OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #14259386
SUN EXPLORATION AND PRODUCTION CO
LOTTIE, LA—
Event description
EMPLOYEES BURNED IN PROPANE FIRE
Investigation abstract
A GAS PROCESSING PLANT WAS ENGAGED IN A "MINOR" TURNAROUND, DUE TO A LEAK OF THE THE EMPLOYEES IN THE IMMEDIATE AREA WERE BURNED. PLANT PRODUCT INTO THE COOLING WATER. IN ONE SYSTEM PROPANE GAS IS SENT THROUGH A CONDENSER AT 100 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT AND 90 PSI, WHERE IT IS COOLED AND LIQUIF IED. IT IS THEN STORED IN AN 8000 GALLON ACCUMULATOR VESSEL. THERE WAS NO BLOCK VALVE BETWEEN THE ACCUMULATOR AND THE CONDENSER. EMPLOYEE #7 REMOVED A 1/2 INCH DRAIN VALVE FROM THE SHELL SIDE OF THE PROPANE CONDENSER, WHICH WAS STILL UNDER PRESSURE. THIS CAUSED A RELEASE OF PROPANE GAS, WHICH LASTED FOUR TO SIX MINUTES BEFORE IT IGNITED. THEY WERE UNABLE TO BLOCK IN THE CONDENSER AND APPROXIMATELY 3000 GALLONS OF PROPANE IN THE ACCUMULATOR VESSEL VAPORIZED AND BURNED. ALL OF
Victims (7)
-
#1 Hospitalized Age 32 M
- Nature of injury
- 5
- Part of body
- 19
- Event type
- 14
- Source
- 16
- Occupation code
- 999
- Human factor
- 17
- Environmental factor
- 10
- Hazardous substance
- 2150
- Task assigned
- 1
-
#2 Hospitalized Age 29 M
- Nature of injury
- 5
- Part of body
- 19
- Event type
- 14
- Source
- 16
- Occupation code
- 999
- Human factor
- 17
- Environmental factor
- 10
- Hazardous substance
- 2150
- Task assigned
- 1
-
#3 Hospitalized Age 46 M
- Nature of injury
- 5
- Part of body
- 19
- Event type
- 14
- Source
- 16
- Occupation code
- 999
- Human factor
- 17
- Environmental factor
- 10
- Hazardous substance
- 2150
- Task assigned
- 1
-
#4 Hospitalized Age 48 M
- Nature of injury
- 5
- Part of body
- 19
- Event type
- 14
- Source
- 16
- Occupation code
- 999
- Human factor
- 17
- Environmental factor
- 10
- Hazardous substance
- 2150
- Task assigned
- 1
-
#5 Hospitalized Age 25 M
- Nature of injury
- 3
- Part of body
- 13
- Event type
- 6
- Source
- 16
- Occupation code
- 999
- Human factor
- 17
- Environmental factor
- 10
- Hazardous substance
- 2150
- Task assigned
- 1
-
#6 Hospitalized Age 36 M
- Nature of injury
- 20
- Part of body
- 3
- Event type
- 5
- Source
- 16
- Occupation code
- 999
- Human factor
- 17
- Environmental factor
- 10
- Hazardous substance
- 2150
- Task assigned
- 1
-
#7 Hospitalized Age 59 M
- Nature of injury
- 5
- Part of body
- 19
- Event type
- 14
- Source
- 16
- Occupation code
- 999
- Human factor
- 17
- Environmental factor
- 10
- Hazardous substance
- 2150
- 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.