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Inspection Detail
Inspection: 18025767 - Kerr-Mcgee Chemical Corporation/Pigment Plant
Inspection Information - Office: Jackson Area Office
Site Address:
Kerr-Mcgee Chemical Corporation/Pigment Plant
Highway 45 South
Hamilton, MS 39746
Mailing Address:
Post Office Box 180, Hamilton, MS 39746
Union Status: NonUnion
SIC:2816
NAICS: 0
Inspection Type: Accident
Scope: Partial
Advanced Notice: N
Ownership: Private
Safety/Health: Health
Close Conference: 03/29/1988
Emphasis:
Case Closed: 11/22/1989
| Type | Activity Nr | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accident | 360375711 |
| Violations/Penalties | Serious | Willful | Repeat | Other | Unclass | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Violations | 2 | 2 | ||||
| Current Violations | 1 | 1 | ||||
| Initial Penalty | $890 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $890 |
| Current Penalty | $540 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $540 |
| 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 | 5A0001 | 04/19/1988 | 04/22/1988 | $540 | $540 | $0 | 05/10/1988 | - | |
| 2. | 01002 | Serious | 19101200 H01 II | 04/19/1988 | 05/05/1988 | $350 | $350 | $0 | 05/10/1988 | F - Formal Settlement | Citation has been deleted. |
Investigation Summary
Employee #1 was to open a door to ventilate the room that contained the bag filter on top of a silo. The silo had been overfilled with titanium dioxide, which is transferred by a pneumatic conveying system that is operated at a high temperature (180 to 240 degrees Fahrenheit). The overfilling flooded the room with hot titanium dioxide and air, causing several plastic lines containing nitrogen at 125 psi to rupture. The titanium oxide filled the room to a depth of 2 to 3 feet so that the door, which opens inward, had to be cut from its hinges to be opened. Once this was done (about three hours after the nitrogen lines had ruptured), Employee #1 pushed the door in at the top, creating a gap between the door and the door facing. He stepped through the gap into the room, presumably to shut off the nitrogen, but was overcome by the lack of oxygen. A helper with Employee #1 was not able to pull him out of the room alone. By the time help arrived, Employee #1 had died.
Keywords: OXYGEN DEFICIENCY, CONFINED SPACE, INHALATION, NITROGEN, RUPTURE, SCBA, SILO
| # | Inspection | Age | Sex | Degree of Injury | Nature of Injury | Occupation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 18025767 | Fatality | Asphyxia | Occupation not reported |