UNITED STATES
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

At 11:15 a.m. on July 8, 2020, two employees were working for a merchant wholesa ler of recyclable materials. Employee #1 transported approximately nine compress ed natural gas (CNG) cylinders from the firm's scrapyard into the garage with a forklift to dismantle and dispose of the cylinders. The cylinders' valves were s till attached. Employee #1 positioned the cylinders side-by-side on the ground. Employee #1 then used a gas-operated Stihl TS420 cut-off saw to cut triangles in to the CNG cylinders. He did not purge the CNG cylinders first. Among the cylind er he cut without incident was a Luxfer aluminum CNG cylinder overwrapped with c arbon fiber. It had serial number ADX6151. When employee #1 attempted to cut int o the fourth CNG cylinder, the cut-off saw produced frictional heat and sparks w hile cutting. There were residual amounts of compressed natural gas remaining in the cylinder. It exploded. Employee #1 suffered multiple injuries. He was kille d. Employee #2 was walking through the area when the explosion occurred. He expe rienced hearing loss in his left ear. The hearing loss was temporary. He was not hospitalized.