OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #221390396

THOMPSONGAS, LLC

LAYTONSVILLE, MD· 2021-09-07T00:00:00

Event: Arm, Basement, Blunt force, Blunt force trauma, Brain, Building, Chemical, Commercial Building, Contusion, Explosion, Flying Object, Foot, Fracture, Gas, Gas Leak, Glass, Head, Inspecting, Inspection, Knee, Laceration, Landscaping, Leak, Leg, Manager, Misjudgment, Misjudgment of Hazardous Situation, Mouth, Multi-employer Worksite, Multiemployer, Propane, Struck Against, Struck By, Tank, Technician, Test Equipment, Testing, Throat, Thrown, Traumatic Brain Injury, Ventilation, Wood
NAICS: 221210
Inspection type: Accident-driven
Activity number: #345516173
Employer profile: THOMPSONGAS, LLC
Summary number: 221390396
Report ID: 0352440

Event description

Two employees sustain multiple trauma in propane explosion

Investigation abstract

At 7:45 a.m. on September 7, 2021, Employee #1, a manager, and Employee #2, a underground propane tanks to perform leak tests. Employee #2 shut the gas off to both tanks. The 1,000-gallon tank supplied gas to the corporate building, and the 500-gallon tank supplied the house. Employee #1 reported that the meter for the 500-gallon tank was at zero. After shutting off both tanks, Employee #2 followed Employee #1 into the basement where the tank had been supplying gas to the furnace and water heater. In the basement the gas odor grew stronger. Employee #2 said they should go outside. Once outside, Employee #2 performed a leak test and checked pressure gauges and the regulator and removed gauges on the tank. Employee #2 installed a presto tap on the second stage regulator and turned his back to get another tool when the building exploded. Employee #2 was technician, were working on a historic property. Employee #1 arrived first and thrown approximately 30 feet and was struck by flying glass and wood. He noticed a fire had started and he retrieved a fire extinguisher. A coworker was already using a fire extinguisher until the fire department arrived. Employee # 1 was hospitalized to treat a loss of taste, swallowing issues, memory loss, and leg and head injuries. Employee #2 was hospitalized to treat bruising, cuts, and scrapes to his foot, arm and head. turned on equipment in the buildings. He reported smelling propane gas outside which became stronger as he entered the house. He opened doors and windows to ventilate the house before going to another building. He reported the potential gas leak to his coworkers and called the gas company. Employee #2 was delivering a propane tank when he was dispatched to the house. At approximately 7:15 a.m., Employee #2 arrived on site and was met by Employee #1. Employee #2 stated the odor was not overwhelming and he inspected the 1,000-gallon and 500-gallon

Victims (2)

#1 Hospitalized Age 54 M

Event type
14

Occupation code
549
#2 Hospitalized Age 60 M

Event type
14

Occupation code
8

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.