OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #14217368
ASPHYXIATED,TOLUENE,EXPLOSION,LACERATION,BURN,CONFINED SPACE
Event description
CONFINED SPACE ASPHYXIATION; TANK EXPLOSION
Investigation abstract
EMPLOYEE #1 ENTERED AN EMPTY 10,000 GALLON STORAGE TANK TO CLEAN IT. THE TANK HA G. HE WAS DEAD BEFORE THE BLAST. EMPLOYEE #2 WAS IN THE DIRECT PATH OF THE BLAST AND DIED AS A RESULT OF THE BLAST. EMPLOYEE #3 RECEIVED FIRST AND SECOND DEGREE BURNS, LACERATIONS, AND OTHER INJURIES. EMPLOYEE #4 RECEIVED FIRST AND SECOND D EGREE BURNS TO HIS FACE, NECK AND CHEST. D CONTAINED TOLUENE, AND HAD BEEN EMPTY FOR ALMOST 8 HOURS. EMPLOYEE #1 COLLAPSE D AND FELL TO THE BOTTOM OF THE TANK. HE WAS NOT WEARING A SCBA OR A HARNESS. TH E PHOENIX FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS CALLED TO THE RESCUE. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT USED A K -12 GASOLINE SAW WITH A METAL BLADE TO CUT AN OPENING IN THE SIDE OF THE TANK. T WO VERTICAL CUTS WERE COMPLETED. THE THIRD CUT WAS TWO INCHES FROM COMPLETION WH EN THE EXPLOSION OCCURRED. EMPLOYEE #3 WAS OPERATING THE SAW AND EMPLOYEE #2 WAS STANDING NEXT TO EMPLOYEE #3. EMPLOYEE #4 WAS STANDING SIX TO EIGHT FEET BACK F ROM EMPLOYEES #2 AND #3. EMPLOYEE #1 DIED FROM ASPHYXIATION AND TOLUENE POISONIN
Victims (6)
-
#1 Fatality Age 22 M
- Nature of injury
- 2
- Part of body
- 4
- Event type
- 8
- Source
- 9
- Occupation code
- 999
- Human factor
- 18
- Environmental factor
- 7
- Hazardous substance
- 2460
- Task assigned
- 1
-
#2 Fatality Age 32 M
- Nature of injury
- 21
- Part of body
- 19
- Event type
- 14
- Source
- 43
- Occupation code
- 999
- Human factor
- 1
- Environmental factor
- 9
- Hazardous substance
- 8880
- Task assigned
- 1
-
#3 Hospitalized Age 36 M
- Nature of injury
- 5
- Part of body
- 9
- Event type
- 14
- Source
- 16
- Occupation code
- 999
- Human factor
- 1
- Environmental factor
- 9
- Hazardous substance
- 8880
- Task assigned
- 1
-
#4 Hospitalized Age 30 M
- Nature of injury
- 5
- Part of body
- 19
- Event type
- 14
- Source
- 16
- Occupation code
- 999
- Human factor
- 1
- Environmental factor
- 9
- Hazardous substance
- 8880
- Task assigned
- 1
-
#981 Degree 0 Age 0
- Nature of injury
- 0
- Part of body
- 0
- Event type
- 0
- Source
- 0
- Occupation code
- 0
- Human factor
- 0
- Environmental factor
- 0
- Task assigned
- 0
-
#982 Degree 0 Age 0
- Nature of injury
- 0
- Part of body
- 0
- Event type
- 0
- Source
- 0
- Occupation code
- 0
- Human factor
- 0
- Environmental factor
- 0
- Task assigned
- 0
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.