104,543Records 70,659Employers 84,666Hospitalizations 27,563Amputations 2015-01-01 2025-09-30
Safety Incidents OSHA Severe Injury Reports · 2015–2025

OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #14542633

BURN,SHOULDER,PRESSURE VESSEL,STEAM,EXPLOSION,LACERATION,HIGH PRESSURE,VALVE,FACE

Event
BURN,SHOULDER,PRESSURE VESSEL,STEAM,EXPLOSION,LACERATION,HIGH PRESSURE,VALVE,FACE
Linked inspection
No inspection record linked to this accident's victims.
Summary number
14542633
Report ID
418100

Event description

DYE KETTLE EXPLODED, INJURING EMPLOYEES

Investigation abstract

THIS INCIDENT OCCURRED ABOUT 5 A.M., ON THE THIRD SHIFT. NO PROBLEMS HAD BEEN NO BLOWN OFF THE KETTLE WITH SUCH FORCE THAT IT WENT THROUGH THE ROOF AND LANDED IN ANOTHER COMPANY'S YARD, 600 FEET AWAY. TICED PREVIOUSLY ON THE THIRD SHIFT, BUT KETTLE #5'S RELIEF VALVE HAD OPERATED O NCE ON THE PREVIOUS (SECOND) SHIFT. SUDDENLY, KETTLE #5 CATASTROPHICALLY FAILED. EMPLOYEE #1 WAS THE CLOSEST. HE RECEIVED SOME STEAM BURNS AND A DISLOCATED SHOU LDER. EMPLOYEE #2 WAS IN THE CONTROL ROOM. HE RECEIVED SOME CUTS ON HIS FACE FRO M FLYING GLASS. EMPLOYEE #5 WAS ON TOP OF A NEARBY PIECE OF EQUIPMENT. HE WAS KN OCKED TO THE FLOOR BY THE FORCE OF THE EXPLOSION. THE OTHER TWO EMPLOYEES WERE S LIGHTLY INJURED AS THEY TRIED TO RESCUE FELLOW EMPLOYEES IN THE DARKENED BUILDIN G. THE REASON FOR THE FAILURE OF KETTLE #5 COULD NOT BE DETERMINED. THE LID WAS

Victims (5)

  1. #1 Hospitalized Age 26 M

    Nature of injury
    9
    Part of body
    21
    Event type
    2
    Source
    6
    Occupation code
    999
    Human factor
    14
    Environmental factor
    15
    Task assigned
    1
  2. #2 Hospitalized Age 27 M

    Nature of injury
    7
    Part of body
    9
    Event type
    1
    Source
    20
    Occupation code
    999
    Human factor
    14
    Environmental factor
    5
    Task assigned
    1
  3. #3 Non-hospitalized injury Age 31 M

    Nature of injury
    3
    Part of body
    2
    Event type
    6
    Source
    26
    Occupation code
    999
    Human factor
    1
    Environmental factor
    14
    Hazardous substance
    8390
    Task assigned
    1
  4. #4 Non-hospitalized injury Age 29 M

    Nature of injury
    3
    Part of body
    18
    Event type
    6
    Source
    26
    Occupation code
    999
    Human factor
    1
    Environmental factor
    14
    Hazardous substance
    8390
    Task assigned
    1
  5. #5 Non-hospitalized injury Age 25 M

    Nature of injury
    14
    Part of body
    6
    Event type
    11
    Source
    47
    Occupation code
    999
    Human factor
    14
    Environmental factor
    16
    Hazardous substance
    8130
    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.