UNITED STATES
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

At approximately 11:46 a.m. on July 28, 2013, Employee #1 was involved in the filming of a music video with smoke effects and participated in various scenes under the direction of a coworker. The scenes were filmed in a stage prop room approximately 9-ft by 9-ft and located in a vacant warehouse. Employee #1 was asked to run into the room illuminated by stage lighting and recorded by a videographer. On some occasions, a colored powder, Holi Powder, would be atomized around her. This activity had been performed on other occasions without incident. A close-up scene was setup with the colored powder placed into a funnel attached to a compressed air line next to and pointing at Employee #1. A high intensity and hot stage light was set between the powder funnel and her, designed to blow the colored powder onto herself. At the directed time, a coworker activated a manual valve that forced compressed air into the funnel that atomized the colored powder and blew it onto Employee #1. When the colored powder reached her, it ignited from either the hot stage light or static electricity, causing a flash fire that burned her costume, tights and hair. She also received facial burns in the incident. Stage personnel used portable fire extinguishers to put out the fire. Employee #1 received treatment at a medical center and then was released. The colored powder was determined to be 99.3 percent corn starch, which when it was atomized by the compressed air became a combustible dust that was ignited by the hot stage light or static electricity.