Is it possible that the implementation of safety procedures or safe design features can reduce levels of safety? Unfortunately the answer is yes. Recently a tragic example of a worker killed by a widely used safety feature, shows the risk of inadvertently creating a hazard by trying to eliminate a different one. Explosion proof equipment is designed to eliminate the possibility of a quantity of gas or dust combusting in an explosive manner. Many designs of this type of equipment use air to ventilate possible ignition sources such as electrical equipment. In the tragic accident detailed in the link below, the explosion proof equipment was pressurized while the worker was carrying out maintenance. While removing a cover on the device, pressurized air propelled the cover forward and fatally wounded the worker.
