A 37-year-old, white, non-Hispanic, male welder (the victim) died when an explosion occurred in the tanker trailer where he was working. The victim was a self-employed welding contractor who was working for a bulk carrier trucking company. The victim had been asked to repair a bulkhead of a petroleum tanker trailer. According to co-workers, the tanker trailer had been 'blown out' (a process used to rid tankers of excess petroleum vapors) several days prior to the incident. It is not known whether the victim had performed any air sampling before beginning work on the day of the incident. An explosion occurred shortly after the victim began welding. The victim's employee, who was outside and on top of the tanker at the time of the incident, left the scene shortly after the incident occurred. Police were the first to arrive and one officer went inside the tanker trailer to check on the victim. He reported that the victim had been killed during the explosion. He was pronounce dead at 2:28 pm. The victim was not brought out of the tanker trailer until approximately 7 hours after the incident occurred due to the fire department's concern regarding another potential explosion. The CA/FACE investigator concluded that, in order to prevent similar future occurrences, employers should: (1) maintain a written Injury and Illness Prevention Program (IIPP). (2) initiate a comprehensive enforcement and safety review program for confined space entry procedures. (3) expand confined space policies to address hazards due to oxygen deficient, flammable/explosive, or toxic environments.
Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE) Report for California: Welder Dies in Explosion While Working Inside a Tanker Trailer
1994
8 pages
Report
No indication
English
Public Health & Industrial Medicine , Industrial Safety Engineering , Environmental & Occupational Factors , Explosions , Welding , Accident investigations , Occupational safety and health , Fatalities , California , Tanker trailers , Vapors , Petroleum gases , Males , CPR(Cardiopulmonary resuscitation) , NIOSH , FACE Report 93CA00901