Inspection Detail

Inspection: 100827583 - Deral Knight Operating

Inspection Information - Office: Corpus Christi Area Office

Investigation Summary

On August 22, 1988, Employees #2 and #3 were using a butane oxygen torch to cut an 11-to-12-ft section of 8-in.-diameter pipe that was located atop a 50-ft-high convection oven. Employee #1 had brought Employees #2 and #3 water and all three were standing atop the oven on a break. Fire had apparently broken out in the pipe during the cutting, and subsequent statements indicated that fire was still burning inside these pipes before the accident. Flames erupted from the opening that had been cut, forcing Employees #1 through #3 to descend by a fixed ladder. Employees #2 and #3 jumped when halfway down because of the flames and heat. They were assisted by Employees #4 and #5, who had been working on the ground in the immediate area. Employees #2 and #3 were hospitalized with burns to their faces, arms, and chests, back bruises, and body contusions. Employees #4 and #5 sustained eye injuries from the heat and were treated the next day at Riverside Hospital in Corpus Christi, TX. Employee #1 started down the ladder and then went back up because of the fire. He became engulfed in the flames, and either fell or jumped from the top. He remained at the base of the ladder and was pronounced dead at the scene by the medical examiner. Causal factors include the presence of diesel vapors in the pipes and above the sludge when Employees #2 and #3 were using the cutting torch. No fire extinguisher or fire watch was on site.

Keywords: BURN, FURNACE, FLAMMABLE VAPORS, FIRE EXTINGUISHER, WORK RULES, FIRE, CONSTRUCTION, TORCH, CUTTING AND BURNING