OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #14402705

COASTAL REFINING & MARKETING, INC.

CORPUS CHRISTI, TX· 1989-05-20T00:00:00

Event: LEAK, EXPLOSION, BURN, FLAMMABLE LIQUID, FIRE, WORK RULES, CHEMICAL BURN, PROPANE, FRACTURE, REFINERY
NAICS: 000000
Inspection type: Accident-driven
Activity number: #102331774
Employer profile: COASTAL REFINING & MARKETING, INC.
Summary number: 14402705
Report ID: 626000

Event description

Thirteen injured in refinery explosion and fire

Investigation abstract

At approximately 1:30 p.m. on May 20, 1989, Employee #1 was opening a bleeder va , they suffered sprains, fractures, and bruises from jumping off the scaffold an d running from the area. Employee #1 was under the impression that the line, whi ch was at a pressure of 275 psi, was inactive and that it was ready to be bled d own. In all, 13 employees were injured, three of them seriously enough to requir e hospitalization. lve when propane gas was released from the line. Employees #2 and #4 were insula ting a feed drum from a scaffold above the bleeder valve; and, as they attempted to evacuate the area, an explosion and flash fire occurred. Employees #1, #2, a nd #4 suffered burns and were hospitalized. Employees #5 through #8, members of an emergency response fire fighting company, sustained chemical burns to their l ower limbs and hands from an unknown substance in the water on the ground after it seeped into their personal protective equipment. Employees #9 through #13 had been working from a scaffold 19 ft above the ground. In their efforts to escape

Victims (12)

#1 Hospitalized Age 46 Male

Nature of injury
Burn/Scald(Heat) (5)

Part of body
MULTIPLE (19)

Accident type
CAUGHT IN OR BETWEEN (2)

Source of injury
PETROLEUM PRODUCTS (35)

Occupation
Occupation not reported (999)

Human factor
MALFUNC IN SECURING/WARNING OP (4)

Environmental factor
FLAMMABLE LIQ/SOLID EXPOSURE (10)

Task assigned
Task regularly assigned (1)
#10 Non-hospitalized injury Age 42 Male

Nature of injury
Strain/Sprain (20)

Part of body
FOOT/ANKLE (11)

Accident type
FALL(FROM ELEVATION) (5)

Source of injury
WORKING SURFACE (42)

Occupation
Occupation not reported (999)

Human factor
MALFUNC, NEUROMUSCULAR SYSTEM (7)

Environmental factor
OVERHEAD MOVING/FALLING OBJ AC (6)

Task assigned
Task regularly assigned (1)
#11 Non-hospitalized injury Age 20 Male

Nature of injury
Fracture (12)

Part of body
FOOT/ANKLE (11)

Accident type
FALL(FROM ELEVATION) (5)

Source of injury
WORKING SURFACE (42)

Occupation
Occupation not reported (999)

Human factor
MALFUNC, NEUROMUSCULAR SYSTEM (7)

Environmental factor
OVERHEAD MOVING/FALLING OBJ AC (6)

Task assigned
Task regularly assigned (1)
#12 Non-hospitalized injury Age 34 Male

Nature of injury
Bruise/Contus/Abras (3)

Part of body
WRIST(S) (24)

Accident type
FALL(FROM ELEVATION) (5)

Source of injury
WORKING SURFACE (42)

Occupation
Occupation not reported (999)

Human factor
MALFUNC, NEUROMUSCULAR SYSTEM (7)

Environmental factor
OVERHEAD MOVING/FALLING OBJ AC (6)

Task assigned
Task regularly assigned (1)
#13 Non-hospitalized injury Age 58 Male

Nature of injury
Strain/Sprain (20)

Part of body
LEGS (16)

Accident type
FALL(FROM ELEVATION) (5)

Source of injury
WORKING SURFACE (42)

Occupation
Occupation not reported (999)

Human factor
MALFUNC, NEUROMUSCULAR SYSTEM (7)

Environmental factor
OVERHEAD MOVING/FALLING OBJ AC (6)

Task assigned
Task regularly assigned (1)
#2 Hospitalized Age 46 Male

Nature of injury
Burn/Scald(Heat) (5)

Part of body
MULTIPLE (19)

Accident type
CAUGHT IN OR BETWEEN (2)

Source of injury
PETROLEUM PRODUCTS (35)

Occupation
Occupation not reported (999)

Human factor
OTHER (14)

Environmental factor
FLAMMABLE LIQ/SOLID EXPOSURE (10)

Task assigned
Task regularly assigned (1)
#4 Hospitalized Age 32 Male

Nature of injury
Burn/Scald(Heat) (5)

Part of body
MULTIPLE (19)

Accident type
CAUGHT IN OR BETWEEN (2)

Source of injury
PETROLEUM PRODUCTS (35)

Occupation
Occupation not reported (999)

Human factor
OTHER (14)

Environmental factor
FLAMMABLE LIQ/SOLID EXPOSURE (10)

Task assigned
Task regularly assigned (1)
#5 Non-hospitalized injury Age 45 Male

Nature of injury
Burn(Chemical) (4)

Part of body
LOWER LEG (18)

Accident type
ABSORPTION (10)

Source of injury
CHEM LIQUIDS/VAPORS (9)

Occupation
Occupation not reported (999)

Human factor
POSITION INAPROPRIATE FOR TASK (10)

Environmental factor
CHEMICAL ACTION/REACTION EXPOS (9)

Task assigned
Task regularly assigned (1)
#6 Non-hospitalized injury Age 35 Male

Nature of injury
Burn(Chemical) (4)

Part of body
LOWER LEG (18)

Accident type
ABSORPTION (10)

Source of injury
CHEM LIQUIDS/VAPORS (9)

Occupation
Occupation not reported (999)

Human factor
POSITION INAPROPRIATE FOR TASK (10)

Environmental factor
CHEMICAL ACTION/REACTION EXPOS (9)

Task assigned
Task regularly assigned (1)
#7 Non-hospitalized injury Age 26 Male

Nature of injury
Burn(Chemical) (4)

Part of body
LOWER LEG (18)

Accident type
ABSORPTION (10)

Source of injury
CHEM LIQUIDS/VAPORS (9)

Occupation
Occupation not reported (999)

Human factor
POSITION INAPROPRIATE FOR TASK (10)

Environmental factor
CHEMICAL ACTION/REACTION EXPOS (9)

Task assigned
Task regularly assigned (1)
#8 Non-hospitalized injury Age 22 Male

Nature of injury
Burn(Chemical) (4)

Part of body
LOWER LEG (18)

Accident type
ABSORPTION (10)

Source of injury
CHEM LIQUIDS/VAPORS (9)

Occupation
Occupation not reported (999)

Human factor
POSITION INAPROPRIATE FOR TASK (10)

Environmental factor
CHEMICAL ACTION/REACTION EXPOS (9)

Task assigned
Task regularly assigned (1)
#9 Non-hospitalized injury Age 36 Male

Nature of injury
Bruise/Contus/Abras (3)

Part of body
FOOT/ANKLE (11)

Accident type
FALL(FROM ELEVATION) (5)

Source of injury
WORKING SURFACE (42)

Occupation
Occupation not reported (999)

Human factor
MALFUNC, NEUROMUSCULAR SYSTEM (7)

Environmental factor
OVERHEAD MOVING/FALLING OBJ AC (6)

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.