Mess #1
Fryer Fire
One of my jobs was to change filters for our in-line noodle fryer. I did this on second shift.
Hundreds of gallons of hot 350 degree Fahrenheit oil would circulate through the large fryer. If the fryer would become plugged up from not being changed in a timely manner, the product in the fryer would ignite an cause a fire. The filters were to be changed every 25 minutes or so.
I professed that the fire would never happen to me and it didn't.
The day shift operator liked to put off doing the changes because he hoped I would come in and take care of his filters. I complained about it but nothing ever got done, since I covered their negligence.
One day this practice caught up with them. The product in the fryer ignited right at the end of the shift. The fire spread outside of the hot oil in the fryer. The room was built with porous concrete and fryer oil soaked its way into everything. The hot fire spread to electric wires, ceiling tiles, everything was engulfed.
I had just got there and we were scurrying about looking for fire extinguishers to pour onto the spreading fire until the fire department got there. No one was hurt, but things were burned so badly that the room was down for about a week. After business as usual returned, there was no change in the way day shift did their filter changing.