Inspection Detail

Inspection: 111534434 - Northwest Natural

Inspection Information - Office: Dosh Seattle Service Location, Seattle, Wa

Investigation Summary

At approximately 9:20 p.m. on May 28, 1990, Employee #1, a Northwest Natural employee, was disconnecting propane tank cylinders from a manifold that supplied a series of grills in an outdoor booth at the Seattle Folklife Festival. Employee #1 had loosened a tubing nut which caused propane to escape. He tried to rethread the nut, recap the tank, and close the tank valve. The valve did not turn either way. Employee #2, also of Northwest Natural, jumped over a table and in front of the tank and attempted to close the valve. The escaping gas was ignited, probably by the pilot light of a grill. Both men were severely burned and hospitalized at Harborview. Employee #2 may have sustained permanent disabling and disfiguring injuries; he sustained 2nd- and 3rd-degree burns on 18 to 20 percent of his body, mainly his face, hands, and feet. Employee #1 sustained 2nd-degree burns over 9 percent of his body (mainly the arms). The employees had not received formal training in the hazards and safe procedures for use of lp gas, nor had they been trained to use a fire extinguisher. Northwest Natural produces the fish cakes that were sold at the festival. Food manufacturing, not preparation, was the employees' normal job assignment.

Keywords: BURN, OPEN VALVE, FIRE, GAS LEAK, PROPANE, ARM, DISCONNECTING MEANS, FACE, TANK