Inspection Detail

Inspection: 301271359 - Fairbanks Pumping & Thawing

Inspection Information - Office: Alaska Department Of Labor Osh Enforcement

Investigation Summary

At 10:00 a.m. on May 10, 2000, Employee #1, of Fairbanks Pumping and Thawing, was driving a Chrevolet P-30 step van, equipped in back with a boiler mounted to a water tank, east on Badger Road. He was in the northbound merge lane headed onto Richardson Highway when his ball joint broke. He tried to keep control of the van, but the van's broken left front wheel pulled the truck to the left, out of the merging lane, and into the two northbound lanes of traffic, where it struck the rear of another vehicle. The truck then headed into the 18 in. deep, 23 ft wide median, across two lanes of southbound traffic, struck another vehicle, and headed down an embankment before stopping abruptly in soft soil. During the accident, the boiler mounting flanges broke their welds, allowing the boiler to slide forward approximately 2 1/2 ft. It's inspection plate caught an angle iron welded to the water tank and was torn loose, causing steam to pour out into the vehicle. Employee #1 was burned over 95 percent of his body and rushed to the Fairbanks Memorial Hospital. From there, he was flown to Seattle and admitted to the burn unit at Harbor View Hospital. He died there, having been burned to death by the steam from the ruptured boiler.

Keywords: BURN, TRAFFIC ACCIDENT, BOILER, CONSTRUCTION, DRIVER, RUPTURE, STEAM, MECH MALFUNCTION