Abstract: On October 7, 1995, Employee #1, a supervisor, attempted to move a drum that had been labeled as nonhazardous waste by his employer. The drum exploded and started a fire. Employee #1 died of second- and third-degree burns that covered over 50 percent of his body, as well as severe trauma to both legs. The manifest received by the employer for this drum of waste material indicated that it contained azides. When the employer analyzed a sample of the drum contents for basic characteristics, the presence of water, acid, and a horrible odor were noted. It is quite possible that sodium azide reacted with the acidic aqueous solution to form hydrazoic acid, which has a horrible odor and is a dangerous, unstable, and explosive chemical compound.