Chemical Safety Headlines From Google
Friday, September 5, 2014 at 7:31:05 AM


---------------------------------------------

EMPLOYEE ERROR BLAMED IN RENO MUSEUM FLASH FIRE
Tags: us_NV, public, follow-up, injury

RENO, Nev. (AP) - A flash fire that injured 13 people, mainly children, at a Nevada science museum happened when an employee applied the chemicals in the wrong order during a tabletop demonstration about the mechanics of tornadoes, officials said Thursday.

Reno firefighters said a three- to five-second blaze erupted Wednesday at the Terry Lee Wells Nevada Discovery Museum after the presenter poured alcohol on a cotton ball that had been dusted with boric acid and partially ignited. The alcohol is supposed to be applied before the boric acid and the flame.

"It was a simple oversight by the presenter," Reno Fire Chief Michael Hernandez said in a statement. "Our prevention staff will be meeting with museum staff to review demonstration and safety procedures and make appropriate recommendations as necessary."

The Nevada Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating the incident, spokeswoman Teri Williams said.

Eight children and one adult were transported to a Reno hospital for minor burns or smoke inhalation, Reno spokesman Matthew Brown said. One child was hospitalized overnight, but all patients had been released by Thursday afternoon, according to officials at Renown Regional Medical Center.

---------------------------------------------