OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #14352918
LEAK,DIESEL FUEL TANK,FLAMMABLE VAPORS,EXPLOSION,BURN,ACETYLENE TORCH,FIRE,SHIP
Event description
EMPLOYEES BURNED IN FIRE AND EXPLOSION ON SHIP FUEL TANK
Investigation abstract
TWO CONTRACTORS WERE WORKING INSIDE THE ENGINE ROOM OF A VESSEL UNDER CONSTRUCTI RNS. EMPLOYEE #4 WAS TREATED FOR LACERATIONS AND RELEASED. ON. THE PORT AND STARBOARD FUEL TANKS HAD BEEN FILLED WITH 2000 GALLONS OF #2 DI ESEL FUEL. EMPLOYEE #1 WAS USING AN OXYGEN-ACETYLENE WELDING TORCH TO HEAT A PLA STIC TUBE SO IT COULD BE STRETCHED TAUT BETWEEN FITTINGS ON THE PORT FUEL TANK. A STRUCTURAL ERROR HAD BEEN MADE ON THE PORT FUEL TANK DURING FABRICATION; THERE WAS A 3/4-INCH HOLE IN THE WALL OF THE FUEL TANK WHICH HAD NOT BEEN PLUGGED. TH E EMPLOYEE APARENTLY RESTED HIS WELDING TORCH IN THE HOLE AND IT IGNITED THE DIE SEL FUEL VAPORS INSIDE THE TANK, RESULTING IN A FIRE AND EXPLOSION. EMPLOYEE #1 DIED OF SEVERE BURNS. EMPLOYEES #2 AND #3 WERE HOSPITALIZED WITH THIRD DEGREE BU
Victims (4)
-
#1 Fatality Age 32 M
- Nature of injury
- 5
- Part of body
- 4
- Event type
- 14
- Source
- 9
- Occupation code
- 999
- Human factor
- 1
- Environmental factor
- 10
- Task assigned
- 1
-
#2 Hospitalized Age 28 M
- Nature of injury
- 5
- Part of body
- 4
- Event type
- 14
- Source
- 9
- Occupation code
- 999
- Human factor
- 1
- Environmental factor
- 10
- Task assigned
- 1
-
#3 Hospitalized Age 58 M
- Nature of injury
- 5
- Part of body
- 4
- Event type
- 14
- Source
- 9
- Occupation code
- 999
- Human factor
- 1
- Environmental factor
- 10
- Task assigned
- 1
-
#4 Non-hospitalized injury Age 52 M
- Nature of injury
- 7
- Part of body
- 16
- Event type
- 14
- Source
- 9
- Occupation code
- 999
- Human factor
- 1
- Environmental factor
- 10
- 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.