OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #14499636
BURN,STATIC ELECTRICITY,ELECTRICAL,FLAMMABLE VAPORS,E GI VII,FIRE,NAPHTHA,EXPLOSION,BONDING,SMOKE INHALATION
Event description
EXPLOSION - STATIC ELECTRICITY IGNITED FLAMMABLE VAPORS
Investigation abstract
AN EMPLOYEE WAS USING AN AIR DRIVEN PUMP TO TRANSFER A 50/50-MIXTURE OF N-PROPYL OVE THE OPEN PAIL. THE EMPLOYEE, WHO HAD SEEN THE LIQUID IN THE PAIL BURNING, WE NT TO GET A FIRE EXTINGUISHER THAT WAS LOCATED LESS THAN 25 FEET AWAY. THE BARRE L OF SOLVENT THEN EXPLODED, SPILLING BURNING LIQUID OVER A WIDE AREA. THE AUTOMA TIC SPRINKLER SYSTEM FOR THE AREA AND THE CARBON DIOXIDE SYSTEM FOR A NEARBY PRE SS ACTIVATED AND EXTINGUISHED THE FLAMES BEFORE IT COULD SPREAD TO OTHER BARRELS IN THE AREA. (THE OTHER BARRELS CONTAINED ETHYL ALCOHOL, ISOPROPYL ACETATE, AND OTHER SOLVENTS.) THE EMPLOYEE RECEIVED MINOR BURNS AND WAS HOSPITALIZED FOR HIS INJURIES. NINE OTHER EMPLOYEES IN THE AREA WERE HOSPITALIZED FOR SMOKE INHALATI ON. ACETATE AND VM&P NAPHTHA FROM A 55-GALLON DRUM INTO AN OPEN 2-GALLON PLASTIC PA IL. THE TWO HOSES FROM THE PUMP WERE NON-CONDUCTIVE, AND EACH HAD A METAL NIPPLE ON ITS END. THE PUMP WAS GROUNDED, AND SO WAS THE BARREL. HOWEVER, NEITHER NIPP LE WAS SEPARATELY GROUNDED; THEREFORE, SINCE NON-CONDUCTIVE HOSES WERE USED, THE TRANSFER SYSTEM WAS NOT BONDED THROUGHOUT. THE PLASTIC PAIL WAS SITTING ON TOP OF THE BARREL; AND ONE HOSE WAS PLACED IN THE BARREL, AND THE OTHER IN THE PAIL. THE EMPLOYEE HAD PERFORMED THIS OPERATION "HUNDREDS OF TIMES" WITHOUT INCIDENT, BUT THIS TIME A DISCHARGE OF STATIC ELECTRICITY IGNITED THE FLAMMABLE VAPORS AB
Victims (10)
-
#1 Hospitalized Age 48 M
- Nature of injury
- 5
- Part of body
- 2
- Event type
- 14
- Source
- 16
- Occupation code
- 999
- Human factor
- 6
- Environmental factor
- 10
- Hazardous substance
- 2180
- Task assigned
- 1
-
#10 Hospitalized Age 30 M
- Nature of injury
- 4
- Part of body
- 28
- Event type
- 8
- Source
- 9
- Occupation code
- 999
- Human factor
- 6
- Environmental factor
- 7
- Hazardous substance
- 2180
- Task assigned
- 1
-
#2 Hospitalized Age 60 M
- Nature of injury
- 4
- Part of body
- 28
- Event type
- 8
- Source
- 9
- Occupation code
- 999
- Human factor
- 6
- Environmental factor
- 7
- Hazardous substance
- 2180
- Task assigned
- 1
-
#3 Hospitalized Age 57 M
- Nature of injury
- 4
- Part of body
- 28
- Event type
- 8
- Source
- 9
- Occupation code
- 999
- Human factor
- 6
- Environmental factor
- 7
- Hazardous substance
- 2180
- Task assigned
- 1
-
#4 Hospitalized Age 39 M
- Nature of injury
- 4
- Part of body
- 28
- Event type
- 8
- Source
- 9
- Occupation code
- 999
- Human factor
- 6
- Environmental factor
- 7
- Hazardous substance
- 2180
- Task assigned
- 1
-
#5 Hospitalized Age 39 M
- Nature of injury
- 4
- Part of body
- 28
- Event type
- 8
- Source
- 9
- Occupation code
- 999
- Human factor
- 6
- Environmental factor
- 7
- Hazardous substance
- 2180
- Task assigned
- 1
-
#6 Hospitalized Age 57 M
- Nature of injury
- 4
- Part of body
- 28
- Event type
- 8
- Source
- 9
- Occupation code
- 999
- Human factor
- 6
- Environmental factor
- 7
- Hazardous substance
- 2180
- Task assigned
- 1
-
#7 Hospitalized Age 53 M
- Nature of injury
- 4
- Part of body
- 28
- Event type
- 8
- Source
- 9
- Occupation code
- 999
- Human factor
- 6
- Environmental factor
- 7
- Hazardous substance
- 2180
- Task assigned
- 1
-
#8 Hospitalized Age 49 M
- Nature of injury
- 4
- Part of body
- 28
- Event type
- 8
- Source
- 9
- Occupation code
- 999
- Human factor
- 6
- Environmental factor
- 7
- Hazardous substance
- 2180
- Task assigned
- 1
-
#9 Hospitalized Age 49 M
- Nature of injury
- 4
- Part of body
- 28
- Event type
- 8
- Source
- 9
- Occupation code
- 999
- Human factor
- 6
- Environmental factor
- 7
- Hazardous substance
- 2180
- 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.