Text For Citation: 01 Item/Group: 001 Hazard: STRUCK BY

Section 5(a)(1) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970: The employer did not furnish employment and a place of employment which were free from recognized hazards that were causing or likely to cause death or serious physical harm to employees: At this establishment, employees were exposed to the hazards of being thermally burned by release of heated oil and struck by fragments of an exploding process storage tank. The indoor storage tank, Serial No. 2285, a 6 ft by 10 ft vertical steel vessel, contained approximately 1800 gallons of heated cotton seed oil and was over-pressured during operation and failed catastrophically. The tank was originally designed for service at atmospheric pressure, with a maximum working pressure of 16 ounces. The tank was subjected to positive pressure during normal operation without an ensured means of pressure regulation or protection such as a safety relief valve. Among other methods, feasible and acceptable abatement methods to address this hazard would have been to adhere to good engineering practices such as but not limited to the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code (1989), Section VIII, Division I, Section UG-125 (a) which states: "All pressure vessels within the Scope of the Division, irrespective of size or pressure, shall be provided with protective devices in accordance with the requirements of UG-125 through UG-136." *** Certification and Documentation of Abatement required ***