OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #14525422
MAINTENANCE,PRESSURE VESSEL,EXPLOSION,HIGH PRESSURE,TANK
Event description
PRESSURIZED VESSEL EXPLODED, KILLING EMPLOYEE ON TOP
Investigation abstract
EMPLOYEE #1 WAS POSITIONED ON TOP OF A PRESSURIZED VESSEL, READING THE PRESSURE GUAGE TO INSURE PROPER INSTALLATION. HE WAS STANDING ON TOP OF A 4 FOOT BY 4 FOO T BY HALF-INCH STEEL PLATE BOLTED TO A 36 INCH DIAMETER PIPE FLANGE. THE PIPE FL ANGE WAS IN TURN BOLTED AT THE FLANGES WHERE A MECHANICAL JOINT AND GASKET WERE JOINED TO A 36 INCH BLANKED-OFF BUTTERFLY VALVE. THE VESSEL WAS INFLATED TO A PR ESSURE WHICH EXCEEDED THE DESIGN LIMIT. IMPROPER TESTING PROCEDURE WAS USED. THE VESSEL EXPLODED, THROWING EMPLOYEE #1 INTO THE AIR. HE RECEIVED EXTENSIVE INTER NAL INJURIES, WHICH RESULTED IN HIS DEATH.
Victim
-
#1 Fatality Age 27 M
- Nature of injury
- 12
- Part of body
- 19
- Event type
- 12
- Source
- 6
- Occupation code
- 999
- Human factor
- 11
- Environmental factor
- 15
- 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.