Accident Report Detail
Accident Summary Nr: 200370179 - Employee injured when chemical reactor explodes
Inspection Nr | Date Opened | SIC | NAICS | Establishment Name |
---|---|---|---|---|
301765848 | 04/29/1998 | 2869 | 0 | Kings Laboratory Inc. |
Abstract: Employee #1, the operator of a chemical process reactor, was experiencing difficulties with the agitator in a reactor in which a batch of a chemical lachrymator, 2-nitrobenzyl bromide, was being processed. Employee #1 was told to move the mixture to a 55-gallon drum while repairs were being made to the reactor's agitator motor. When the repairs were completed, the process was moved back to the reactor and the reaction restarted. Heat was applied using a steam jacket, but Employee #1 noticed vapors escaping from the flanges. He tightened the flanges down, but vapors kept escaping, so he tried to cool the reaction by removing the steam from the jacket and filling it with water. He repeated this procedure but noticed that the temperature was continuing to go up. He was just leaving to find the maintenance person when the reactor exploded. Employee #1 sustained injuries that required hospitalization.
Employee # | Inspection Nr | Age | Sex | Degree of Injury | Nature of Injury | Occupation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 301765848 | Hospitalized injury | Hearing Loss | Mixing and blending machine operators |