Accident Report Detail

Accident Summary Nr: 200996858 - Two Employees Are Killed in Boiler Explosion

Accident Summary Nr: 200996858 -- Report ID: 0551800 -- Event Date: 04/28/2008
Inspection Nr	Date Opened	SIC	NAICS	Establishment Name
311264105	04/30/2008	1629	237120	Sterling Boiler And Mechanical

Abstract: On April 28, 2008, Employee #1 and #2, both boilermakers, were repairing a leak in a man way lid on Heat Exchanger E-150, Level 8. Flammable gas was emanating from the man way. The man way cover had 36 fasteners and 12 of them were loose. Operators attempted to tighten the fasteners on the man way cover. The leak persisted but not enough of a leak to ignite. A hose was placed at the leak and nitrogen applied near to the leak to keep it from igniting. The employees attempted to tighten the lid and stop the leak. As they were using a electric impact wrench, coworkers below level 8 heard the impact and felt a massive explosion. The plant was evacuated. Both employees were found dead.

Keywords: REPAIR, BOILER, EXPLOSION

Accident Details
End Use		Project Type		Project Cost	Stories	Non-building Height	Fatality
Refinery		Maintenance or repair		$1,000,000 to $5,000,000	2		X

Employee Details
Employee #	Inspection Nr	Age	Sex	Degree of Injury	Nature of Injury	Occupation	Construction
1	311264105			Fatality	Other	Occupation not reported	Distance of Fall: feet Worker Height Above Ground/Floor: feet Cause: Installing equipment (HVAC and other) Fatality Cause: Fire/explosion
2	311264105			Fatality	Other	Occupation not reported	Distance of Fall: feet Worker Height Above Ground/Floor: feet Cause: Installing equipment (HVAC and other) Fatality Cause: Fire/explosion

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