Inspection Detail

Inspection: 125775015 - Silver Saddle Ranch & Club

Inspection Information - Office: Fresno District Office

Investigation Summary

At approximately 2:50 p.m. on April 18, 1997, Employees #1 through #3, one of the employee's sons, and an employee of a propane company were working at a private resort about 20 miles east of California City in the Mojave Desert. The propane company employee had just finished filling two stationary 1,000 gallon propane tanks and then went to fill smaller 25 to 30 gallon tanks to be used to heat the dining room. The propane company employee may have been filling the third tank when a witness stated she heard a hose blow from the 3,200 gallon 1989 Chevy tank truck, license #3W37277, and the hissing of escaping gas. The witness saw the driver of the truck running toward his vehicle, but she had turned into a breezeway when an explosion occurred. Employees #1 through #3 were thrown between 30 and 50 ft, and one of them was hurdled against a wall. All five workers were hospitalized with serious burns; the propane company employee died on May 6, 1997. The California City Fire Department notified CAL/OSHA of the explosion and of the injured resort workers on April 18, 1997 and then of the propane company employee on April 21, 1997. The pressure vessel unit initially responded on April 19, 1997. On April 30, 1997, it was determined to be compliance unit's investigation, and an inspection was conducted on May 1, 1997. The propane company was being investigated as #300795267. The resort/employer was cited for failure to report the accident within eight hours, for not having the required permits for the LPG tanks; and for having no written Injury and Illness Prevention Program (IIPP). None of these citations were related to the accident. (See ID #201080413 for accident report on truck driver.)

Keywords: BURN, LEAK, FLAMMABLE LIQUID, WORK RULES, FIRE, HOSE, EXPLOSION, LP GAS, PROPANE, PROPANE TRUCK