Inspection Detail

Inspection: 302302161 - Baltimore Gas And Electric Company

Inspection Information - Office: Department Of Labor, Licensing, And Regulation Division Of Labor And Industry Maryland Occupational Safety And Health

Investigation Summary

On July 22, 1998, Employee #1, a contracted inspector, was overseeing work in an area where a company and its subcontractor were encapsulating the joints on a 16 in. medium-pressure gas main. The approximately 5 ft long by 4 ft wide by 4 1/2 ft deep trench had been opened on July 21. On that same day, a leak had been discovered in the joint near the T-connection on the gas main inside the hole. The hole was covered with a steel plate overnight so that the gas main could be repaired the next day. At approximately 11:00 p.m., Employee #1 was working inside the trench where he was preparing to take out the existing T-connection. He had just removed it when he heard the hissing sound of escaping natural gas. As he got the new T partially connected, a second hissing sound was heard and flames engulfed the hole. Employee #1 suffered second- and third-degree burns to his neck, torso, and upper and lower extremities. Employee #2 sustained minor burns to his arms while trying to pull Employee #1 out of the hole. The cause of the fire is not known, but Employee #1 stated that neither the metallic piping nor the plastic piping that he was working on that night were bonded to provide electrical continuity and prevent the buildup of a static charge. Also, a Regent quartz halogen light, model TQS 1000, was positioned on the ground at the top of the hole to provide light. Quartz halogen lights are not designed for a Class I Division I hazardous atmosphere. The metal housing on the quartz halogen light reaches temperatures as high as 140 degrees C (284 degrees F), and the outside surface of the lens gets as hot as 300 degrees C (572 degrees F).

Keywords: BURN, HEAT, STATIC ELECTRICITY, REPAIR, WORK RULES, FIRE, NATURAL GAS, TRENCH, LIGHTING, GAS LEAK