an explosive mixture from accumulating at a time when a static spark was likely.