Inspection Detail

Inspection: 314830944 - Rodney Palla Farms, Inc.

Inspection Information - Office: &Nbsp;

Investigation Summary

At approximately 2:30 p.m. on May 10, 2012, Employee #1 was working for Rodney Palla Farms, Inc. This firm was primarily engaged in hay farming. It handled the operation, repair, and maintenance of equipment involved in hay farming. Employee #1 and a coworker were performing maintenance and repair work on the south side of a shop. Both employees worked directly for Rodney Palla Farms, Inc. They were working on a tractor implement identified as a 24-foot (7.3-meter) XK disc harrow. The two workers had detected a hydraulic fluid leak from a hole in a t-shaped pipe fitting on a hydraulic line system that raised and lowered the harrow's implement. Employee #1 was working on removing one of the disks. About 4 feet (1.22 meters) to his left, his coworker was going to weld shut the hole. The coworker was mig welding, using a Miller Model Millermatic 251 arc welder, with Serial Number LG280096B. The pipe fitting was located approximately 3 feet (0.9 meters) off the ground when the implement was lowered. At the time of the incident, the hydraulic system was not fully drained of hydraulic fluid, the implement was raised, and the hydraulic line was under pressure. When the coworker attempted to weld shut the hole, leaking hydraulic fluid was ignited. Employee #1 sustained burns from the flash fire that ensued. He received second- and third-degree burns on his left arm and second-degree burns on his face. He was not wearing proper protective clothing while working near his coworker. He underwent two surgeries and remained in the hospital for 12 days.

Keywords: BURN, LEAK, MAINTENANCE, FLAMMABLE LIQUID, PPE, AGRICULTURE, FARM MACHINERY, HYDRAULIC FLUID, WELDING, FACE