Accident Report Detail

Accident Summary Nr: 200810182 - Employee killed when LP gas torch sets off tanker explosion

Accident Summary Nr: 200810182 -- Report ID: 0627400 -- Event Date: 12/03/1996
Inspection Nr	Date Opened	SIC	NAICS	Establishment Name
300572906	12/03/1996	0211	0	Cottonwood Feeders I, Ltd.

Abstract: Employee #1, a feed truck operator, was standing atop a tank containing tallow. For the last few days, torches fueled by LP gas had been used to heat the interior of the tank and to liquefy the tallow for pumping. On the day of the accident, Employee #1 placed a lit torch in a small hatchway in the top of the tank and left it there for between one and two hours. The torch went out, creating an explosive atmosphere inside the tank. As Employee #1 was relighting the torch, the tank exploded. The top of the tank was torn off, and Employee #1 was thrown over 100 ft by the blast. He was killed.

Keywords: EJECTED, FLAMMABLE LIQUID, FLAMMABLE VAPORS, AGRICULTURE, TORCH, EXPLOSION, LP GAS, COMBUSTIBLE LIQUID, CHEMICAL VAPOR, TANK

Employee Details
Employee #	Inspection Nr	Age	Sex	Degree of Injury	Nature of Injury	Occupation
1	300572906			Fatality	Other	Mixing and blending machine operators

Thank You for Visiting Our Website

You are exiting the Department of Labor's Web server.

The Department of Labor does not endorse, takes no responsibility for, and exercises no control over the linked organization or its views, or contents, nor does it vouch for the accuracy or accessibility of the information contained on the destination server. The Department of Labor also cannot authorize the use of copyrighted materials contained in linked Web sites. Users must request such authorization from the sponsor of the linked Web site. Thank you for visiting our site. Please click the button below to continue.