OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #14214506
BURN,CHEST,LUNG,PPE,FIRE,INHALATION,PHOSPHOROUS,RUPTURE,FACE
Event description
PHOSPHOROUS BURNED EMPLOYEE IN FACE AND LUNGS, KILLING HIM
Investigation abstract
EMPLOYEE #1 WAS CHECKING ON A PHOSPHOROUS FLUSH/PUMP LINE WHEN A HALF INCH SIGHT INEE IN A NEARBY CONTROL ROOM WHO DID NOT WITNESS THE ACCIDENT. COLD TEMPERATURE S (10-15 DEGREES F) MAY HAVE CAUSED THE SIGHT GLASS TO BECOME BRITTLE AND BREAK. GLASS BROKE, ALLOWING ABOUT A LITER OF ELEMENTAL PHOSPHOROUS TO SPEW INTO HIS F ACE. HE WAS WEARING A HALF-FACE CESSCO RESPIRATOR, APPROVED FOR ACID GASES. HIS RESPIRATOR, SAFETY HELMET AND SAFETY GLASSES WERE BURNED COMPLETELY BY THE INTEN SE FIRE WHICH RESULTED. HE INHALED ENOUGH OF THE ELEMENTAL PHOSPHORUS TO BURN HI S LUNGS AND CAUSE HIS DEATH. HE ALSO SUFFERED SECOND AND THIRD DEGREE BURNS ON H IS CHEST AND GROIN, BUT THESE WERE NOT IMMEDIATELY FATAL. HE BY-PASSED TWO NEARB Y SAFETY SHOWERS TO GET TO WATER KEPT IN A SUMP ON A LOWER LEVEL. HE DIED WHEN H E GOT TO THE SUMP. EMPLOYEE #1 WAS ALONE ON THE 11PM-7AM SHIFT, EXCEPT FOR A TRA
Victim
-
#1 Fatality Age 51 M
- Nature of injury
- 17
- Part of body
- 28
- Event type
- 8
- Source
- 9
- Occupation code
- 757
- Human factor
- 1
- Environmental factor
- 10
- Hazardous substance
- 2090
- 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.