Inspection Detail

Inspection: 1678723.015 - Olin Winchester, Llc

Inspection Information - Office: Fairview Heights Area Office

Investigation Summary

At 4:45 p.m. on June 22, 2023, an employee working for an ammunition manufacturer was operating a yard truck at a loading dock. The employee was moving a semi-trailer filled with seven carts of shot shell primer material from hazardous area "Zone 1" to "Zone 4". Two coworkers loaded the primer from two ovens onto portable carts which they locked into two rows inside the semi-trailer. The weather was warm and dry, and the loading dock was located outdoors. The employee was operating the truck alone and had pulled approximately 100 feet away the dock. He made a turn when an explosion occurred inside the trailer. The employee was ejected from the cab and pinned under the truck. The cab was equipped with a seat belt. The site is covered by the OSHA Process Safety Management Standard. The employer provided the Process Hazardous Analysis and Written Procedures for the loading of the semi-trailer. However, the Process Hazardous Analysis did not address the loading of the primers into to the trailer. The employee died due to the resultant pressure wave with heat and materials, which included the truck and other flying debris.

Keywords: Air Pressure, Ammunition, Blunt force, Blunt force trauma, Building, Burn, Chemical Reaction, Crushed, Cut, Dock, Dry Explosive, Ejected, Explosion, Explosives, Fire, Flammable Liquid, Heat, High Temperature, Laceration, Lack of Work Procedures, Loading, Loading Dock, Motor Vehicle, Pinned, Process Safety, Seat Belt, Struck By, Trailer, Truck