104,543Records 70,659Employers 84,666Hospitalizations 27,563Amputations 2015-01-01 2025-09-30
Safety Incidents OSHA Severe Injury Reports · 2015–2025

OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #14491245

BURN,ABDOMEN,FLAMMABLE VAPORS,SPARK,ARM,FACE,CHEMICAL

Event
BURN,ABDOMEN,FLAMMABLE VAPORS,SPARK,ARM,FACE,CHEMICAL
Linked inspection
No inspection record linked to this accident's victims.
Summary number
14491245
Report ID
214500

Event description

FLAMMABLE VAPORS IGNITED BY SPARK, EMPLOYEES BURNED

Investigation abstract

EMPLOYEES #1 AND #21 WERE ASSIGNED THE JOB OF TENDING A 100 GALLON (WATER JACKET EMPLOYEES AND ALSO RECEIVED INJURIES. ALL THREE EMPLOYEES RECIEVED FIRST AND SE COND DEGREE BURNS ON THEIR FACE, ARMS AND ABDOMEN. EMPLOYEE #2 ALSO RECEIVED SOM E THIRD DEGREE BURNS. NO BONDING OR GROUNDING WAS USED FOR THE TRANSFER OF FLAMM ABLE LIQUIDS; NOR WERE NON-SPARKING TOOLS PROVIDED. ) REACTOR KETTLE OF METHYL METHACRYLATE IN THE MIXING ROOM. EMPLOYEE #1 WAS STAN DING BETWEEN KETTLE #1 AND KETTLE #2, PREPARING TO CHECK THE VISCOSITY OF THE LI QUID PRODUCT. EMPLOYEE #2 WAS STANDING 5 FEET SOUTH OF EMPLOYEE #1, ASKING HIM H OW THE BATCH WAS PROGRESSING. EMPLOYEE #1 USED A METAL WRENCH (VISEGRIPS) TO PRY OPEN THE COVER OF KETTLE #1. THE WRENCH HANDLE STRUCK THE ANGLE IRON SUPPORT FO R THE AGITATOR MOTOR, PRODUCING A SPARK. EMPLOYEE #2 NOTICED THE SPARK, WHICH WA S IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWED BY A MASSIVE "FIRE BALL". EMPLOYEE #1 AND #2 WERE ENGULFE D IN THE FIREBALL. EMPLOYEE #3 CAME TO THE AREA OF KETTLE #1 TO ASSIST THE OTHER

Victims (3)

  1. #1 Hospitalized Age 35 M

    Nature of injury
    5
    Part of body
    19
    Event type
    14
    Source
    16
    Occupation code
    999
    Human factor
    11
    Environmental factor
    10
    Hazardous substance
    1774
    Task assigned
    2

  2. #2 Hospitalized Age 56 M

    Nature of injury
    5
    Part of body
    19
    Event type
    14
    Source
    16
    Occupation code
    999
    Human factor
    11
    Environmental factor
    10
    Hazardous substance
    1774
    Task assigned
    1

  3. #3 Hospitalized Age 30 M

    Nature of injury
    5
    Part of body
    2
    Event type
    14
    Source
    16
    Occupation code
    999
    Human factor
    11
    Environmental factor
    10
    Hazardous substance
    1774
    Task assigned
    2

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.

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