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 #571018

BURN,FIRE,RUPTURE,EXPLOSION,LACERATION,PROPANE,CONTUSION

Event
BURN,FIRE,RUPTURE,EXPLOSION,LACERATION,PROPANE,CONTUSION
Linked inspection
No inspection record linked to this accident's victims.
Summary number
571018
Report ID
524530

Event description

FIRE & EXPLOSION IN DEWAX AND DEASPHALT UNIT

Investigation abstract

ON JANUARY 24, 1985, AT 3:50 PM, DURING STAND BY FOR START UP OPERATIONS AT THE OURCE, AND EXPLODED. A SECONDARY FIRE AND EXPLOSION OCCURRED AT THE ADJACENT COM PRESSOR FILTER BUILDING AND ROTATING DISK CONTACTORS (RDC) VESSEL. A TOTAL OF 19 EMPLOYEES RECEIVED MEDICAL TREATMENT, RANGING FROM PROLONGED HOSPITALIZATION FO R BURNS TO FIRST AID FOR CUTS, BRUISES AND RINGING EARS. ONE EMPLOYEE WAS KILLED . SEVEN OF THE EMPLOYEES WORKED IN THE D & D UNIT. OF THE SEVEN, ONE WAS KILLED AND SIX HOSPITALIZED. THE REMAINING 13 EMPLOYEES WORKED IN NEARBY UNITS. THEY RE CEIVED FIRST AID TREATMENT AND WERE RELEASED. DEWAX AND DEASPHALT (D & D) UNIT, A 3 INCH PIPE RUPTURED WHILE PROPANE (UNDER AP PROXIMATELY 100 - 150 POUNDS OF PRESSURE) WAS BEING CIRCULATED. THE RUPTURE WAS LOCATED IN THE VICINITY OF DD 8 (A COLD C3 SURGE VESSEL). THE LIQUID PROPANE DIS CHARGED INTO THE IMMEDIATE AREA, CREATING A DENSE CLOUD ABOUT 5 FEET HIGH. THE D & D UNIT EMPLOYEES COULD NOT LOCATE THE SOURCE OF THE LEAK BECAUSE OF THE DENSE PROPANE CLOUD. THE CLOUD WAS BLOWN TO THE EAST BY A 10 TO 15 KNOT WIND. THE TEM PERATURE WAS APPROXIMATELY 35 DEGREES. THE PROPANE CLOUD CAME IN CONTACT WITH TH E PILOT LIGHTS OF THE DEASPHALT UNIT. THE PROPANE IGNITED, FLASHED BACK TO THE S

Victims (20)

  1. #1 Fatality Age 33 M

    Nature of injury
    5
    Part of body
    4
    Event type
    1
    Source
    16
    Occupation code
    999
    Human factor
    1
    Environmental factor
    5
    Task assigned
    1

  2. #10 Non-hospitalized injury Age 42 M

    Nature of injury
    20
    Part of body
    30
    Event type
    11
    Source
    16
    Occupation code
    999
    Human factor
    1
    Environmental factor
    5
    Task assigned
    1

  3. #11 Non-hospitalized injury Age 50 M

    Nature of injury
    20
    Part of body
    3
    Event type
    1
    Source
    16
    Occupation code
    999
    Human factor
    1
    Environmental factor
    5
    Task assigned
    1

  4. #12 Non-hospitalized injury Age 45 M

    Nature of injury
    18
    Part of body
    14
    Event type
    1
    Source
    16
    Occupation code
    999
    Human factor
    1
    Environmental factor
    5
    Task assigned
    1

  5. #13 Non-hospitalized injury Age 36 M

    Nature of injury
    14
    Part of body
    13
    Event type
    11
    Source
    16
    Occupation code
    999
    Human factor
    1
    Environmental factor
    7
    Task assigned
    1

  6. #14 Non-hospitalized injury Age 40 M

    Nature of injury
    14
    Part of body
    13
    Event type
    11
    Source
    16
    Occupation code
    999
    Human factor
    1
    Environmental factor
    7
    Task assigned
    1

  7. #15 Non-hospitalized injury Age 60 M

    Nature of injury
    3
    Part of body
    11
    Event type
    11
    Source
    16
    Occupation code
    999
    Human factor
    1
    Environmental factor
    7
    Task assigned
    1

  8. #16 Non-hospitalized injury Age 31 M

    Nature of injury
    3
    Part of body
    13
    Event type
    11
    Source
    16
    Occupation code
    999
    Human factor
    1
    Environmental factor
    7
    Task assigned
    1

  9. #17 Non-hospitalized injury Age 32 M

    Nature of injury
    14
    Part of body
    6
    Event type
    11
    Source
    16
    Occupation code
    999
    Human factor
    1
    Environmental factor
    7
    Task assigned
    1

  10. #18 Non-hospitalized injury Age 28 M

    Nature of injury
    14
    Part of body
    6
    Event type
    11
    Source
    16
    Occupation code
    999
    Human factor
    1
    Environmental factor
    7
    Task assigned
    1

  11. #19 Non-hospitalized injury Age 30 M

    Nature of injury
    14
    Part of body
    6
    Event type
    11
    Source
    16
    Occupation code
    999
    Human factor
    1
    Environmental factor
    7
    Task assigned
    1

  12. #2 Hospitalized Age 35 M

    Nature of injury
    5
    Part of body
    9
    Event type
    14
    Source
    16
    Occupation code
    999
    Human factor
    1
    Environmental factor
    7
    Task assigned
    1

  13. #20 Non-hospitalized injury Age 30 M

    Nature of injury
    14
    Part of body
    6
    Event type
    11
    Source
    16
    Occupation code
    999
    Human factor
    1
    Environmental factor
    7
    Task assigned
    1

  14. #3 Hospitalized Age 27 M

    Nature of injury
    5
    Part of body
    9
    Event type
    14
    Source
    16
    Occupation code
    999
    Human factor
    1
    Environmental factor
    7
    Task assigned
    1

  15. #4 Hospitalized Age 52 M

    Nature of injury
    5
    Part of body
    19
    Event type
    14
    Source
    16
    Occupation code
    999
    Human factor
    1
    Environmental factor
    7
    Task assigned
    1

  16. #5 Hospitalized Age 42 M

    Nature of injury
    12
    Part of body
    16
    Event type
    1
    Source
    16
    Occupation code
    999
    Human factor
    1
    Environmental factor
    5
    Task assigned
    1

  17. #6 Hospitalized Age 33 M

    Nature of injury
    7
    Part of body
    13
    Event type
    14
    Source
    16
    Occupation code
    999
    Human factor
    1
    Environmental factor
    5
    Task assigned
    1

  18. #7 Hospitalized Age 28 M

    Nature of injury
    5
    Part of body
    13
    Event type
    14
    Source
    16
    Occupation code
    999
    Human factor
    1
    Environmental factor
    7
    Task assigned
    1

  19. #8 Non-hospitalized injury Age 30 M

    Nature of injury
    7
    Part of body
    10
    Event type
    1
    Source
    16
    Occupation code
    999
    Human factor
    1
    Environmental factor
    5
    Task assigned
    1

  20. #9 Non-hospitalized injury Age 35 M

    Nature of injury
    21
    Part of body
    28
    Event type
    8
    Source
    16
    Occupation code
    999
    Human factor
    1
    Environmental factor
    7
    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.

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