Inspection Detail

Inspection: 312693419 - Rainbow Waterproofing & Restoration Co.

Inspection Information - Office: San Francisco District Office

Investigation Summary

At approximately 2:25 p.m. on June 25, 2012, Employee #1, a Foreman for Rainbow Waterproofing & Restoration Co., was working at a 22-story building site in San Francisco. The building was undergoing extensive exterior restoration due to water damage, including removing the masonry facade and cleaning the rusted steel beam using pneumatic hammers and needle guns. Two gasoline powered air compressors (Rolair Systems with Honda engines, Model #8422HK30) had been placed on the third floor roof of the building. Each compressor had a 1.5-gallon gas tank and a 9-gallon air tank. In addition, each compressor had a 7.5-gallon auxiliary air tank. The compressors were usually refueled twice a day: once in the morning and once in the afternoon. Gasoline was kept in a 5-gallon type-I flammable liquid can equipped with a plastic funnel. The employer had recently purchased a different brand of flammable liquid can (Justrite) whose attached funnel was designed so that it could be bent and take less space during storage/transportation. That feature made the funnel susceptible to leakage when pouring the liquid. Employee #1 was refueling one of the compressors. The employer's procedure for refueling the air compressors, as well as other gas powered equipment, was to ensure the engine was off. According to the employer's subsequent statement, as Employee #1 refueled the compressor, the gasoline leaked from the two sides of the attached funnel onto the hot muffler of the compressor and ignited. Coworkers #1 and #2, who were on the swing stage, suddenly lost air pressure on their needle guns and saw that the compressors were on fire. They grabbed their fire extinguisher and assisted Employee #1 to extinguish the fire. The fire was extinguished by the time the Fire Department arrived. Employee #1 was transported to a hospital, where he was treated for a first degree burn on his right forearm, burns to the face, and smoke inhalation. He was then released. The cause of the accident was spilling of gasoline onto the hot muffler. Cal/OSHA regulation T8 CCR 5451(e) requires employers to take precautions against liquid spillage and sources of ignition when transferring flammable and combustible liquid from one container into another. Although T8 CCR 5451(p) also requires bonding and grounding of containers during such transfer, static electricity probably was not a major contributing factor in this fire incident.

Keywords: BURN, LEAK, FLAMMABLE LIQUID, REFUELING, FIRE, CONSTRUCTION, ARM, FACE, SMOKE INHALATION, GAS CAN