OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #14397483
TU ELECTRIC DIV OF TEXAS UTILITIES GENERATING CO.
ROCKDALE, TX·
Event description
BURN - RESIDUAL FUEL IGNITED BY CUTTING TORCH
Investigation abstract
TWO EMPLOYEES WERE PERFORMING ROUTINE MAINTENANCE AT AN ELECTRIC POWER GENERATIO S BURNED OVER 86 PERCENT OF HIS BODY AND LATER DIED. THE SECOND EMPLOYEE RECEIVE D BURNS ON 10 TO 20 PERCENT OF HIS BODY. HE WAS HOSPITALIZED FOR HIS INJURIES. N PLANT. THEY WERE REMOVING AND INSTALLING FUEL MIXING T'S, BUT THEY HAD NOT PUR GED THE FUEL LINE. THEY HAD ALREADY REMOVED THE PICKUP FUEL MIXING T'S. ONE OF T HE TWO EMPLOYEES WAS USING AN OXY-ACETYLENE TORCH TO CUT BOLTS HOLDING A FUEL TE E IN PLACE. THE WORK WAS BEING PERFORMED 10 TO 12 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND FLOOR. F IRE-FIGHTING EQUIPMENT WAS IN PLACE, AND THE CREW WAS TRAINED IN FIRE-FIGHTING T ECHNIQUES REQUIRED FOR THIS TASK. ALTHOUGH SAFETY BELTS AND LANYARDS WERE AVAILA BLE, THE EMPLOYEES WERE NOT USING THEM. AS THE LAST BOLT WAS CUT AND THE T SEPAR ATED FROM THE LINE, THE RESIDUE LIGNITE IGNITED. THE EMPLOYEE USING THE TORCH WA
Victims (2)
-
#1 Fatality Age 29 Male
- Nature of injury
- Burn/Scald(Heat) (5)
- Part of body
- MULTIPLE (19)
- Accident type
- OTHER (14)
- Source of injury
- FIRE/SMOKE (16)
- Occupation
- Not specified mechanics and repairers (549)
- Human factor
- MATER-HANDLG PROCED. INAPPROPR (11)
- Environmental factor
- OTHER (18)
- Hazardous substance
- C120
- Task assigned
- Task regularly assigned (1)
-
#2 Hospitalized Age 29 Male
- Nature of injury
- Burn/Scald(Heat) (5)
- Part of body
- MULTIPLE (19)
- Accident type
- OTHER (14)
- Source of injury
- FIRE/SMOKE (16)
- Occupation
- Not specified mechanics and repairers (549)
- Human factor
- MATER-HANDLG PROCED. INAPPROPR (11)
- Environmental factor
- OTHER (18)
- Hazardous substance
- C120
- Task assigned
- Task regularly assigned (1)
Labels are OSHA's own, from the code dictionary published with the accident-investigation file. The raw code is shown beside each one so this page can be reconciled against OSHA's bulk data. OSHA notes that nature of injury, part of body, source of injury and accident type in this file are not coded to the Occupational Injury and Illness Classification System, and that the occupation titles are not standardised — so these values are not directly comparable with the OIICS-coded severe injury reports.