Inspection Detail
Inspection: 302717236 - Reade Manufacturing Company
Inspection Information - Office: Marlton Area Office
Site Address:
Reade Manufacturing Company
100 Ridgeway Boulevard
Lakehurst, NJ 08733
Mailing Address:
, , 00000
Union Status: NonUnion
SIC:3399
NAICS: 0
Inspection Type: Accident
Scope: Partial
Advanced Notice: N
Ownership: Private
Safety/Health: Health
Close Conference: 02/28/2001
Emphasis:
Case Closed: 05/03/2001
Type | Activity Nr | Safety | Health |
---|---|---|---|
Accident | 101771293 |
Violations/Penalties | Serious | Willful | Repeat | Other | Unclass | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Initial Violations | 3 | 1 | 4 | |||
Current Violations | 3 | 1 | 4 | |||
Initial Penalty | $4,725 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $4,725 |
Current Penalty | $2,794 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $2,794 |
FTA Penalty | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
# | Citation ID | Citaton Type | Standard Cited | Issuance Date | Abatement Due Date | Current Penalty | Initial Penalty | FTA Penalty | Contest | Latest Event | Note |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. | 01001 | Serious | 19100151 C | 03/26/2001 | 04/13/2001 | $525 | $700 | $0 | I - Informal Settlement | ||
2. | 01002 | Serious | 19100212 A01 | 03/26/2001 | 03/29/2001 | $394 | $525 | $0 | I - Informal Settlement | ||
3. | 01003 | Serious | 19101200 F05 I | 03/26/2001 | 03/29/2001 | $1,875 | $3,500 | $0 | I - Informal Settlement | ||
4. | 02001 | Other | 19100305 B01 | 03/26/2001 | 03/29/2001 | $0 | $0 | $0 | - |
Investigation Summary
At approximately 8:45 a.m. on September 29, 2000, Employee #1 was inside Building 14 sorting out "tramp" material (paper, plastic, steel, large pieces of magnesium, etc.) from magnesium scrap piled on a steel-sorting table. At the time of the accident, a powerful explosion took place in and around Building 14. The building was demolished with many pieces of magnesium scrap thrown up to approximately 310 feet from the blast area. This scrap pierced other surrounding buildings. The blast caused the sorting table to bow down and rip from the bolts that anchored it to the concrete floor. Employee #1, who was inside Building 14, was critically injured, and died the next morning from complications from the thermal burns. The exploding material was a magnesium, Teflon, viton blend that was inadvertently mixed into the magnesium scrap. The magnesium, Teflon, viton blend is a very reactive and sensitive material. Mechanical impact, friction, electrostatic discharge or electrical sparks and flame easily initiate a reaction. Another employee was directed to dump three drums of material, thought to be magnesium, into a magnesium scrap bin in Building 15. However, this material was not solely magnesium, as the employer believed. An investigation following the accident identified it as the magnesium, Teflon, viton (MTV) blend. Unknowingly, this magnesium, Teflon, viton blend and magnesium scrap mixture was scooped by a bobcat from the bin in Building 15, then driven into Building 14 and dumped onto the sorting table. The exact source of energy that initiated this explosion is unknown.
Keywords: BURN, MARKING, METAL SHOP, FIRE, EXPLOSION, CHEMICAL REACTION, UNGUARDED, CHEMICAL
# | Inspection | Age | Sex | Degree of Injury | Nature of Injury | Occupation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 302717236 | Fatality | Burn/Scald(Heat) | Misc. metal & plastic processing machine operators |