Abstract: At approximately 2:58 p.m. on October 16, 1997, Employee #1 and a coworker were feeding polyethylene netting and plastic film material into a waterbox, which was elevated above a continuously running two-belt (upper and lower) conveyor. To feed the material(s) into the waterbox, the workers had to straddle or balance themselves between the waterbox and a catwalk elevated 62 in. above the conveyor belt machine. The distance from the catwalk to the waterbox was 28 in. The 6 ft wide top conveyor belt had just been repaired, which had involved lowering the belt onto a cavity in the machine that held foam particles. Replacing the belt had taken approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes, during which time the boiler had not been turned off. The foam particles had not been completely cleaned out from the cavity of the machine, and so had been heated up and enclosed by the teflon fiberglass conveyor belt lying on top of them. Before raising the conveyor belt to start production, the second shift supervisor used a portable hand grinder to grind off a metal pin that was too long. He had another worker posted as a fire watch with a fire extinguisher. He had put away the grinder and started to raise the conveyor belt, east side first, when oxygen rushed into the cavity of the machine, where the heated foam particles had been undergoing a process called offgassing. An explosion took place, starting with the east side of the conveyor belt and followed by the west end as the belt was slowly raised. Employee #1 and his coworker were not working from any type of ramp or structure and became engulfed in the flames that erupted during the explosion. Employee #1 sustained acute second- and third-degree burns over 65 perfect of his body, including his hand and face. He also suffered respiratory damage.