OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #14510994
BURN,FIRE,OIL WELL DRILLING,HOSE,RUPTURE,CRUDE OIL,HIGH PRESSURE,HIGH TEMPERATURE
Event description
EMPLOYEES BURNED IN CRUDE OIL FIRE
Investigation abstract
AT APPROXIMATEKY 5 PM ON MARCH 20, 1986, EMPLOYEE #1 WAS USING A TRUCK MOUNTED H HE WENT TO ASSIST EMPLOYEE #1. BOTH EMPLOYEES WERE TRANSPORTED TO THE HOSPITAL. EMPLOYEE #2 WAS RELEASED THE SAME DAY, BUT EMPLOYEE #1 DIED ON APRIL 17TH AS A R ESULT OF THE SEVERE BURNS HE SUFFERED. CAUSAL FACTORS: THE HOT OIL UNIT HAD NO P RESSURE RELIEF DEVICE ON THE PISTON PUMP; THERE WAS NO CHECK VALVE IN THE OIL LI NE TO PREVENT BACK FLOW FROM THE WELL; THE DISCHARGE LINE WAS NOT PRESSURE TESTE D BEFORE USE. OT OIL UNIT TO PUMP HOT (260 DEGREES) CRUDE OIL, UNDER ABOUT 600 PSI PRESSURE, I NTO THE CASING HEAD OF AN OIL AND GAS PRODUCING WELL. THE HOT OIL WAS BEING USED TO MELT PARAFFIN IN THE WELL. AS EMPLOYEE #1 WAS ENGAGED IN THIS OPERATION, ANO THER EMPLOYEE (EMPLOYEE #2) ARRIVED WITH ANOTHER HOT OIL UNIT AND PARKED ADJACEN T TO THE HOT OIL UNIT IN USE. SUDDENLY A DISCHARGE HOSE RUPTURED AND HOT OIL STA RTED FLOWING BACK FROM THE WELL. THE HOT OIL WAS IGNITED BY FLAMES FROM THE FIRE BOX OF THE HEATER ON THE UNIT IN USE. EMPLOYEE #1 WAS BURNED OVER 97% OF HIS BO DY. EMPLOYEE #2 RECEIVED ONLY MINOR BURNS ON HIS FINGERS WHICH HE SUFFERED WHEN
Victims (2)
-
#1 Fatality Age 25 M
- Nature of injury
- 5
- Part of body
- 4
- Event type
- 14
- Source
- 16
- Occupation code
- 999
- Human factor
- 1
- Environmental factor
- 10
- Hazardous substance
- 8420
- Task assigned
- 1
-
#2 Hospitalized Age 43 M
- Nature of injury
- 5
- Part of body
- 12
- Event type
- 14
- Source
- 16
- Occupation code
- 999
- Human factor
- 1
- Environmental factor
- 10
- Hazardous substance
- 8420
- 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.