OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #14346365
FLAMMABLE VAPORS,EXPLOSION,STYRENE,SPARK,TANK
Event description
STYRENE VAPORS EXPLODED, KILLING EMPLOYEE
Investigation abstract
ON SEPTEMBER 7, 1985, EMPLOYEE #1 SLID A LID FROM THE STYRENE TANK AT THE AZS CO RPORATION. WHEN HE SLID THE LID BACK WITH HIS FOOT IT PROBABLY DROPPED, PUTTING PRESSURE ON THE BOLT. IT SPRANG BACK, CREATING FRICTION ON THE BOLT WHICH CAUSED A SPARK TO BE GENERATED. THE SPARK IGNITED THE FLAMMABLE VAPORS AND CAUSED AN E XPLOSION. EMPLOYEE #1 WAS HOSPITALIZED AND DIED ONE WEEK LATER.
Victim
-
#1 Fatality Age 27 M
- Nature of injury
- 4
- Part of body
- 5
- Event type
- 1
- Source
- 9
- Occupation code
- 999
- Human factor
- 4
- Environmental factor
- 7
- 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.