OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #787309
VAPOR,VENTILATION,FLAMMABLE VAPORS,WORK RULES,FIRE,EXPLOSION,TANK
Event description
One employee killed, one injured in tank explosion
Investigation abstract
A contractor had been hired to decommission an approximately 2,000 gallon capaci acked into the tank. The tank exploded and the explosion killed Employee #1 and seriously injured Employee #2. ty underground gas tank from a nonfunctioning gas station. He had pumped 200 gal lons of unleaded gas out of the tank into 55 gallon barrels. The last 55 gallons of gas were mixed with water. The contractor wanted to salvage the tank for his company's use as a diesel tank and took it to his property, where it appears he intended to cut a hole with a torch in the bottom of the tank to clean it out. The tank had not been flushed, ventilated, or tested for vapors. To test for vap ors before cutting, Employee #1 held a 4 ft stick with a burning piece of paper on it up to the vapor vent hole at the top of the tank. The vapors ignited and b
Victims (2)
-
#1 Fatality Age 42 M
- Nature of injury
- 12
- Part of body
- 4
- Event type
- 1
- Source
- 9
- Occupation code
- 558
- Human factor
- 11
- Environmental factor
- 7
- Hazardous substance
- 1340
- Task assigned
- 1
-
#2 Hospitalized Age 23 M
- Nature of injury
- 12
- Part of body
- 2
- Event type
- 6
- Source
- 9
- Occupation code
- 599
- Human factor
- 11
- Environmental factor
- 7
- Hazardous substance
- 1340
- Task assigned
- 1
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