August 1998

Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. is providing the enclosed information regarding an incident that occurred in one of our customer's operations recently involving the use of oxygen in an oil-contaminated oxygen lance. This communication is intended to raise your awareness of an important safety issue regarding the use of one of our products and to reinforce Air Products' leadership in communication of safety issues to our customers. We encourage you to communicate this to all your employees and customers, as appropriate.

Oxygen lancing is used for scrap cutting and decarburizing steel in electric arc furnaces, and is a very common practice in minimills, steel foundries, and stainless steel shops. Some shops use consumable lances that are operated manually through the slag door. Most recently an explosion occurred and critically injured an operator during the lancing of a heat with an oil-contaminated lance. Oxygen vigorously accelerates combustion and may form explosive compounds when exposed to combustible materials or oil, grease, and other hydrocarbon materials. Improperly cleaned equipment and piping could result in a combustion reaction causing damage to equipment and injury to personnel. It is for this reason that all personnel who use oxygen should take special precautions to inspect and ensure that piping and/or flow control components are properly cleaned and suitable for oxygen service.

It is believed that the oil may have been used as a lubricant to cut threads on one end of the lance. Normal work procedures by the customer or their vendor require the removal of the oil prior to the use of the lances. This step may not have been properly executed on one bundle of lances, resulting in oil contaminated lances being used at the furnace. Air Products encourages all users of oxygen to ensure that all exposed materials are compatible with oxygen and are cleaned according to CGA Standard G-4.1, "Cleaning Equipment for Oxygen Service".

As a member of the Chemical Manufacturers' Association, Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. is committed to the tenets of Responsible Care® to help guide our performance with respect safety, health, and the environment. The Product Stewardship Code of Responsible Care promotes dialogue concerning the safe handling, distribution, and use of our products by our distributors, customers, and employees. This Product Stewardship Alert is part of that communication. We ask you to inform all of your employees and contractors who might find themselves in a situation similar to that described above so that together we can prevent any possible reoccurrence of this type of incident.

Contact the Air Products Technical Information Center:
For technical data, product specifications, safety and environmental information, and applications assistance:

Call 1-800-752-1597 (U.S.)
Call 1-610-481-8565 (other locations)
Fax 1-610-481-8690
Email gigmrktg@airproducts.com
Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. EST

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