OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #14253207
CITY OF DURHAM WATER & SEWER MAINTENANCE DEPT
DURHAM, NC·
Event description
EXPLOSION OF FLAMMBLE VAPORS IN MANHOLE
Investigation abstract
TWO EMPLOYEES WERE PREPARING TO RESTORE SERVICE TO A 24 INCH WATER MAIN. THE WOR K REQUIRED ENTRY INTO A MANHOLE. WATER WAS PUMPED FROM THE MANHOLE FOR APPROXIMA TELY 10 MINUTES. EMPLOYEE #1 ENTERED THE MANHOLE TO OPEN A VALVE WHICH WOULD BLE ED EXCESS AIR FROM THE WATER MAIN. WHILE WAITING FOR THE AIR TO BLEED OFF, EMPLO YEE #1 USED HIS CIGARETTE LIGHTER TO LIGHT A CIGARETTE. AN EXPLOSION RESULTED. T HE EXPLOSION OCCURRED PRIMARILY BECAUSE THE EMPLOYEES DID NOT TEST THE MANHOLE ( A CONFINED SPACE) ATMOSPHERE FOR FLAMMABLE VAPORS OR TOXIC CONCENTRATIONS OF AIR BORNE CONTAMINANTS.
Victim
-
#1 Hospitalized Age 59 M
- Nature of injury
- 5
- Part of body
- 18
- Event type
- 14
- Source
- 19
- Occupation code
- 863
- Human factor
- 1
- Environmental factor
- 7
- Hazardous substance
- 1640
- 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.