TylerDurden
100 GW
Prototype battery blamed in explosion at GM's Tech Center
By Melissa Burden, Doug Guthrie and Tom Greenwood
The Detroit News
April 11, 2012 at 11:42 am
Warren— General Motors Co. said a Wednesday incident at a battery lab in the General Motors Technical Center that seriously injured one person was unrelated to the Chevrolet Volt or any other production vehicle, but was related to "extreme testing on a prototype battery."
Four others were evaluated after reports of a lithium battery exploding at a battery research lab at the GM Tech Center.
"We are aware of an incident this morning about 8:45 a.m. in one of the laboratories at the Alternative Energy Center at the General Motors Technical Center in Warren, Mich.," GM said in a release. "Fire and emergency authorities were called to the scene. The building was evacuated. All employees have been accounted for. We are aware of five employees being evaluated on scene by medical personal and only one employee is being further treated.
The incident is still under investigation by GM and the Warren authorities. Any information or discussion of the nature of the work in the lab or cause of the incident is entirely speculative and cannot be confirmed at this time."
Warren Mayor James Fouts described the injury to the hospitalized worker as being serious. Fouts was in his office when he received a call about the explosion.
"I just want to say how very fortunate we are that only one person was seriously injured," said Fouts, who toured the site after the fire was extinguished. "There were 80 people in that building, but only one person received a possible concussion and some chemical burns, from what I've been told."
According to Fouts, the building housing the research lab received considerable damage.
"It was significant structural damage. Three very large windows were blown out and thick, fortified doors were forced open by the blast," Fouts said. "Our fire commissioner said the blast went straight up in the area where they test lithium batteries. The building was stuffed with personnel and equipment, but it was designed very well."
Fouts said he noticed a chemical taste in his mouth when he was at the blast site.
"I still have a bit of an aftertaste," he said.
Fire Commissioner Wilbert "Skip" McAdams said the cause of the blast hasn't yet been determined.
"We're not yet able to confirm that it was a batter per se, but it was in one specific lab in the advanced research building," McAdams said. "There's water damage to the building and OSHA will have to be called in because a person was injured."
The Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration was notified Wednesday morning about the incident and a safety officer was sent to the facility, said Elaine Clapp, a safety and health manager within MIOSHA.
"We have an open inspection," she said. "I can't give any details about the inspection while it's open."
Clapp said safety officers are assigned to investigate accidents in which employees are injured. She said the investigation, which could take several weeks to several months, will determine if GM violated any occupational, safety or health MIOSHA regulations.
According to Warren Fire Chief Dave Fredericks, firefighters searched for other fires that might have been caused by the explosion. A HAZMAT team also was called to the scene.
"We received a call at about 9 a.m. that a battery had exploded at the tech center," said Fredericks, regarding preliminary reports. "We responded and found two victims and a small fire. At this point, I don't know the extent of the injuries, but the more serious of the two was taken to St. John Hospital on Moross Road."
According to Fredericks, firefighters are searching for any other fires that might have been caused by the explosion and a HAZMAT team is at the scene.
A GM spokesman said the explosion took place in a battery research lab.
"We're aware of an incident this morning at one of our labs at the GM Tech Center that required a fire and emergency response," GM spokesman Greg Martin said. "All employees are accounted for, and we're trying to learn more details and we'll share them when we can."
Fredericks said his department has been called to the tech center on other occasions for small fires but this was the first response due to an exploding battery.
GM tests current and future battery technologies at the tech center.
The safety of GM's lithium-ion batteries came under scrutiny last fall after a crash-tested Chevrolet Volt caught fire nearly a month after a government test.In November, theNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened a formal investigation after a second battery pack caught fire a week after a test.
NHTSA closed its investigation in January after finding no safety issue and after GM Chairman and CEO Dan Akerson testified before the federal agency. GM agreed to make voluntary improvements to the Volt battery containment system, including adding a new metal reinforcement and some new sensors. But GM insists there are no safety issues with lithium-ion batteries.
Last month, GM said it is replacing the 120-volt charging cords in most of the Volts it has sold since late 2010. A GM spokesman then said the new cords would offer more consistency in charging.
The automaker announced last month that it would temporarily halt production, beginning March 19, at the Detroit-Hamtramck plant that builds the Volt for five weeks to reduce inventory. Last week, GM North America President Mark Reuss confirmed the shutdown would be reduced by one week with stronger sales.
GM sold 2,289 Volts in March — its highest monthly figure to date.
Staff writer David Shepardson contributed.
From The Detroit News: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20120411/AUTO0103/204110389#ixzz1rkVyBbYJ
