OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #14458731
MAINTENANCE,RELINING,BLAST FURNACE,EXPLOSION
Event description
GAS EXPLOSION
Investigation abstract
ON 2-23-84 AT 1:00 PM., 8 BETHLEHEM STEEL EMPLOYEES WERE INVOLVED IN A RELINING D EMPLOYEE WAS WALKING AWAY FROM THE AREA. EMPLOYEES RECEIVED CONCUSSIONS AND MU LTIPLE INJURIES AS A RESULT OF THE EXPLOSION. TWO OF THE THREE EMPLOYEES THAT WE RE INJURED DIED AS A RESULT OF THEIR INJURIES. THE MATERIAL THAT THE EMPLOYEES W ERE USING HAD ONLY BEEN IN USE A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME AND THE MATERIAL WAS BEING CHECKED TO SEE IF IT COULD BE USED IN THE RELINING OPERATION ON A PERMANENT BAS IS. THE EMPLOYEES HAD MIXED AND POURED 15 TONS OF MATERIAL TO FORM THE SIDES OF THE 36" LONG X 60" WIDE X 48" DEEP RUNNER. THE RUNNER HAD BEEN ALLOWED TO COOL A PERIOD OF 24 HOURS BEFORE THE RELINING OPERATION WAS BEGUN. OPERATION OF THE NUMBER ONE TAP RUNNER IN THE NUMBER CASTHOUSE LOCATED AT THE BA SE OF "L" BLAST FURNACE. THE RUNNER WHICH THE EMPLOYEES WERE RELINING IS USED TO REMOVE THE MOLTON METAL FROM THE FURNACE. THE EMPLOYEES WERE USING A MATERIAL K NOWN AS RAMFRAX NC-25 HM TO FORM THE RUNNER WHICH IS FORMED AROUND PREMOLDED FOR MS WHICH ARE PLACED IN THE RUNNER PRIOR TO THE RELINING OPERATION. AT THE TIME O F THE ACCIDENT THE EMPLOYEES WERE WAITING FOR ANOTHER BATCH OF MATERIAL TO BE MI XED IN A CEMENT MIXER WHICH WAS ON SITE. TWO OF THE THREE EMPLOYEES WHO WERE INJ URED WERE STANDING AT THE END OF THE RUNNER WHERE THE EXPLOSION OCCURRED. THE 3R
Victims (3)
-
#1 Fatality Age 51 M
- Nature of injury
- 6
- Part of body
- 19
- Event type
- 14
- Source
- 19
- Occupation code
- 558
- Human factor
- 14
- Environmental factor
- 7
- Hazardous substance
- 1410
- Task assigned
- 1
-
#2 Fatality Age 62 M
- Nature of injury
- 6
- Part of body
- 19
- Event type
- 14
- Source
- 19
- Occupation code
- 889
- Human factor
- 14
- Environmental factor
- 7
- Hazardous substance
- 1410
- Task assigned
- 1
-
#3 Hospitalized Age 43 M
- Nature of injury
- 6
- Part of body
- 19
- Event type
- 14
- Source
- 19
- Occupation code
- 889
- Human factor
- 14
- Environmental factor
- 7
- Hazardous substance
- 1410
- 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.