Safety Incidents OSHA Severe Injury Reports · 2015–2025
105,991Records 70,589Employers 85,836Hospitalizations 27,959Amputations 2015-01-01 2025-11-30

OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #867853

DIETZ TANK CLEANING, INC.

Event
BURN, EJECTED, SEVERED, BARGE, FRACTURE, FIRE, EXPLOSION, LACERATION, ARM, CONTUSION
NAICS
000000
Inspection type
Accident-driven
Activity number
#103023081
Employer profile
DIETZ TANK CLEANING, INC.
Summary number
867853
Report ID
522300

Event description

One employee killed, two hurt in river barge explosion

Investigation abstract

At approximately 3:20 p.m. on May 6, 1989, Employees #1, #2, and #3 were standin g on top of the #2 compartment of a three compartment river barge while strippin g the cargo of benzene and venting the compartments. An explosion and fire occur red on the barge. Employee #1 was blown into the water. His arm was severed from the body, and he was killed. Employees #2 and #3 sustained fractures of the leg and body, contusions, lacerations, and burns. The electric equipment used on de ck was not explosion-proof. It was raining and a strong wind was blowing from th e aft to the forward end of the barge.

Victims (3)

  1. #1 Fatality Age 34 Male

    Nature of injury
    Other (21)
    Part of body
    BODYSYSTEM (4)
    Accident type
    OTHER (14)
    Source of injury
    BOAT (4)
    Occupation
    Occupation not reported (999)
    Human factor
    EQUIP. INAPPROPR FOR OPERATION (6)
    Environmental factor
    OTHER (18)
    Task assigned
    Task regularly assigned (1)
  2. #2 Hospitalized Age 24 Male

    Nature of injury
    Fracture (12)
    Part of body
    LEGS (16)
    Accident type
    STRUCK AGAINST (6)
    Source of injury
    BOAT (4)
    Occupation
    Occupation not reported (999)
    Human factor
    EQUIP. INAPPROPR FOR OPERATION (6)
    Environmental factor
    OTHER (18)
    Task assigned
    Task regularly assigned (1)
  3. #3 Non-hospitalized injury Age 24 Male

    Nature of injury
    Bruise/Contus/Abras (3)
    Part of body
    BODYSYSTEM (4)
    Accident type
    STRUCK AGAINST (6)
    Source of injury
    BOAT (4)
    Occupation
    Occupation not reported (999)
    Human factor
    EQUIP. INAPPROPR FOR OPERATION (6)
    Environmental factor
    OTHER (18)
    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.