OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #14198733
BURN,LEAK,RESPIRATORY,AMMONIA,CONSTRUCTION,VALVE,CHEMICAL BURN,CHEMICAL
Event description
CONSTRUCTION EMPLOYEES SPRAYED WITH AMMONIA REFRIGERANT
Investigation abstract
ON APRIL 4 1987, EMPLOYEES #1-7 WERE CHANGING AN AIR/OIL SEPERATOR TANK WHICH HA D A LEAKY SEAM. THE OWNER, SAMUEL CROSS, HAD REMOVED ALL AMMONIA FROM THE LEAKY TANK AND CLOSED THE BUTTERFLY VALVES FEEDING THE TANK. AS THE EMPLOYEES WERE INS TALLING THE NEW TANK, A JAMESBURY VALVE OPENED, SPRAYING THE EMPLOYEES WITH AMMO NIA. THIS VALVE WAS ON A 6 INCH LINE. THE VALVE HANDLE HAD TEETH TO HOLD IT CLOS ED BUT THERE WAS NO WAY TO LOCK IT OUT. THE VALVE DESIGN ALLOWED ACCIDENTAL OPEN ING. THE TANK WAS 30 INCHES BY 6 FEET AND WAS MOVED BY A CRANE. EMPLOYEES #1-7 S UFFERED AMMONIA BURNS AND RESPIRATORY PROBLEMS. EMPLOYEE TRAINING PRIOR TO THE A CCIDENT HELPED SAVE THEIR LIVES.
Victims (6)
-
#1 Hospitalized Age 42 M
- Nature of injury
- 4
- Part of body
- 19
- Event type
- 14
- Source
- 9
- Occupation code
- 784
- Human factor
- 6
- Environmental factor
- 18
- Hazardous substance
- 0170
- Task assigned
- 1
-
#2 Hospitalized Age 45 M
- Nature of injury
- 4
- Part of body
- 19
- Event type
- 14
- Source
- 9
- Occupation code
- 784
- Human factor
- 6
- Environmental factor
- 18
- Hazardous substance
- 0170
- Task assigned
- 1
-
#3 Hospitalized Age 28 M
- Nature of injury
- 4
- Part of body
- 19
- Event type
- 14
- Source
- 9
- Occupation code
- 784
- Human factor
- 6
- Environmental factor
- 18
- Hazardous substance
- 0170
- Task assigned
- 1
-
#4 Hospitalized Age 34 M
- Nature of injury
- 4
- Part of body
- 2
- Event type
- 14
- Source
- 9
- Occupation code
- 784
- Human factor
- 6
- Environmental factor
- 18
- Hazardous substance
- 0170
- Task assigned
- 1
-
#5 Hospitalized Age 46 M
- Nature of injury
- 4
- Part of body
- 8
- Event type
- 14
- Source
- 9
- Occupation code
- 784
- Human factor
- 6
- Environmental factor
- 18
- Hazardous substance
- 0170
- Task assigned
- 1
-
#6 Hospitalized Age 22 M
- Nature of injury
- 4
- Part of body
- 8
- Event type
- 14
- Source
- 9
- Occupation code
- 784
- Human factor
- 6
- Environmental factor
- 18
- Hazardous substance
- 0170
- Task assigned
- 1
Codes shown verbatim from OSHA's accident-investigation database. A human-readable decoder is coming in a future release once the accident_lookup2 dictionary is loaded.