OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #14342117
EXPLOSION,DRILL RIG--NON-OIL,BURN,FIRE,CONSTRUCTION,NATURAL GAS
Event description
DRILLED INTO GAS MAIN; EXPLOSION AND FIRE INJURED EMPLOYEES
Investigation abstract
EMPLOYEES #1 AND #2 WERE ON A "DAVEY" DRILL RIG, DRILLING A DOUBLE ROW OF 4 3/4 INCH HOLES TO HONEYCOMB LIMEROCK TO FACILITATE EXCAVATION BY BACKHOE. THEY PLANN ED TO DIG A 16 FOOT DEEP TRENCH FOR THE INSTALLATION OF AN 8 INCH SEWER LINE. TH E DRILL STRUCK A 12 INCH NATURAL GAS MAIN WHICH WAS THOUGHT TO BE WELL CLEAR OF THE DRILLING AREA. AN EXPLOSION AND FIRE RESULTED. BOTH EMPLOYEES SUFFERED SECON D AND THIRD DEGREE BURNS OVER 70 TO 80% OF THEIR BODIES. EMPLOYEE #1 DIED WHILE EMPLOYEE #2 WAS HOSPITALIZED. THIS ACCIDENT COULD HAVE BEEN PREVENTED IF THE GAS MAIN HAD BEEN MORE EXACTLY LOCATED. THE LINE HAD BEEN INSTALLED MORE THAN 15 YE ARS AGO.
Victims (3)
-
#1 Fatality Age 49 M
- Nature of injury
- 5
- Part of body
- 19
- Event type
- 14
- Source
- 16
- Occupation code
- 999
- Human factor
- 4
- Environmental factor
- 7
- Task assigned
- 1
-
#2 Hospitalized Age 22 M
- Nature of injury
- 5
- Part of body
- 19
- Event type
- 14
- Source
- 16
- Occupation code
- 999
- Human factor
- 4
- Environmental factor
- 7
- Task assigned
- 1
-
#981 Degree 0 Age 0
- Nature of injury
- 0
- Part of body
- 0
- Event type
- 0
- Source
- 0
- Occupation code
- 0
- Human factor
- 0
- Environmental factor
- 0
- Task assigned
- 0
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.