OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #14491245
GLOW PLASTICS CORP.
CARLSTADT, NJ—
Event description
FLAMMABLE VAPORS IGNITED BY SPARK, EMPLOYEES BURNED
Investigation abstract
EMPLOYEES #1 AND #21 WERE ASSIGNED THE JOB OF TENDING A 100 GALLON (WATER JACKET EMPLOYEES AND ALSO RECEIVED INJURIES. ALL THREE EMPLOYEES RECIEVED FIRST AND SE COND DEGREE BURNS ON THEIR FACE, ARMS AND ABDOMEN. EMPLOYEE #2 ALSO RECEIVED SOM E THIRD DEGREE BURNS. NO BONDING OR GROUNDING WAS USED FOR THE TRANSFER OF FLAMM ABLE LIQUIDS; NOR WERE NON-SPARKING TOOLS PROVIDED. ) REACTOR KETTLE OF METHYL METHACRYLATE IN THE MIXING ROOM. EMPLOYEE #1 WAS STAN DING BETWEEN KETTLE #1 AND KETTLE #2, PREPARING TO CHECK THE VISCOSITY OF THE LI QUID PRODUCT. EMPLOYEE #2 WAS STANDING 5 FEET SOUTH OF EMPLOYEE #1, ASKING HIM H OW THE BATCH WAS PROGRESSING. EMPLOYEE #1 USED A METAL WRENCH (VISEGRIPS) TO PRY OPEN THE COVER OF KETTLE #1. THE WRENCH HANDLE STRUCK THE ANGLE IRON SUPPORT FO R THE AGITATOR MOTOR, PRODUCING A SPARK. EMPLOYEE #2 NOTICED THE SPARK, WHICH WA S IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWED BY A MASSIVE "FIRE BALL". EMPLOYEE #1 AND #2 WERE ENGULFE D IN THE FIREBALL. EMPLOYEE #3 CAME TO THE AREA OF KETTLE #1 TO ASSIST THE OTHER
Victims (3)
-
#1 Hospitalized Age 35 M
- Nature of injury
- 5
- Part of body
- 19
- Event type
- 14
- Source
- 16
- Occupation code
- 999
- Human factor
- 11
- Environmental factor
- 10
- Hazardous substance
- 1774
- Task assigned
- 2
-
#2 Hospitalized Age 56 M
- Nature of injury
- 5
- Part of body
- 19
- Event type
- 14
- Source
- 16
- Occupation code
- 999
- Human factor
- 11
- Environmental factor
- 10
- Hazardous substance
- 1774
- Task assigned
- 1
-
#3 Hospitalized Age 30 M
- Nature of injury
- 5
- Part of body
- 2
- Event type
- 14
- Source
- 16
- Occupation code
- 999
- Human factor
- 11
- Environmental factor
- 10
- Hazardous substance
- 1774
- 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.