OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #14498695
FIRE EXTINGUISHER,HIGH PRESSURE,STRUCK BY,ARM,FLYING OBJECT,FACE
Event description
PORTABLE FIRE EXTINGUISHER ACTIVATED; STRUCK EMPLOYEE
Investigation abstract
SEVERAL EMPLOYEES WERE CUTTING A HOLE IN THE DECK OF THE SUPPLY BOAT "ELK ARROW" LOYEE #1, WHO WENT TO TAKE THE EXTINGUISHER DOWN A 4 FOOT WHARF LADDER TO THE GR OUND. THE EMPLOYEE WHO HAD PASSED EMPLOYEE #1 THE EXTINGUISHER NOTICED A HISSING SOUND AND A CLOUD OF WHITE DUST. AFTER THE DUST CLEARED, HE SAW EMPLOYEE #1 IN THE WATER BETWEEN THE DOCK AND FLOAT. APPARENTLY, THE EXTINGUISHER PIN HAD BEEN PULLED AND THE EXTINGUISHER ACTIVATED. IT BECAME A PROJECTILE WHILE EMPLOYEE #1 WAS HOLDING IT, AND IT STRUCK HIM IN THE LEFT ARM AND THE LEFT SIDE OF HIS FACE, KILLING HIM. , WHEN A TARPAULIN CAUGHT FIRE. THE EMPLOYEE ON FIRE WATCH EXHAUSTED HIS FIRE EX TINGUISHER, BUT FAILED TO PUT THE FIRE OUT. OTHER EMPLOYEES IN THE VICINITY SAW WHAT WAS HAPPENING AND BEGAN LOOKING FOR MORE FIRE EXTINGUISHERS. ADDITIONAL EXT INGUISHERS WERE OBTAINED AND THE FIRE EXTINGUSHED. THE EMPLOYEES WERE TOLD TO GA THER UP ALL THE EMPTY EXTINGUISHERS AND PLACE THEM IN THE BACK OF A TRUCK, TO BE TAKEN FOR RECHARGING. AN EMPLOYEE NOTICED A FIRE EXTINGUISHER LOCATED ON THE TO P OF A WINGWALL OF DRY DOCK #1. HE KNEW IT HAD BEEN THERE A LONG TIME, SO HE CLI MBED A LADDER TO THE TOP OF THE WINGWALL. HE PASSED THE EXTINGUISHER DOWN TO EMP
Victim
-
#1 Fatality Age 22 M
- Nature of injury
- 6
- Part of body
- 9
- Event type
- 1
- Source
- 19
- Occupation code
- 999
- Human factor
- 18
- Environmental factor
- 5
- 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.