OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #639658
GEORGE'S AUTO BODY
PITMAN, NJ·
Event description
EMPLOYEE STRUCK BY LID OF EXPLODING DRUM
Investigation abstract
ON MARCH 22, 1987, AT APPROXIMATELY 5 PM, EMPLOYEE #1 WAS USING A TORCH CUTTER T O REMOVE THE LID OF A 55-GALLON DRUM. THE DRUM HAD PREVIOUSLY CONTAINED LACQUER THINNER AND HAD NOT BEEN PURGED OF THE RESIDUAL FLAMMABLE VAPORS. WHEN THE FLAME CAME INTO CONTACT WITH THESE VAPORS, THE DRUM EXPLODED, PROPELLING THE LID INTO THE HEAD OF EMPOYEE #1. HE WAS FATALLY INJURED. EMPLOYEE #1 WAS USING AN ELECTR IC-OPERATED PLASMA TORCH CUTTER MADE BY THE LINDE COMPANY. THE SERIAL NUMBER WAS 84A-47785, TYPE PCC-31. IT APPEARS THAT EMPLOYEE #1 WAS REMOVING THE LID IN ORD ER TO USE THE DRUM AS A STORAGE SHELF IN THE YARD STORAGE AREA.
Victim
-
#1 Fatality Age 16 M
- Nature of injury
- 12
- Part of body
- 13
- Event type
- 1
- Source
- 7
- Occupation code
- 999
- Human factor
- 1
- Environmental factor
- 15
- 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.