OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #14297071
T. FARRELL COMPANY, INC.
GLEN BURNIE, MD·
Event description
SMOKING EMPLOYEE IGNITED PAINT FUMES, CAUSING BURNS
Investigation abstract
EMPLOYEES #1 AND #2 WORKED FOR A WATERPROOFING/CAULKING CONTRACTOR. EMPLOYEE #1 AY, JULY 26, 1986, EMPLOYEE #1 WENT TO WORK AT A TOWN HOUSE PROJECT. THE NEXT DA Y (SUNDAY) BOTH EMPLOYEES WENT TO A SHOPPING MALL WHERE FOUNDATION WORK WAS FINI SHED, BUT A NUMBER OF INSIDE PLANTER BOXES HAD NOT YET BEEN WORKED ON. THE EMPLO YER WAS NOT AWARE THAT THE EMPLOYEES PLANNED TO WORK THAT SUNDAY. NO ONE ELSE WA S PRESENT (EXCEPT THE SECURITY GUARD). THE EMPLOYEES APPLIED P-3100 (RED) PRIMER TO THE INSIDE OF A PLANTER BOX, WHICH WAS ABOUT 15 FEET LONG, 10 FEET WIDE AND 5 FEET DEEP. THEY STARTED TO APPLY THE MEMBRANE. IT WAS VERY HOT (ABOUT 85 TO 90 DEGREESF). EMPLOYEE #1 WAS SMOKING, AND IGNITED THE FLAMMABLE VAPORS. BOTH EMPL OYEES SUSTAINED SEVERE BURNS, MAINLY ABOVE THE WAIST. HAD WORKED EIGHT YEARS IN THE TRADE (THREE WITH HIS CURRENT EMPLOYER). EMPLOYEE #2 HAD BEEN EMPLOYED ONLY THREE DAYS. 90% OF THEIR WORK WAS ON EXTERIOR WALLS AN D FOUNDATIONS, WITH THE OTHER 10% ON DECKS, FOUNTAINS, PLANTER BOXES, ETC. THE M ATERIALS THEY USED IN THEIR WORK WERE W.R. GRACE AND COMPANY'S "BITUTHENE" PRIME R AND SELF-ADHESIVE MEMBRANE. A TYPICAL WORKDAY CONSISTED OF WORK AT A GROUP OF POSSIBLE SITES, TO WHICH THE EMPLOYEES WERE "FREE" TO GO AS CONDITIONS AND THEIR DESIRES DICTATED. EMPLOYEE #1 LIKED TO WORK ON SUNDAYS. THE FLAMMABILITY OF PRI MER WAS WELL KNOWN, BUT NORMALLY NOT A PROBLEM AT OUTDOORS WORK SITES. ON SATURD
Victims (2)
-
#1 Hospitalized Age 26 M
- Nature of injury
- 5
- Part of body
- 19
- Event type
- 14
- Source
- 16
- Occupation code
- 599
- Human factor
- 1
- Environmental factor
- 7
- Hazardous substance
- 2460
- Task assigned
- 1
-
#2 Hospitalized Age 16 M
- Nature of injury
- 5
- Part of body
- 19
- Event type
- 14
- Source
- 16
- Occupation code
- 599
- Human factor
- 1
- Environmental factor
- 7
- Hazardous substance
- 2460
- 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.