TranslateAccident Report Detail
Accident: 201486107 - Employee Killed In Chemical Explosion
| Inspection | Open Date | SIC | Establishment Name |
|---|---|---|---|
| 120340492 | 09/16/2003 | 1711 | Jenson Mechanical, Inc. |
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.
| End Use | Proj Type | Proj Cost | Stories | NonBldgHt | Fatality | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing plant | Maintenance or repair | $500,000 to $1,000,000 | 2 | X | |||
| Employee # | Inspection | Age | Sex | Degree | Nature | Occupation | Construction |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 120340492 | Fatality | Other | Occupation not reported | FallDist: FallHt: Cause: Interior plumbing, ducting, electrical work FatCause: Fire/explosion |