OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #517060
TOSCO CORPORATION
MARTINEZ, CA·
Event description
One employee killed, another injured in explosion
Investigation abstract
On March 25, 1989, Employee #1 was operating a vacuum truck that was emptying a 5,682-liter lube oil reservoir for the compressor on an alkalization unit. Due t o a mechanical failure of the compressor, isobutane mixed with seal oil and appr oximately 1135 liters of contaminated oil was pumped into the lube oil reservoir . The flash point of the oil was lowered from 198 degrees to 23 degrees Celsius. Employee #1 had not grounded or bonded the truck to control static electricity, and the flammable vapors ignited. The resulting explosion killed Employee #1, a nd caused first-, second-, and third-degree burns over the face, head, hands, an d arms of Employee #2. Employee #2 was hospitalized for his injuries.
Victims (2)
-
#1 Fatality Age 36 Male
- Nature of injury
- Other (21)
- Part of body
- OTHBODYSYS (31)
- Accident type
- OTHER (14)
- Source of injury
- OTHER (43)
- Occupation
- Occupation not reported (999)
- Human factor
- MATER-HANDLG PROCED. INAPPROPR (11)
- Environmental factor
- FLAMMABLE LIQ/SOLID EXPOSURE (10)
- Task assigned
- Task regularly assigned (1)
-
#2 Hospitalized Age 48 Male
- Nature of injury
- Burn/Scald(Heat) (5)
- Part of body
- HEAD (13)
- Accident type
- OTHER (14)
- Source of injury
- OTHER (43)
- Occupation
- Occupation not reported (999)
- Human factor
- MATER-HANDLG PROCED. INAPPROPR (11)
- Environmental factor
- FLAMMABLE LIQ/SOLID EXPOSURE (10)
- Task assigned
- Task regularly assigned (1)
Labels are OSHA's own, from the code dictionary published with the accident-investigation file. The raw code is shown beside each one so this page can be reconciled against OSHA's bulk data. OSHA notes that nature of injury, part of body, source of injury and accident type in this file are not coded to the Occupational Injury and Illness Classification System, and that the occupation titles are not standardised — so these values are not directly comparable with the OIICS-coded severe injury reports.