104,543Records 70,659Employers 84,666Hospitalizations 27,563Amputations 2015-01-01 2025-09-30
Safety Incidents OSHA Severe Injury Reports · 2015–2025

OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #14332282

BURN,FLAMMABLE VAPORS,TOLUENE,EXPLOSION,LACERATION,ABRASION,ARM,SMOKE INHALATION,LEG

Event
BURN,FLAMMABLE VAPORS,TOLUENE,EXPLOSION,LACERATION,ABRASION,ARM,SMOKE INHALATION,LEG
Linked inspection
No inspection record linked to this accident's victims.
Summary number
14332282
Report ID
418100

Event description

EMPLOYEES INJURED WHEN TOLUENE VAPORS WERE IGNITED

Investigation abstract

AN EXPLOSION IN A TOLUENE RECOVERY ROOM BLEW OUT A PORTION OF THE BUILDING'S ROO F AND PARTS OF ALL FOUR WALLS. THE TOLUENE RECOVERY SYTEM BEING USED WAS A VIC 5 12 VAPOR ADSORBTION SYSTEM. THE ROOM WAS NOT PROPERLY VENTILATED. (THE DECANTER ATMOSPHERIC VENTS WERE VENTED BACK INTO THE ROOM). THERE WERE NO EMPLOYEES IN TH E ROOM AT THE TIME OF THE EXPLOSION, BUT SEVERAL WERE WORKING CLOSE BY. EMPLOYEE #1 WAS HOSPITALIZED FOR SECOND DEGREE BURNS ON HER ARMS AND LEGS. ALL THE OTHER INJURED EMPLOYEES RECEIVED LACERATIONS, ABRASIONS, AND SOME SMOKE INHALATION IN JURIES. NONE OF THESE EMPLOYEES WERE HOSPITALIZED. THE SOURCE OF IGNITION IS UNK NOWN, BUT THOUGHT TO BE LOCATED OUTSIDE THE TOLUENE RECOVERY ROOM.

Victims (9)

  1. #1 Hospitalized Age 31 F

    Nature of injury
    5
    Part of body
    19
    Event type
    14
    Source
    16
    Occupation code
    999
    Human factor
    17
    Environmental factor
    7
    Hazardous substance
    2460
    Task assigned
    1

  2. #2 Non-hospitalized injury Age 65 M

    Nature of injury
    21
    Part of body
    28
    Event type
    8
    Source
    16
    Occupation code
    999
    Human factor
    17
    Environmental factor
    7
    Hazardous substance
    2460
    Task assigned
    1

  3. #3 Non-hospitalized injury Age 22 M

    Nature of injury
    3
    Part of body
    19
    Event type
    1
    Source
    43
    Occupation code
    999
    Human factor
    17
    Environmental factor
    5
    Hazardous substance
    2460
    Task assigned
    1

  4. #4 Non-hospitalized injury Age 52 F

    Nature of injury
    5
    Part of body
    19
    Event type
    14
    Source
    16
    Occupation code
    999
    Human factor
    17
    Environmental factor
    7
    Hazardous substance
    2460
    Task assigned
    1

  5. #5 Non-hospitalized injury Age 19 M

    Nature of injury
    7
    Part of body
    13
    Event type
    1
    Source
    43
    Occupation code
    999
    Human factor
    17
    Environmental factor
    5
    Hazardous substance
    2460
    Task assigned
    1

  6. #6 Non-hospitalized injury Age 20 M

    Nature of injury
    7
    Part of body
    13
    Event type
    1
    Source
    43
    Occupation code
    999
    Human factor
    17
    Environmental factor
    5
    Hazardous substance
    2460
    Task assigned
    1

  7. #7 Non-hospitalized injury Age 25 M

    Nature of injury
    7
    Part of body
    7
    Event type
    1
    Source
    43
    Occupation code
    999
    Human factor
    17
    Environmental factor
    5
    Hazardous substance
    2460
    Task assigned
    1

  8. #8 Non-hospitalized injury Age 26 M

    Nature of injury
    3
    Part of body
    17
    Event type
    1
    Source
    43
    Occupation code
    999
    Human factor
    17
    Environmental factor
    5
    Hazardous substance
    2460
    Task assigned
    1

  9. #9 Non-hospitalized injury Age 63 M

    Nature of injury
    21
    Part of body
    28
    Event type
    8
    Source
    16
    Occupation code
    999
    Human factor
    17
    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.

← Back to accident search