Fowler Associates Labs

Fire Started at Chemical Plant Caused by
Static Electricity

Paraphrased by Steve Waldrop
January 10, 2003

Menasha, Wisconsin- An employee received minor burns but did not require hospitalization when vapors ignited by static electricity caused a flash fire at Sun Chemical, the world's largest manufacturer of high quality printing inks and coatings and high performance organic pigments.

Neenah-Menasha Fire Rescue's Fire Captain, Kevin Shelley said a static electricity spark occurred while the employee was adding a bag of polymide- a dry resin- to a solution of heptane and alcohol that is used to make ink.

The employee, suffered minor burns to his hands and arms and was able to return to work shortly after treatment at the scene of the accident.

Sun Chemical is a wholly owned subsidiary of Dainippon Ink and Chemical, Inc. of Tokyo, Japan, and has more than 25,000 employees worldwide.