OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #14499214
FLAMMABLE VAPORS,FIRE,FRAC TANK,SMOKE,UNTRAINED,HIGH TEMPERATURE
Event description
One employee killed, one injured in frac tower fire
Investigation abstract
Employees #1 and #2 and five coworkers were preparing part of a crude unit for t es recognized the hazardous nature of the situation. urnaround. The system was being washed with water to flush all hydrocarbons into the fractionation tower, where the mixture of water and hydrocarbons was being drained onto the floor and hosed into a nearby open sewer. A series of operating heaters was located 35 to 50 ft downwind. A slug of light hydrocarbons was wash ed from the tower onto the apron. Employee #1 smelled the hydrocarbons and went to the drain valve and closed it. Before he could walk away, the vapors were ign ited by the heater and he was engulfed by a fireball and killed. Employee #2 was overcome by heat and smoke while she was fighting the fire. None of the employe
Victims (2)
-
#1 Fatality Age 38 M
- Nature of injury
- 5
- Part of body
- 28
- Event type
- 8
- Source
- 16
- Occupation code
- 999
- Human factor
- 1
- Environmental factor
- 7
- Task assigned
- 1
-
#2 Hospitalized Age 30 F
- Nature of injury
- 5
- Part of body
- 4
- Event type
- 10
- Source
- 16
- Occupation code
- 999
- Human factor
- 1
- Environmental factor
- 7
- Task assigned
- 1
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