Accident Report Detail

Accident Summary Nr: 14301675 - One employee killed, one injured in boiler explosion

Accident Summary Nr: 14301675 -- Report ID: 0653510 -- Event Date: 10/20/1987
Inspection Nr	Date Opened	SIC	NAICS	Establishment Name
104707153	10/21/1987	2911	0	Navajo Refining Company, Llc

Abstract: At 8:25 a.m. on October 20, 1987, Employee #1, the superintendent of the utilities department at the Navajo Refinery in Artesia, NM, was lighting the pilot light on a Holman boiler. Employee #2 was with him. The boiler exploded, forcing both ends outward. A piece of flying debris struck Employee #1 on the right side of his face. He was taken to Artesia General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival. Employee #2 was sent to the same hospital, was treated for shock, and was released after a short period of observation. The exact cause of the accident has not been determined. It is suspected that a faulty electrical relay had caused a release of natural gas into the interior of the boiler before Employee #1 tried to light the pilot light.

Keywords: PILOT LIGHT, HEAD, SHOCK, BOILER, NATURAL GAS, EQUIPMENT FAILURE, EXPLOSION, STRUCK BY, FLYING OBJECT

Employee Details
Employee #	Inspection Nr	Age	Sex	Degree of Injury	Nature of Injury	Occupation
1	104707153			Non Hospitalized injury	Other	Furnace, kiln and oven operators
2	104707153			Fatality	Amputation	Furnace, kiln and oven operators

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