OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #14232136
PENNZOIL PRODUCTS COMPANY
WEST UNION, WV·
Event description
EMPLOYEE KILLED WHEN FLASH FIRE ERUPTS
Investigation abstract
On February 10, 1989, Employee #1 was working alone in a remote area checking ga ames, but received severe second- and third-degree burns. He summoned help from a farmhouse approximately a half-mile away. Employee #1 was flown by Life Flight helicopter to the Pittsburgh, PA burn center, where he died on April 12, 1989. s well meters stations and blowing off drip gas from lines when necessary. Tempe ratures were below freezing and Employee #1 found that the valve to blow the dri p gas had frozen. The valve was at ground level so he took some old rags and lai d them across the valve and set them on fire thawing the frozen valve. Employee #1 threw the still smoldering rags over a barbed wire fence, which was upwind of the valve where drip gas is blown off. When he started blowing the drip off, th e gas vapors drifted upwind and the still smoldering rags ignited the vapors and engulfed Employee #1 in flames. He rolled on the ground and extinguished the fl
Victim
-
#1 Fatality Age 58 M
- Nature of injury
- 5
- Part of body
- 19
- Event type
- 14
- Source
- 16
- Occupation code
- 867
- Human factor
- 1
- Environmental factor
- 10
- Hazardous substance
- 1640
- Task assigned
- 1
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