OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #14542070
A. P. GREEN REFRACTORIES COMPANY
MACON, GA—
Event description
EXPLOSION IN BRICK KILN
Investigation abstract
EMPLOYEES #1 AND #2 WERE TRYING TO RELIGHT A KILN WHICH HAD SHUT DOWN AT 4:40 AM E COMPANY NEEDS TO INSTITUTE WRITTEN RELIGHT PROCEDURES. THE BYPASS LINE CUT-OFF VALVE SHOULD BE CLOSED WHEN THE BYPASS SOLENOID VALVE IS NOT BEING USED. A SYST EM IS NEEDED TO MONITOR THE CONCENTRATION OF METHANE IN THE KILN. THE COMPANY NE EDS TO INSTITUTE MAINTENANCE PROCEDURES FOR CHECKING THE PROPER FUNCTIONING OF V ALVES AND OTHER SAFETY EQUIPMENT. . AT 7:30 AM EMPLOYEE #2 HAD CLOSED THE BURNER VALVES. AT 9 AM THEY ATTEMPTED TO RELIGHT THE KILN. UNKNOWN TO THE EMPLOYEES A BYPASS LINE AROUND THE AUTOMATIC S HUT-OFF VALVE WAS LEAKING NATURAL GAS. THIS MEANT THAT FROM THE TIME THE KILN SH UT OFF TILL ABOUT 7:30 GAS HAD BEEN FLOWING THROUGH THE OPEN BURNER VALVES INTO THE KILN. EMPLOYEE #2 WAS ON TOP OF THE BEEHIVE KILN AT ONE OF THE BURNERS. EMPL OYEE #1 WAS ON THE GROUND BY THE AUTOMATIC SHUT OFF. EMPLOYEE #2 ACTIVATED THE I GNITION SOURCE FOR THE BURNER. AN EXPLOSION OCCURRED, BLOWING THE CROWN OFF THE KILN. THE EMPLOYEES SUSTAINED MINOR INJURIES, MOSTLY CUTS REQUIRING STITCHES. TH
Victims (2)
-
#1 Hospitalized Age 40 M
- Nature of injury
- 7
- Part of body
- 19
- Event type
- 1
- Source
- 8
- Occupation code
- 999
- Human factor
- 18
- Environmental factor
- 9
- Hazardous substance
- 1640
- Task assigned
- 1
-
#2 Hospitalized Age 39 M
- Nature of injury
- 7
- Part of body
- 19
- Event type
- 1
- Source
- 8
- Occupation code
- 999
- Human factor
- 18
- Environmental factor
- 9
- Hazardous substance
- 1640
- 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.