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Accident: 201481009 - Employee Injured When Burned By Escaping Steam

Accident: 201481009 -- Report ID: 0950622 -- Event Date: 05/15/1998
InspectionOpen DateSICEstablishment Name
12586759805/18/19982911Martinez Refining Company
Employee #1, a boiler operator, sustained first and second-degree burns when 650 psig steam and 495 degrees Fahrenheit hot water erupted out of an atmospheric vent located 8-to-9 inches above his work location on the deck. Employee #1 was able to remove himself from the upper deck; however, his escape was hampered by the presence of piping and appurtenances. Employee #1 had "cracked" open a 2-inch vent valve which had been leaking. Over a period of time the steam leaking by the valve had condensed in the 4-inch vent line and it combined somewhat violently with the 650 psig steam once the operator opened the vent valve. The resulting discharge from the atmospheric vent was not mitigated by a diverter on the vent or by the presence of a protective canopy above Employee #1's work location at the valve. Employee #1 was hospitalized for three days; however, skin grafts were not necessary. Employee #1 has since returned to full duties.
Keywords: burn, venting, boiler, steam, valve, skin, accidental discharge
Employee # Inspection Age Sex Degree Nature Occupation
1 125867598 Hospitalized injury Burn/Scald(Heat) Power plant operators

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