OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #14303762
BURN,FRACTURE,FIRE,EXPLOSION,CHEMICAL REACTION,CHEMICAL,HIGH TEMPERATURE
Event description
CHEMICAL REACTOR EXPLODED; KILLING AND INJURING EMPLOYEES
Investigation abstract
AT APPROXIMATELY 6:10 AM ON JUNE 12, 1986, (DURING A SHIFT CHANGE) AN APPARENT L OSS OF LIQUID IN THE 4301 REACTOR, USED TO MANUFACTURE METHYLDOPA, CASED AN OVER HEAT CONDITION IN THE REACTOR. THE REACTOR IS LOCATED IN THE MODULAR BUILDING, F ACTORY #1 OF THE MERCK, SHARP AND DOHME COMPANY, QUIMICA, PUERTO RICO. THE REACT OR EXPLODED, CAUSING THE IMMEDIATE DEATHS OF EMPLOYEES #1 THROUGH #3. EMPLOYEES #4 THROUGH #6 SUFFERED BURNS FROM THE FIRE WHICH IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWED THE EXPLOS ION. EMPLOYEES #7 AND #8 RECEIVED FRACTURES.
Victims (8)
-
#1 Fatality Age 46 M
- Nature of injury
- 5
- Part of body
- 4
- Event type
- 13
- Source
- 16
- Occupation code
- 224
- Human factor
- 4
- Environmental factor
- 11
- Hazardous substance
- 8880
- Task assigned
- 1
-
#2 Fatality Age 29 M
- Nature of injury
- 5
- Part of body
- 4
- Event type
- 13
- Source
- 16
- Occupation code
- 224
- Human factor
- 4
- Environmental factor
- 11
- Hazardous substance
- 8880
- Task assigned
- 1
-
#3 Fatality Age 54 M
- Nature of injury
- 5
- Part of body
- 4
- Event type
- 13
- Source
- 16
- Occupation code
- 999
- Human factor
- 4
- Environmental factor
- 11
- Task assigned
- 1
-
#4 Hospitalized Age 36 M
- Nature of injury
- 5
- Part of body
- 4
- Event type
- 3
- Source
- 16
- Occupation code
- 999
- Human factor
- 4
- Environmental factor
- 11
- Task assigned
- 1
-
#5 Hospitalized Age 24 F
- Nature of injury
- 5
- Part of body
- 4
- Event type
- 13
- Source
- 16
- Occupation code
- 999
- Human factor
- 4
- Environmental factor
- 11
- Task assigned
- 1
-
#6 Hospitalized Age 36 M
- Nature of injury
- 5
- Part of body
- 4
- Event type
- 13
- Source
- 16
- Occupation code
- 999
- Human factor
- 4
- Environmental factor
- 11
- Task assigned
- 1
-
#7 Hospitalized Age 44 M
- Nature of injury
- 5
- Part of body
- 4
- Event type
- 13
- Source
- 16
- Occupation code
- 999
- Human factor
- 4
- Environmental factor
- 11
- Task assigned
- 1
-
#8 Hospitalized Age 51 M
- Nature of injury
- 12
- Part of body
- 10
- Event type
- 13
- Source
- 43
- Occupation code
- 999
- Human factor
- 4
- Environmental factor
- 11
- 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.