Inspection Detail

Inspection: 18532333 - Frit Car, Inc.

Inspection Information - Office: Nc Department Of Labor - Raleigh

Investigation Summary

Employee #1 was part of a five man crew removing the rubber lining of a railroad tank car to prepare the car for relining. The new process for removing the lining involved an employee on the outside of the car with a gas torch heating the car shell and another employee on the inside of the car scraping off the lining of the shell, loosened by the heating. There were to be two teams heating and scraping and a safety observer. Employee #1 began as the scraper for one pair. The scraper for the other pair had trouble fitting his respirator and had not yet gotten into the car to begin scraping. For some reason, the heater for the other pair began heating the shell of the car at the opposite end of the car, prior to his assigned scraper getting into the car. The heat torch caused the rubber lining at the end of the car to catch on fire because it was not being scraped clear of the heating. Although the safety observer yelled to warn him, Employee #1 suffered burns on 70 percent of his body before getting out of the car.

Keywords: BURN, RAILROAD TANK CAR, WORK RULES, FIRE, TORCH, CUTTING AND BURNING