Worker killed in laundry fire caused by spontaneous ignition

Reported on 7 August 2006

A fire broke out at the ground floor of a laundry in the middle of the night. Four workers were sleeping at the second level of the factory at the time of the fire. Three of them managed to escape by jumping out of the window, but one of the workers failed to escape and was killed in the fire.
Preliminary investigation revealed that the fire could have been probably caused by spontaneous ignition, a result of poor dissipation of heat generated from chemical reactions of chemical residues in the laundry.

Advisory Note (Please note that the advisory note is provided for the benefits of enhancing workplace safety and health, in no way the information is to be misconstrued as implying any liability on any party)

1. Spontaneous ignition may occur when heat, combustible material and reactive chemicals are present. Besides laundry factories, this dangerous combination can also be found in other workplace conditions such as stacks of oil-stained cloth left in an excavator cabin under the hot sun or a load of oil-stained fabrics stored in a boiler room of a chemical plant.
2. A laundry fires study* highlighted that spontaneous ignition was the cause of the vast majority of these fires. The ignition can take place over a period of time, ranging from three to more than 57 hours. This implies that fires caused by spontaneous ignition can occur after working hours.
3. Laundry factories need to take note of spontaneous ignition as they are always exposed to the dangerous combination of heat, combustible material and reactive chemicals. In addition, soiled linens can contain all sorts of potentially reactive materials. Here are some measures that laundry factories should implement:
   a. Inform all workers of the hazard of spontaneous ignition.
   b. Make sure that all the dryers have a cool down cycle long enough to properly lower the temperature of the dryer load. Check the temperature settings of each dryer on a regular basis.
   c. Maintain dryers regularly to ensure that laundry will not be heated to excessively high temperatures.
   d. Wash items with oily stains thoroughly and use a proper heavy-duty liquid laundry detergent.
   e. Allow enough time for all heat to dissipate before folding or bundling.
   f. Never store bundled or folded laundry in boiler rooms, next to hot water heaters, behind dryers, or any areas where the temperature is higher than normal room temperature.
   g. Install smoke detectors and sprinklers in areas where bundled or stacked laundry are stored. Ensure effective implementation of other emergency measures like fire extinguishers, evacuation route and fire drills.
   h. Never allow large loads to remain in dryers after the drying cycle has ended.
   i. When a laundry catches fire, normal plastic laundry carts will melt and the flaming liquid plastic can spread the fire. Check with your cart supplier or manufacturer to ensure that the laundry carts are made of noncombustible or highly fire-retardant materials.
4. MOM is in the midst of developing a Technical Advisory on spontaneous ignition. The Technical Advisory will be made available to all laundry factories in due course.

* Robison, Don. “Laundry Fire, Probable Cause: Spontaneous Ignition” in Industrial Fire World Magazine.