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Author: Veress Árpád · Explosion-protection expertDAILY Ex - 1 NOVEMBER 2026
TODAY'S FOCUS: When the emergency becomes more dangerous than the initiating event. Explosions during an industrial fire in Brazil, a serious ammunition-factory incident in Italy, fatal industrial fires in India, and new research into hydrogen ventilation lead today's edition. We also examine IECEx repair competence, hazardous-area electrical technology and an important historical lesson involving reactive materials. For Heads of Operations: Emergency preparedness must reflect the actual materials, equipment and conditions—not simply the original hazardous-area classification.
⚡ DAILY Ex | 1 NOVEMBER 2026
Explosion Protection | Operational Ex | Global Watch
TODAY'S FOCUS: When the emergency becomes more dangerous than the initiating event.
Explosions during an industrial fire in Brazil, a serious ammunition-factory incident in Italy, fatal industrial fires in India, and new research into hydrogen ventilation lead today's edition.
We also examine IECEx repair competence, hazardous-area electrical technology and an important historical lesson involving reactive materials.
For Heads of Operations: Emergency preparedness must reflect the actual materials, equipment and conditions—not simply the original hazardous-area classification.
🔴 1. BRAZIL | Multiple explosions during industrial warehouse fire
CURRENT INCIDENT - 31 October 2026
A major fire broke out at an industrial warehouse in Mauá, where mineral-oil production activities were reported.
Firefighters were called at approximately 16:52. The response eventually involved 21 fire appliances.
Explosions occurred during the fire, including an event involving a compartment reportedly containing sodium.
Several firefighters suffered minor burns and smoke exposure but were treated at the scene.
As of the latest reports on 31 October, the fire's cause remained unknown. No fatalities had been confirmed. The precise chemical form of the sodium was not established in the reporting.
Why it matters operationally: Industrial fire response can become significantly more complicated when incompatible or reactive materials are present.
Management action: Verify that emergency plans identify reactive substances, storage segregation, suitable extinguishing methods and materials requiring special intervention precautions.
🔴 2. ITALY | Explosion at ammunition factory seriously injures worker
CURRENT INCIDENT - 30 October 2026
An explosion occurred at an ammunition-manufacturing facility in Tortona.
A 42-year-old worker suffered serious burns and was transported by helicopter to a specialist hospital in Turin.
The initial report did not establish the explosion's initiating mechanism.
Why it matters operationally: Explosive-material manufacturing involves hazards that extend beyond conventional ATEX gas and dust classification.
Management action: Review process segregation, permissible material quantities, ignition-source controls and emergency arrangements for energetic materials.
🔴 3. INDIA | Four workers die in footwear-factory fire
CURRENT INCIDENT - 30–31 October 2026
A fire at a footwear-manufacturing facility in New Delhi killed four workers and injured two others.
The fire reportedly originated in the basement of the Mangolpuri industrial facility.
Firefighters contained the fire, but smoke spread to upper floors. Authorities are investigating the cause.
No combustible-dust or flammable-vapour explosion has been confirmed.
Why it matters operationally: Manufacturing facilities may contain combustible materials, adhesives, solvents and packaging, but their presence does not establish the cause of a particular incident.
Management action: Review hazardous-material inventories, ventilation, fire compartmentation and emergency escape arrangements.
🔴 4. PAKISTAN | Oxygen-cylinder explosion kills at least ten
RECENT INCIDENT - 29 October 2026
An oxygen cylinder exploded inside an ambulance at a medical facility in Pakistan's Sindh province.
At least ten people died.
Authorities called for an investigation into the cause.
Important distinction: Oxygen is not a fuel. This incident must not automatically be interpreted as an ATEX explosive-atmosphere event. Oxygen enrichment, pressure-system failure and fire are distinct hazards requiring appropriate assessment.
Why it matters operationally: Explosion prevention requires identification of the actual energy source and failure mechanism.
https://apnews.com/article/f8e4e6dae32b237f1ea45e4e66f56fa5
📘 5. IECEx | Repair competence must match the work performed
CERTIFICATION PRACTICE
The IECEx Certified Service Facilities Scheme provides a framework for assessing organisations performing Ex repair, overhaul and reclamation.
Under IECEx 03-5, certification covers defined activities, personnel competence, quality-system controls and facility locations.
IECEx Unit Ex 005 addresses personnel competence in overhaul and repair of explosion-protected equipment.
Why it matters operationally: A service facility certificate does not automatically establish competence for every protection concept or repair activity.
Management action: Before releasing an Ex motor for repair, verify the facility's certification scope, applicable technical requirements, personnel competence and required release documentation.
https://www.iecex.com/certified-service-facility-scheme/operational-documents-ods/
⚖️ 6. ATEX / IEC | Emergency controls and installation verification
REGULATORY AND STANDARDS PRACTICE
Directive 1999/92/EC requires employers to assess explosion risks, maintain explosion-protection documentation and implement appropriate technical and organisational controls.
IEC 60079-14:2024 addresses electrical installation design, equipment selection, installation, initial inspection, documentation and competence.
These requirements complement one another but serve different purposes.
Why it matters operationally: Equipment certification alone does not demonstrate that an installation is safe to operate.
The explosion-protection assessment must consider material releases, ignition sources, operating conditions, maintenance and foreseeable abnormal situations.
https://osha.europa.eu/en/legislation/directives/21 · https://webstore.iec.ch/en/publication/66049
🔬 7. RESEARCH | Hydrogen ventilation and dangerous accumulation
RECENT RESEARCH - 15 October 2026
A study published in the Journal of Energy Storage examined ventilation strategies for mobile hydrogen tube-bundle container enclosures.
The researchers compared natural and forced ventilation arrangements using numerical analysis.
Their findings indicated that large natural-ventilation openings were not necessarily sufficient to prevent dangerous hydrogen accumulation under the investigated conditions.
Roof geometry and forced-airflow arrangements significantly affected the predicted hazard.
These results are specific to the modelled enclosure and release conditions. They are not universal ventilation-design requirements.
Why it matters operationally: Ventilation effectiveness depends on release location, enclosure geometry, airflow distribution and operating conditions.
Engineering lesson: Verify actual ventilation performance rather than relying solely on nominal airflow capacity.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.est.2026.123300
📅 8. FRANCE | Expoprotection opens Tuesday
UPCOMING EVENT - 3–5 November 2026
Expoprotection 2026 takes place at Paris Porte de Versailles.
The program covers industrial risk prevention, fire protection, emergency response and safety technologies.
Why it matters operationally: Technology selection should include evidence of performance, maintainability, competence requirements and integration with existing protection systems.
https://www.expoprotection.com/
▶️ OPERATIONAL Ex USE CASE
The emergency team does not know what is inside the warehouse
PRACTICAL | Illustrative scenario
A chemical-processing facility stores flammable liquids, process additives and maintenance chemicals in separate areas.
The warehouse inventory is maintained electronically.
During a weekend shutdown, a fire starts near a storage compartment.
Emergency responders arrive.
The warehouse manager is unavailable.
The inventory system cannot be accessed.
Some containers have been relocated temporarily, but the emergency plan still shows their original positions.
What is the operational problem?
The emergency team may not have reliable information about the substances involved, their incompatibilities or the appropriate intervention methods.
A technically correct hazardous-area classification cannot resolve this information gap.
Before an emergency occurs, Operations should verify that current inventories, storage locations, chemical incompatibilities, isolation points and emergency instructions are available to authorised responders.
The plan must distinguish conventional flammable-liquid fires from incidents involving reactive materials or other special hazards.
Owner: Head of Operations, supported by HSE, Warehouse Management and Emergency Response.
Required evidence: Current hazardous-material inventory, accessible emergency information, verified storage arrangements and completed emergency exercises.
Measure: 100% of hazardous-material storage areas represented accurately in emergency-response documentation.
📘 HISTORICAL INCIDENT LEARNING | FRANCE
Sodium reacts after contacting snow - 26 February 1999
France's official ARIA accident database documents an incident at a sodium-processing installation in Saint-Marcel.
During tank filling, an operator did not hear a level alarm.
Sodium escaped through a nitrogen vent and reacted explosively after contacting snow outside the building.
The incident damaged building cladding but caused no reported injuries.
Corrective measures included interlocking transfer with level alarms and modifying the vent arrangement.
Historical lesson: The consequences of a release depend not only on the released material, but also on what it encounters.
https://www.aria.developpement-durable.gouv.fr/accident/15018/
▶️ TODAY'S Ex QUESTION
“Do our emergency procedures reflect the materials and equipment actually present today?”
Consider temporary chemical storage, changed inventories, modified ventilation, disabled detection systems and contractor activities.
A useful emergency plan must remain valid during maintenance, shutdown and abnormal operation-not only during normal production.
⚡ DAILY Ex | CLOSING THOUGHT
Yesterday's Brazilian industrial fire highlights an important aspect of Operational Ex.
The original incident may not be the event that creates the greatest consequences.
A fire can damage containment.
A release can encounter an incompatible material.
Emergency intervention can introduce additional hazards.
And outdated information can prevent responders from selecting the correct protective actions.
For Heads of Operations, explosion protection must therefore extend beyond ignition prevention and certified equipment.
We must understand how the installation behaves when something goes wrong-and ensure that the people responding have the information and competence to act safely.
Operational Ex means maintaining effective protection before, during and after abnormal events.