OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #14565717
COMFORT PLUMBING ARIZONA INC
CHANDLER, AZ·
Event description
GAS FROM SPACE HEATER EXPLODED, INJURING PLUMBER & COACHES
Investigation abstract
AT APPROXIMATLY 8:50 AM ON THE MORNING OF FEBRUARY 27, 1986, AN EMPLOYEE OF A PL CONTAMINATED ATMOSPHERE IN THE ROOM BOTH IGNITED. AN EXPLOSION RESULTED, CAUSING EXTENSIVE DAMAGE TO THE BUILDING AND SERIOUS INJURY TO FOUR OF THE NINE PEOPLE INJURED. UMBING COMPANY INVOLVED IN A CONSTRUCTION OPERATION WAS PURGING NATURAL GAS LINE S LEADING TO ABOVE GROUND GAS-FIRED SPACE HEATERS. THE EMPLOYEE WAS BELIEVED TO HAVE PURGED FOUR OTHER HEATERS IN THE BUILDING PRIOR TO THE ONE IN THE COACHS' L OCKER ROOM. THE EMPLOYEE ATTEMPTED TO PURGE AND FIRE UP THE HEATER, USING THE TH ERMOSTAT. IT WOULD NOT START. HE THEN ATTEMPTED TO LIGHT THE HEATER WITH A MATCH . THAT METHOD ALSO FAILED. HE THEN UNCOUPLED THE GAS UNION AT THE SPACE HEATER A ND PURGED THE SYSTEM FOR FIVE MINUTES. HE RECONNECTED THE UNION AND SET THE THER MOSTAT TO 80 DEGREES. THE SYSTEM FUNCTIONED AS DESIGNED. THE HEATER AND THE GAS-
Victims (9)
-
#1 Hospitalized Age 22 M
- Nature of injury
- 5
- Part of body
- 19
- Event type
- 14
- Source
- 16
- Occupation code
- 587
- Human factor
- 1
- Environmental factor
- 7
- Hazardous substance
- 8880
- Task assigned
- 1
-
#2 Hospitalized Age 38 M
- Nature of injury
- 5
- Part of body
- 19
- Event type
- 14
- Source
- 16
- Occupation code
- 199
- Human factor
- 1
- Environmental factor
- 7
- Hazardous substance
- 8880
- Task assigned
- 2
-
#3 Hospitalized Age 47 M
- Nature of injury
- 5
- Part of body
- 19
- Event type
- 14
- Source
- 16
- Occupation code
- 199
- Human factor
- 1
- Environmental factor
- 7
- Hazardous substance
- 8880
- Task assigned
- 2
-
#4 Hospitalized Age 43 M
- Nature of injury
- 5
- Part of body
- 19
- Event type
- 14
- Source
- 16
- Occupation code
- 199
- Human factor
- 1
- Environmental factor
- 7
- Hazardous substance
- 8880
- Task assigned
- 2
-
#5 Non-hospitalized injury Age 57 M
- Nature of injury
- 5
- Part of body
- 19
- Event type
- 14
- Source
- 16
- Occupation code
- 199
- Human factor
- 1
- Environmental factor
- 7
- Hazardous substance
- 8880
- Task assigned
- 2
-
#6 Non-hospitalized injury Age 60 M
- Nature of injury
- 5
- Part of body
- 19
- Event type
- 14
- Source
- 16
- Occupation code
- 199
- Human factor
- 1
- Environmental factor
- 7
- Hazardous substance
- 8880
- Task assigned
- 2
-
#7 Non-hospitalized injury Age 23 M
- Nature of injury
- 5
- Part of body
- 19
- Event type
- 14
- Source
- 16
- Occupation code
- 199
- Human factor
- 1
- Environmental factor
- 7
- Hazardous substance
- 8880
- Task assigned
- 2
-
#8 Non-hospitalized injury Age 42 M
- Nature of injury
- 5
- Part of body
- 19
- Event type
- 14
- Source
- 16
- Occupation code
- 199
- Human factor
- 1
- Environmental factor
- 7
- Hazardous substance
- 8880
- Task assigned
- 2
-
#9 Non-hospitalized injury Age 27 M
- Nature of injury
- 5
- Part of body
- 19
- Event type
- 14
- Source
- 16
- Occupation code
- 199
- Human factor
- 1
- Environmental factor
- 7
- Hazardous substance
- 8880
- 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.