OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #14301717
OPERATORS, INC.
FARMINGTON, NM·
Event description
EMPLOYEE KILLED WHEN PIECE OF EXPLODING CONTAINER HIT HIM
Investigation abstract
EMPLOYEE #1 WAS WORKING ALONE, ATTEMPTING TO THAW A FROZEN GAS FLOWLINE BY INJEC TING LIQUID METHANOL INTO THE LINE. A JOB MADE CONTAINER OF APPROXIMATELY 8 GALL ONS WAS PLACED ON A STAND IN FRONT OF THE WELLHEAD AND CONNECTED BY COPPER TUBIN G TO THE FLOWLINE. EMPLOYEE #1 WAS STANDING APPROXIMATELY 3 FEET IN FRONT OF THE CONTAINER. PRESUMABLY, HE WAS ADJUSTING THE VALVES WHEN THE END OF THE CONTAINE R BLEW OFF AND STRUCK HIM IN THE HEAD. THE TOP PART OF HIS HEAD WAS SEVERED. EMP LOYEE #1 WAS NOT WEARING A PROTECTIVE HELMET. THE CONTAINER WHICH RUPTURED WAS N OT DESIGNED OR CONSTRUCTED FOR PRESSURIZATION.
Victim
-
#1 Fatality Age 50 M
- Nature of injury
- 7
- Part of body
- 13
- Event type
- 1
- Source
- 35
- Occupation code
- 999
- Human factor
- 6
- Environmental factor
- 15
- Hazardous substance
- 8420
- 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.