OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #14232151
ASHLAND PETROLEUM COMPANY
KENOVA, WV·
Event description
FLASH FIRE INSIDE TANK DURING CLEANING KILLS ONE
Investigation abstract
Employee #1 and Employee #2 were cleaning the inside of an 80,000 gallon J P-4 j et fuel storage tank using a vacuum system. Both employees were in the tank when it exploded. Employee #1, working near the center of the tank, was engulfed in flames and made his way to the opening with his garments burnt off and crawled o ut. Employees extinguished the fire on Employee #1 who received third degree bur ns on 80 percent of his body and died. Employee #2 was working near the opening and was blown out of the tank and was not injured.
Victim
-
#1 Fatality Age 29 Male
- Nature of injury
- Burn/Scald(Heat) (5)
- Part of body
- MULTIPLE (19)
- Accident type
- OTHER (14)
- Source of injury
- FIRE/SMOKE (16)
- Occupation
- Laborers, except construction (889)
- Human factor
- MISJUDGMENT, HAZ. SITUATION (1)
- Environmental factor
- OTHER (18)
- Hazardous substance
- 2037
- Task assigned
- Task regularly assigned (1)
Labels are OSHA's own, from the code dictionary published with the accident-investigation file. The raw code is shown beside each one so this page can be reconciled against OSHA's bulk data. OSHA notes that nature of injury, part of body, source of injury and accident type in this file are not coded to the Occupational Injury and Illness Classification System, and that the occupation titles are not standardised — so these values are not directly comparable with the OIICS-coded severe injury reports.