OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #14234777
BURN,LOADING,FLAMMABLE VAPORS,RAILROAD TANK CAR,WORK RULES,FIRE,PROPYLENE,PURGING,SPARK
Event description
EMPLOYEE BURNED IN PROPANE FIRE WHILE LOADING RAIL TANK
Investigation abstract
AT ABOUT 9:30 AM ON MAY 17, 1988, EMPLOYEE #1 WAS LOADING A RAILROAD TANK CAR WI TH LP (PROPYLENE). BEFORE THE LOADING COULD BEGIN HE HAD TO PURGE THE TANK OF AN Y CONTAMINANTS. IN THE PURGING PROCESS, PROPYLENE WAS PUMPED INTO THE CAR WITH T HE VENT OPEN UNTIL PROPYLENE VAPORS COULD BE SEEN VENTING INTO THE ATMOSPHERE. D URING THE PURGING PROCESS, THE VAPORS WERE IGNITED BY A SUSPECTED ELECTROSTATIC OR JUNCTION SPARK. A PRESSURIZED VAPOR FIRE RESULTED. EMPLOYEE #1 WAS HOSPITALIZ ED WITH SEVERE BURNS.
Victim
-
#1 Hospitalized Age 50 F
- Nature of injury
- 4
- Part of body
- 19
- Event type
- 14
- Source
- 16
- Occupation code
- 999
- Human factor
- 17
- Environmental factor
- 10
- Hazardous substance
- 1803
- Task assigned
- 1
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.