Abstract: Employee #1, a 37-year-old employee of Apple Ford, Inc., used an oxyacetylene cutting torch in an attempt to provide a vent hole in the lid of a 55-gallon steel drum. The lid covering the venting hole was rusted shut. With the exception of a hole approximately 1 inch in diameter, the drum lid did not have a means of releasing internal substances or pressures. Employee #1 was standing over the drum lid, applying the torch to the center of the lid. Before he could penetrate the steel, the lid blew off the drum, striking his chest and face. He sustained lacerations to the face (6 inches long) and chest. The drum had previously contained Kar Kraft KK-1000 formula wax, which decomposes into carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide; carbon monoxide is a flammable gas. Employee #1 had not been trained in hazard recognition. The lid of the drum contained a torch usage warning. This was a nonroutine task.