Inspection Detail

Inspection: 105700199 - C & M Oil Distributing Inc.

Inspection Information - Office: Va-E-Norfolk (Regional Office) - Safety 0355112

Investigation Summary

At 10:20 p.m. on February 2, 1989, Employee #1 and two companions arrived at the C & M Establishment. Employee #1 immediately started safety checks on the tractor trailer oil tanker that he was going to drive. His companions stood adjacent to the tanker while he performed the checks. After Employee #1 finished the checks on the ground, he climbed the attached ladder to the top of the tanker. He started at the rear and stopped at all four hatch covers. Because the witness was not in a position to see what Employee #1 was doing, it cannot be determined if he was opening hatch covers to check load levels or just checking to see if the hatch covers were properly secured. At approximately 10:44 p.m., he got to the fourth hatch cover near the front of the tanker. An explosion occurred and a flash fire with a large fireball at the top of the tanker engulfed Employee #1 in flames. Employee #1 suffered third-degree burns over his entire body, and died the next day. A butane lighter and an open pack of cigarettes were found adjacent to the tanker next to his body. Smoking or attempting to light a cigarette around flammable liquids was the most probable cause of the accident.

Keywords: BURN, FLAMMABLE LIQUID, FLAMMABLE VAPORS, WORK RULES, FIRE, OIL TANK, EXPLOSION, SMOKING, TRACTOR TRAILER