Accident Report Detail

Accident Summary Nr: 201486107 - Employee killed in chemical explosion

Accident Summary Nr: 201486107 -- Report ID: 0950627 -- Event Date: 09/12/2003
Inspection Nr	Date Opened	SIC	NAICS	Establishment Name
120340492	09/16/2003	1711	238220	Jenson Mechanical, Inc.

Abstract: At approximately 11:15 a.m. on September 12, 2003, Employee #1, a mechanic, was working in a propellant mix building owned by a different employer that made solid fuel rockets and missiles for the aerospace and defense industries. He was using a portable band saw to cut into a stainless-steel, 2 in. thick vacuum line designed to pull air from the rocket fuel being mixed. Employee #1 had partially cut the line when it exploded and he was killed. Subsequent investigation revealed that the inside of the line was contaminated with particles of HMX explosive and ammonium perchlorate, the latter having a particle size of less than 15 microns. The employer that owned the building failed to ensure that the line had been decontaminated of all explosive materials before Employee #1 began hot work.

Keywords: PORTABLE POWER TOOL, HEAT, BANDSAW, EXPLOSIVE MIXING, CONSTRUCTION, EXPLOSION, CHEMICAL REACTION, COMBUSTIBLE DUST, CHEMICAL

Accident Details
End Use		Project Type		Project Cost	Stories	Non-building Height	Fatality
Manufacturing plant		Maintenance or repair		$500,000 to $1,000,000	2		X

Employee Details
Employee #	Inspection Nr	Age	Sex	Degree of Injury	Nature of Injury	Occupation	Construction
1	120340492			Fatality	Other	Occupation not reported	Distance of Fall: feet Worker Height Above Ground/Floor: feet Cause: Interior plumbing, ducting, electrical work Fatality Cause: Fire/explosion

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