Abstract: At 10:20 a.m. on April 21, 1999, Employee #1, a trailer mechanic, suffered second-and-third-degree burns throughout his body due to a fire. The fire initiated when a plastic hydraulic line burst due to unprotected torch cutting within 1-to-1.5-feet of the hydraulic line, which splattered hydraulic oil over his body. Employee #1 passed away the following morning at LA County USC Medical Center. The facility involved in the accident is a small corporation engaged in repairing freight trailers. Employee #1 had been working there for over 10 years, performing all the duties of a mechanic, including acetylene torch cutting and welding. At the time of the accident, he was performing a regularly assigned task of cutting hydraulic leg brackets to install new ones. Since there was no strict policy of using guards to isolate fire hazards from combustibles, the mechanic did not use any barriers while torch cutting in close proximity to the hydraulic lines. Whether a spark or direct flame contacted the plastic line is unknown, but the line ruptured and covered Employee #1 in hydraulic oil, setting his body on fire. A fellow worker extinguished the flames on Employee #1's body with a nearby water hose.