OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #14498182
TEXACO CHEMICAL COMPANY DIV OF TEXACO INC
PORT ARTHUR, TX—
Event description
ETHYLENE VAPOR CLOUD IGNITED, BURNING EMPLOYEES
Investigation abstract
A HIGH PRESSURE ETHYLENE PUMP DEVELOPED AN OVERHEATED BEARING. WHILE THE EMPLOYE ES WERE TRYING TO SHUT DOWN THE PUMP, ONE OF THE MECHANICAL SEALS BLEW OUT. A LA RGE AMOUNT OF LIQUID ETHYLENE WAS RELEASED, FORMING A VAPOR CLOUD. STEAM WAS PUT ON THE LEAK IN AN EFFORT TO DISSIPATE THE ETHYLENE AND EFFORTS BEGUN TO SHUT OF F FLOW OF ETHYLENE TO THE PUMP. THE CLOUD SUDDENLY IGNITED, BURNING THE NEARBY E MPLOYEES.
Victims (8)
-
#1 Fatality Age 55 M
- Nature of injury
- 5
- Part of body
- 9
- Event type
- 1
- Source
- 9
- Occupation code
- 999
- Human factor
- 1
- Environmental factor
- 7
- Task assigned
- 1
-
#2 Hospitalized Age 48 M
- Nature of injury
- 5
- Part of body
- 9
- Event type
- 1
- Source
- 9
- Occupation code
- 999
- Human factor
- 1
- Environmental factor
- 7
- Task assigned
- 1
-
#3 Hospitalized Age 57 M
- Nature of injury
- 5
- Part of body
- 2
- Event type
- 1
- Source
- 9
- Occupation code
- 999
- Human factor
- 1
- Environmental factor
- 7
- Task assigned
- 1
-
#4 Hospitalized Age 52 M
- Nature of injury
- 5
- Part of body
- 2
- Event type
- 1
- Source
- 9
- Occupation code
- 999
- Human factor
- 1
- Environmental factor
- 7
- Task assigned
- 1
-
#5 Hospitalized Age 27 M
- Nature of injury
- 5
- Part of body
- 2
- Event type
- 1
- Source
- 9
- Occupation code
- 999
- Human factor
- 1
- Environmental factor
- 7
- Task assigned
- 1
-
#6 Hospitalized Age 28 M
- Nature of injury
- 5
- Part of body
- 2
- Event type
- 1
- Source
- 9
- Occupation code
- 999
- Human factor
- 1
- Environmental factor
- 7
- Task assigned
- 1
-
#7 Hospitalized Age 38 M
- Nature of injury
- 5
- Part of body
- 2
- Event type
- 1
- Source
- 9
- Occupation code
- 999
- Human factor
- 1
- Environmental factor
- 7
- Task assigned
- 1
-
#8 Non-hospitalized injury Age 29 M
- Nature of injury
- 5
- Part of body
- 2
- Event type
- 1
- Source
- 9
- Occupation code
- 999
- Human factor
- 1
- Environmental factor
- 7
- 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.