OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #14225155
DIXON LUMBER COMPANY, INC.
GALAX, VA·
Event description
EMPLOYEES BURNED BY FLASHBACK WHEN DUST IN BOILER IGNITED
Investigation abstract
AT APPROXIMATELY 2:30 PM ON DECEMBER 31, 1986, EMPLOYEES #1 AND #2 WERE PREPARIN G TO START A FIRE IN A BOILER BY INSERTING KINDLING INTO THE FIREBOX. THE TWO EM PLOYEES WERE STANDING IN FRONT OF BOILER #1. APPARENTLY SOME AIRBORNE FINE DUST WAS ENTERING THE FIREBOX WHEN EMPLOYEE #2 INTRODUCED A SOURCE OF IGNITION (A BUR NING ROLLED-UP NEWSPAPER) INSIDE THE BOILER. A FLASHBACK OCCURRED, SEVERELY BURN ING EMPLOYEES #1 AND #2. A REASONABLE CONCLUSION IS THAT A DUST EXPLOSION OCCURR ED BECAUSE OF THE FINE DUST BEING CARRIED INTO THE BOILER BY AIR CURRENTS.
Victims (2)
-
#1 Hospitalized Age 68 M
- Nature of injury
- 5
- Part of body
- 31
- Event type
- 14
- Source
- 6
- Occupation code
- 999
- Human factor
- 1
- Environmental factor
- 18
- Task assigned
- 1
-
#2 Hospitalized Age 72 M
- Nature of injury
- 5
- Part of body
- 31
- Event type
- 14
- Source
- 6
- Occupation code
- 519
- Human factor
- 1
- Environmental factor
- 18
- 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.