105,313Records 71,083Employers 85,290Hospitalizations 27,770Amputations 2015-01-01 2025-10-31
Safety Incidents OSHA Severe Injury Reports · 2015–2025

OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #848572

BURN,VENTILATION,FLAMMABLE VAPORS,WORK RULES,FIRE,LIGHTING FIXTURE,SPRAY PAINTING,STORAGE TANK,EXPLOSION

Event
BURN,VENTILATION,FLAMMABLE VAPORS,WORK RULES,FIRE,LIGHTING FIXTURE,SPRAY PAINTING,STORAGE TANK,EXPLOSION
Linked inspection
No inspection record linked to this accident's victims.
Summary number
848572
Report ID
524200

Event description

Employee dies from burns after tank fire

Investigation abstract

At approximately 3:00 p.m. on September 29, 1988, Employee #1 was applying an ep ion could have been prevented. oxy paint with a spray gun on the interior of a 60,000 gallon circular above gro und storage tank inside a cookie bakery. The two-part epoxy cast emitted flammab le vapors. The lighting source used inside the tank was a portable, hand-held fl ood lamp that was not explosion proof. The flood lamp was either dropped or bump ed, breaking its bulb and igniting the flammable vapors. The subsequent fire bur ned Employee #1 over 90 percent of his body. He died the next day. If an explosi on proof lamp fixture for Class 1, Division 1 locations had been used and/or an air horn had been used for evacuating explosive vapors from the tank, the explos

Victim

  1. #1 Fatality Age 44 M

    Nature of injury
    5
    Part of body
    19
    Event type
    14
    Source
    16
    Occupation code
    999
    Human factor
    12
    Environmental factor
    10
    Task assigned
    1

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