Inspection Detail

Inspection: 300050614 - American Hydraulics, Inc.

Inspection Information - Office: Omaha Area Office

Investigation Summary

Employee #1, who worked for a company that remanufactured railcar shock absorbers, had just returned from lunch and entered the drain tank area. His job was to drain the hydraulic fluid from old railcar shocks. There were two basic types of shocks: one is pressurized with nitrogen gas and the other does not have a gas charge. The three manufacturers of railcar shocks each use a slightly different external configuration. At the time of the accident, the employee was preparing to drain a Freight Master gas-charged unit. The first step should have been to drain off the gas charge . Instead, Employee #1 began using a cutting torch to apply heat to the drain plug without releasing the gas charge. This particular drain plug was a glass sight and it was not normally necessary to apply heat for removal. Since the unit was still pressurized, when the glass sight broke from the heat, the hydraulic fluid came out in a vaporized form. It was ignited by the flame from the cutting torch, resulting in an explosion or fireball. The entire work area was engulfed in flames. Employee #1 sustained third-degree burns over 90 percent of his body.

Keywords: BURN, HEAT, VAPOR, FLAMMABLE VAPORS, WORK RULES, FIRE, HYDRAULIC FLUID, TORCH, EXPLOSION, HIGH PRESSURE