Translate
Inspection Detail
Inspection: 125777169 - Baldwin Contracting Company Inc
Inspection Information - Office: Sacramento Mining & Tunneling District Office
Site Address:
Baldwin Contracting Company Inc
W End Of 1st Street
Chester, CA 96020
Mailing Address:
1764 Skyway, Chico, CA 95928
Union Status: Union
SIC:2951
NAICS: 0
Inspection Type: Accident
Scope: Complete
Advanced Notice: N
Ownership: Private
Safety/Health: Safety
Close Conference: 08/21/1997
Emphasis: L:Tunnel
Case Closed: 06/24/2005
| Type | Activity Nr | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accident | 361262827 |
| Violations/Penalties | Serious | Willful | Repeat | Other | Unclass | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Violations | 2 | 2 | ||||
| Current Violations | 2 | 2 | ||||
| Initial Penalty | $6,125 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $6,125 |
| Current Penalty | $5,750 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $5,750 |
| FTA Penalty | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| # | Citation ID | Citaton Type | Standard Cited | Issuance Date | Abatement Due Date | Current Penalty | Initial Penalty | FTA Penalty | Contest | Latest Event | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 01001 | Serious | 3328 B | 09/10/1997 | 06/23/1997 | $5,000 | $5,000 | $0 | J - ALJ Decision | ||
| 2. | 02001 | Serious | 23400001 | 09/10/1997 | 06/23/1997 | $750 | $1,125 | $0 | J - ALJ Decision |
Investigation Summary
Employee #1 was a laborer with over three years of experience working with a portable hot asphalt plant. During a cleaning procedure on June 21, 1997, he was on an elevated catwalk near the asphalt dispensing silo. The procedure, which was never discussed with the manufacturer of the portable asphalt plant, involved the deposition of a heated solvent into a hot container that contained an ignition source of unknown origin. When the hot solvent was deposited into the hot environment of the rotary dryer, the solvent quickly evaporated into a fog of solvent vapor and atomized fuel droplets. This mixture of liquid solvent, solvent vapor, and atomized solvent droplets was potentially flammable and explosive at a volumetric concentration in air between 1.0 and 6.0. Because the exhaust fans were not used during the cleanup procedure, a fuel-rich atmosphere of approximately 80 to 90 percent diesel fumes developed inside the rotary dryer/coating chamber area. The mixture exploded and ignited when the fuel to air ratio entered the 1 to 6 range. Employee #1 was engulfed in flames and sustained third-degree burns on his back and arms that required 12 days of hospitalization. The primary cause of this accident was the use of inadequate cleaning procedures that were developed in 1993.
Keywords: BURN, VAPOR, FLAMMABLE LIQUID, FLAMMABLE VAPORS, WORK RULES, CLEANING, FIRE, EXPLOSION, HIGH TEMPERATURE
| # | Inspection | Age | Sex | Degree of Injury | Nature of Injury | Occupation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 125777169 | Hospitalized injury | Burn/Scald(Heat) | Laborers, except construction |