OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #14402341
MODERN MACHINE SHOP, INC.
LAREDO, TX·
Event description
Employee killed in tanker explosion
Investigation abstract
At approximately 9:03 a.m. on May 20, 1989, Employee #1 was welding a 3 in. long by 1/4 in. wide crack on the bottom of an aluminum tanker when there was an exp losion. He was decapitated. Coworkers in the area were only slightly injured and none required hospitalization. The tanker was used to haul salt water; it had n ot been cleaned nor had any instruments been used to test the atmosphere inside the tanker prior to welding.
Victim
-
#1 Fatality Age 41 Male
- Nature of injury
- Amputation (1)
- Part of body
- HEAD (13)
- Accident type
- STRUCK BY (1)
- Source of injury
- OTHER (43)
- Occupation
- Occupation not reported (999)
- Human factor
- MISJUDGMENT, HAZ. SITUATION (1)
- Environmental factor
- FLYING OBJECT ACTION (5)
- 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.