Abstract: Employee #1 was using a 55-gallon drum to build a water reservoir tank for cooling an air compressor. He used a pneumatic Milwaukee Magnum hammer drill and a 1 in. to drill a hole in the drum. He then donned a welding hood and was using a Lincoln arc welder, apparently to attach a water line to the drum, when a flash occurred. When he touched the top of the drum with the arc welder a second time, the drum exploded. Employee #1 was struck by flying parts and was killed. Approximately three weeks before the accident, the 55-gallon drum was emptied of its contents, a Class 1B flammable identified as Econo Lacquer Thinner, used to thin sealers, lacquers, and stains before they were sprayed onto finished products. Employee #1 had asked for the water hose prior to the accident and it was lying nearby, but it was not known whether the barrel was filled with water when it exploded.