Accident Report Detail
Accident Summary Nr: 170570063 - Employee burned in flash fire while cleaning water tank
Inspection Nr | Date Opened | SIC | NAICS | Establishment Name |
---|---|---|---|---|
126477728 | 10/24/1995 | 2899 | 0 | Southern Water Treatment Company, Inc. |
Abstract: At approximately 11:20 a.m. on October 24, 1995, Employee #1 and a coworker were using an air pump to clean out a process water tank used to hold water. The process had not been running properly due to excess carbon disulfide in the storage tank water. Carbon disulfide had also been found in the flow meter that measures water moving from the tank to the reactor; it had been determined that contaminated water from the area surrounding the carbon disulfide bulk storage tank had been pumped into the process water tank. Employee #1 was using a water hose to keep down any sparks, and a flashlight and a drop light to see inside the process tank. The employees smelled carbon disulfide, but no measurements were taken despite its flammability. The water for cleaning had been turned off and on again at a pump when there was a flash and then a fire. Employee #1 sustained second-degree burns over 35 percent of his body, and third-degree burns on his shoulders and arms. He was wearing a Survivair SCBA that protected his face and lungs.
Employee # | Inspection Nr | Age | Sex | Degree of Injury | Nature of Injury | Occupation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 126477728 | Hospitalized injury | Burn/Scald(Heat) | Helpers, mechanics and repairers |