OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #14215008
VENTURE CHEMICAL INC.
LOBECO, SC·
Event description
PRESSURE VESSEL RUPTURED; EMPLOYEES BURNED BY STEAM & WAX
Investigation abstract
ON NOVEMBER 23, 1985, EMPLOYEES #1 AND #2 MELTED PARAFFIN WAX FLAKES IN A VESSEL EQUIPPED WITH A STEAM JACKET. STEAM PRESSURE WAS ESTIMATED TO BE AT 135 PSI INS IDE THE JACKET. THE STEAM WAS CUT OFF TO ALLOW THE REPAIR OF A FAULTY OUTLET VAL VE. WHEN THE STEAM WAS TURNED ON TO REMELT THE WAX THE INNER JACKET OF THE VESSE L COLLAPSED. THE MIXTURE OF STEAM AND HOT WAX WAS BLOWN OUT OF THE VESSEL, ONTO THE THREE EMPLOYEES. ALL THREE SUFFERED SECOND AND THIRD DEGREE BURNS OVER A LAR GE PART OF THEIR BODIES. THE MAXIMUM ALLOWABLE WORKING PRESSURE OF THE VESSEL WA S CALCULATED TO BE 33.75 PSI. THE EXCESSIVE STEAM PRESSURE CAUSED THE FAILURE OF THE INNER JACKET.
Victims (3)
-
#1 Hospitalized Age 28 M
- Nature of injury
- 5
- Part of body
- 19
- Event type
- 1
- Source
- 6
- Occupation code
- 999
- Human factor
- 9
- Environmental factor
- 11
- Hazardous substance
- 8880
- Task assigned
- 1
-
#2 Hospitalized Age 26 M
- Nature of injury
- 5
- Part of body
- 19
- Event type
- 1
- Source
- 6
- Occupation code
- 48
- Human factor
- 9
- Environmental factor
- 11
- Hazardous substance
- 8880
- Task assigned
- 1
-
#3 Hospitalized Age 43 M
- Nature of injury
- 5
- Part of body
- 19
- Event type
- 1
- Source
- 6
- Occupation code
- 999
- Human factor
- 9
- Environmental factor
- 11
- Hazardous substance
- 8880
- Task assigned
- 2
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.