Inspection Detail

Inspection: 1571787.015 - Consumers Cooperative Society

Inspection Information - Office: Iowa 0751910

Investigation Summary

At 3:30 p.m. on December 30, 2021, an employee refilled a 500-gallon propane storage tank with with 415 gallons of LP-Gas. The employer was unable to determined if a leak check was performed after the fill. The employee entered the garage to light the pilot light but could not get it to ignite. The employee called a coworker (Service Manager) who instructed the employee to remove the drip cap and purge the line for a couple of minutes. The employee did as he was instructed, but he was located inside a building that had no ventilation where the purged gas was released. After the first attempt to ignite the the pilot light and after it would not light, the employee purged the line a second time letting the gas flow for approximately 2 more minutes. The employee next used a small handheld propane torch in an attempt to get the pilot light lit. As soon as he hit the igniter, a large explosion occurred. The two west and south walls were displaced from the structure under the roof and the two metal garage doors were blown approximately 70 feet away to the edge of the highway. The employee was buried under sheetrock near the furnace but was able to self-extricate himself and call for help. The employee incurred second degree burns to his hands and face and was transported by ambulance to the hospital, where he was transferred and admitted to a burn unit.

Keywords: Burn, Collapse, Engineering Controls, Explosion, Face, Finger, Fire, Flammable Vapors, Fuel Tank, Gas, Gas Leak, Hand, Head, Heat, Ignite, Inexperience, Insufficient Supervision, LP Gas, Lack of Engineering Controls, Lack of Work Procedures, Lpg Container, Malfunction, Misjudgment, Misjudgment of Hazardous Situation, Pilot Light, Projectile, Propane, Propane Torch, Purging, Struck Against, Struck By, Supervision, Ventilation