Inspection Detail

Inspection: 309775435 - Carleton Technologies, Inc. Pressure Tech Division

Inspection Information - Office: Department Of Labor, Licensing, And Regulation Division Of Labor And Industry Maryland Occupational Safety And Health

Investigation Summary

At approximately 5:30 p.m. on July 25, 2006, in an attempt to complete an action item from the company's last safety meeting, the employees were attempting to heat cure expired chemicals that they had been collecting for several days, in Oven Number 14 to allow the expired chemicals to be disposed of as solid waste and reduce the company's volume of liquid waste. The Engineering Technician indicated to the employees what the chemicals were and how to dispose of them, because the containers' labels had been covered by the expiration sticker. The employees were instructed to shake and then pour the expired chemicals into aluminum roasting pans. Three small, 9.25-inch by 11.5-inch by 2.5-inch, and six large, 19-inch by 11.25-inch by 3.25-inch, roasting pans and two five to ten pound wax buckets, containing a variety of primers and resins were placed in Oven Number 14. This technique of heat curing expired materials had been done previously, but not such a large quantity at once. Approximately four gallons of the expired chemicals were placed in Oven Number14 around 5:00 p.m., and the temperature was set to 250 degrees Fahrenheit, for a period of 60 minutes. Thirty minutes into the cycle, the explosion occurred. Employee #1, a manufacturing technical leader, heard a popping sound, which appeared to come from the electrical panel of Oven Number 14. He went over to the oven to investigate and noticed that the door to the electrical panel, mounted on the side of the oven, was open. Upon reaching the panel, Employee #1 noticed that the interior of the panel contained brown discolorations, but there was no noticeable odor or smoke. He then flipped the breaker to terminate the electricity to the oven. Immediately after terminating the power, a ball of flames burst toward him and ignited his flesh and clothing. He crawled along the floor to the QA Department and instructed the QA Manager to call emergency medical services and to evacuate the building. Portable fire extinguishers were used to extinguish the burning oven and debris. Employee #1 was taken to the Johns Hopkins Bayview Burn Center, where he was admitted for treatment. He sustained thermal burns to his head, face, neck, arms, and hands.

Keywords: BURN, HEAD, OVEN, FIRE, EXPLOSION, ARM, CHEMICAL VAPOR, ELECTRICAL BOX, FACE, CHEMICAL