Inspection Detail

Inspection: 1961440 - Haines City Electric Inc.

Inspection Information - Office: Savannah Area Office

Investigation Summary

ON FEBRUARY 4, 1885, AT 9:30 AM, THE PRIME CONTRACTOR WAS RUNNING AN EXPERIMENT, BY COMPUTER, ON THE #10 DIGESTER. A SUBCONTRACTOR AND A PLANT EMPLOYEE WERE ASSISTING. A BLOW LINE PLUGGED. AIR AND STEAM FAILED TO CLEAR THE LINE. A SUBCONTRACTOR EMPLOYEE PULLED THE CARDS FROM THE BAILEY CONTROL NET 90 DISTRIBUTIVE CONTROL SYSTEM (COMPUTER). REMOVAL OF THE CARDS CAUSED THREE VALVES TO OPEN. THE OPENING OF TWO OF THESE VALVES CAUSED THE WARM LIQUOR ACCUMULATOR TANK TO OVERPRESSURIZE. THE TANK RUPTURED AT THE TOP WELDED SEAMS, BLOWING HOT BLACK LIQUOR ONTO EMPLOYEES #1 THROUGH #9, WHO WERE WORKING IN PROXIMITY TO THE TANK. THE CARDS SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN PULLED AND THEN PLUGGED BACK IN WITHOUT SETTING THE DEFAULT VALVE FOR "CLOSED". CONTRACTOR PERSONNEL WORKING ON OR AROUND THE TANK SHOULD HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED OF THE EXPERIMENT AND INSTRUCTED TO TAKE THE REQUIRED ACTIONS TO PROTECT THEMSELVES.

Keywords: TANK, BURN, WORK RULES, CONSTRUCTION, RUPTURE, HIGH PRESSURE