Safety

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Written by Paul Pavlinovich

Category: Safety

Published: 28 September 2009

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Safety guidelines for engine rallies and displays vary depending upon local legal requirements and conditions.…

Read more: Safety Guidelines for Rallies

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Written by Paul Pavlinovich

Category: Safety

Published: 28 September 2009

Hits: 2885

On a quiet Sunday evening in the small town of Medina in the state of Ohio in the USA people were setting up exhibits for the fair due to open the next day. This fair could have been any one of our shows anywhere in the world. The people who were working were thinking of the days ahead, of the enjoyment they would experience, of the things they would do and see. The town and surrounding area were looking forward to a week of fun and adventure. Instead their small town was attacked, four people were killed, around fourty-five injured, eleven of which were still in hospital in serious condition a week later. No-one expected this to happen. This disaster devastated the town, and will have an impact on our hobby for some time to come. My thoughts are for the people, families and friends of those killed and hurt.

On 29 July at 6:20pm as a Case 110HP Steam Traction Engine was being moved into its place in the fairground it violently exploded probably due to a critical low water condition. While we will probably never know the exact circumstances, investigation to date shows that the fusible plug failed to melt as it should have. Water sprayed onto the white hot crown sheet and exploded into steam at a rate that the boiler and safety systems simply could not cope with. The resulting explosion blew out the fire box and threw the engine 5 meters (15 feet) into the air. The flash of super heated steam and shrapnel ripped through the surrounding area killing the owner of the engine Clifford Kovacic, his son Billy Kovacic, and family friends Alan Kimble and Dennis Jungbluth.…

Read more: The Medina Lesson - Our Responsibility For Safety

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Written by Paul Pavlinovich

Category: Safety

Published: 28 September 2009

Hits: 2064

Shop Safety is probably one of the easiest things to manage in your shop as it is all common sense.

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Read more: Shop Safety