Inspection Detail

Inspection: 308571728 - Eagle Point Farms, Llc

Inspection Information - Office: Peoria Area Office

Investigation Summary

At approximately 4:00 p.m. on March 24, 2006, Employees #1 was working for Bergmann Farm Supply, the supplier in this incident, and Employees #2 and #3 were working for the Eagle Point Farms, the site of the incident. Employee #1 was installing two L.P. Gas Fired Series Hot Water Pressure Cleaners. Employee #1 asked Employee #2 to hold the pilot light button down, while he used a grill lighter to light the pilot light. Employee #2 held the pilot light button down for about 30 seconds and Employee #3, the Breeding Manager, was in the area preparing to go home. The room was approximately 20 ft long and 7 ft wide with about a 10 ft high ceiling. Employee #1 activated the lighter, and the propane in the room ignited in the entire room and into the hallway between the buildings. All three employees in the area suffered burns to exposed skin. Employee #1 was treated in the Springfield Memorial Hospital burn unit for eight days. Employee # 2 was also treated in the Springfield burn unit for several days, and Employee #3 was admitted to the McDonough County Hospital for two days for treatment of his burns. The propane is provided to the room from a 30,000 gallon tank, and the system was only equipped with a 10 pound regulator on the pipe that came directly out of the tank. There is no evidence that there was an additional regulator in place that would reduce the pressure to about 11 in. of water column.

Keywords: BURN, PILOT LIGHT, EXPLOSION, LP GAS, PROPANE