Inspection Detail

Inspection: 101114536 - Universal Foods Corporation

Inspection Information - Office: Madison Area Office

Investigation Summary

Employee #1 is thought to have been ramming a 1/2 inch steel pipe into an elbow at the 80 ft point on an approximately 220 ft long stainless steel pipe that was frozen somewhere between two buildings. Because the pipe, which was 2 in. in diameter, had lost its proper pitch, steam was being injected through a 1/2 inch pipe that had been worked 80 ft inside the frozen pipe. Employee #1 had apparently connected an 85 psi air hose onto the other end of the pipe. When the ice inside the pipe released, the ice and other residue was pushed out onto him. Employee #1 suffered third-degree burns to 75 percent of his body from the steam, and died 17 weeks later in the hospital.

Keywords: BURN, MAINTENANCE, WORK RULES, STEAM, PIPE, FROZEN, ACCIDENTAL DISCHARGE