Accident Report Detail
Accident Summary Nr: 201020187 - Employee injures when plug bursts
Inspection Nr | Date Opened | SIC | NAICS | Establishment Name |
---|---|---|---|---|
119635183 | 04/26/2004 | 1711 | 238220 | North Bay Plumbing |
Abstract: Between 2:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. on April 20, 2004, Employee #1, a plumbing foreman, was on site at a new housing development, testing a 4-in. polyvinyl chloride sewer line. He was using a long test plug, Model Number 83643, manufactured by IPS Corporation. The size of the test plug was designed to fit pipe diameters from a minimum of 2.63 in. to a maximum of 3.25 in. He was inflating the plug with his own air compressor, manufactured by Bonaire Industries, Model Number BA121. The gauge showed readings of up to 160 psi. Employee #1 had problems with the gauge, since at one point the needle read 0 psi during the inflation process. Employee #1 bent over the pipe and noticed water coming out around the plug. The plug burst, and popped out of the pipe, which was still attached to the air compressor. It hit Employee #1 in the face, breaking the bones in the upper face, and damaging his eyes. Another employee, who was working approximately twenty feet away, saw Employee #1 looking into the pipe right before it exploded. He called his boss, who called the second superintendent. The second superintendent called for an ambulance and went to the site. The compressor was still running when he got there. He saw Employee #1 on his knees with his face covered with blood. Employee #1 was hospitalized.
End Use | Project Type | Project Cost | Stories | Non-building Height | Fatality | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Single family or duplex dwelling | New project or new addition | $5,000,000 to $20,000,000 | 2 |
Employee # | Inspection Nr | Age | Sex | Degree of Injury | Nature of Injury | Occupation | Construction |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 119635183 | Hospitalized injury | Foreign Body Ineye | Supervisors; plumbers, pipefitters & steamfitters | Distance of Fall: feet Worker Height Above Ground/Floor: feet Cause: Interior plumbing, ducting, electrical work Fatality Cause: Other |