Accident: 126081330 - Injured While Fighting Fire

At approximately 2:15 a.m. on October 29, 2000, Employee #1, a Los Angeles County fire captain with 23 years of experience, and three coworkers were fighting a fire that had started at approximately 1:30 a.m. at a glass retailer in Whittier, CA. The crew entered the building from the front, which had not yet burned, and were wetting the areas before them as they advanced into the burning building. A coworker was between 2 and 3 ft away from Employee #1, helping him hose down small fires. The coworker glanced at Employee #1 every 20 to 30 seconds to maintain eye contact, and then saw that he had fallen through the floor and into the basement. Employee #1 sustained second- and third-degree burns on his chest, back, and legs, and soft tissue injuries to his back; he also suffered from carbon monoxide poisoning and lactic acidosis. These injuries resulted from exposure to the fire, smoke inhalation, and the fall through the floor into the basement. Apparently, the men had advanced along a walkway to an attached house. Employee #1 later stated that he thought he was standing on ground level and did not realize there was a basement. Normal procedures call for sounding roofs only. Employee #1 did not sound the floor and thought he was on solid ground. Apparently the floor was suffering from dry rot. The fire department's investigation indicated that the floor had collapsed from beneath Employee #1. Further investigation revealed that the ground sloped down from the front of the building, a fact that was not readily apparent from the street or from the front of the building.

fire, fire fighter, burn, smoke inhalation, work surface, collapse, carbon monoxide, back, fall

Accident: 801209 - Dies Of Smoke Inhalation And Burns

Employee #1 was operating heavy equipment to clear land when an employee of another company rode by and saw Employee #1 on fire. He stopped, administered first aid, and called 911. Employee #1 died of smoke inhalation and severe burns. There were no other employees nearby, and there were no burn marks on any of the equipment.

construction, burn, fire, smoke inhalation, inhalation, earthmoving equip, equipment operator, smoke

Accident: 101950384 - Burned In Natural Gas Explosion

Employee #1, a bakery worker, was attempting to re-light a gas oven when there was a gas explosion. She was hospitalized with extensive burns.

fire, vapor, explosion, burn, oven, methane, flammable vapors

Accident: 170361497 - Arm Burned In Natural Gas Explosion

At approximately 12 noon on June 26, 2000, Employee #1 was helping a contractor install a condenser and coil into an existing wall furnace and air conditioning system in a home. The contractor removed the duct work at the top of the furnace while Employee #1 moved it away from the wall. As they were performing their duties, natural gas leaked into the room and exploded. Employee #1 sustained first- and second-degree burns on his left wrist and forearm. The main gas valve had not been shut off prior to removing the furnace from the wall.

installing, methane, gas leak, explosion, furnace, burn, forearm, natural gas, work rules, flammable vapors

Accident: 14318786 - Six Injured In Explosion Of Plastic Fines

At approximately 1:00 p.m. on June 12, 2000, Employees #1 through #6 were transferring a mixture of plastic fines and lubricants.; the additives were explosive when in a suspended state, as per the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS). This transfer was performed by dumping the mixture from the mixer into a series of screw conveyors and then dropping the mixture from the top conveyor into a large metal silo. The transfer was approximately 75 percent complete when there was a small explosion in the #3 silo. The explosion shook the entire building and suspended large quantities of dust into the air. This dust then ignited and produced a large but quick dust explosion. The explosion blew out the walls and 50 percent of the roof. All of the six silos were damaged. Employees #1 through #6 sustained injuries ranging from first-, second-, and third-degree burns to shock, and Employees #1 through #3 were hospitalized overnight. The building was not designed as a Class 2, Division 1 location. None of the covers were dust tight, and there were no fire dams (chokes) to prevent the fire and explosion from spreading to other parts of the facility.

explosion, plastic mfg, silo, chemical reaction, burn, combustible dust, work rules, fire, explosive mixing

Accident: 955799 - Electric Shock - Direct Contact With Overhead Line

An employee was at a landfill, preparing his trailer for transport by covering the load and tying the truck bed's tarp down. He parked the trailer beneath a 115-kilovolt overhead power line. The power line was only 2.4 meters above the top rim of the trailer bed. The employee contacted the power line and received an electric shock and severe burns over 70 to 80 percent of his body. He died of his injuries 3 days after the accident.

electrical, electric shock, burn, overhead power line, trailer, trailer truck, e gi iii

Accident: 170363279 - Suffers Acid Burns On Eye

Employee #1, an associate in the garden department at Home Depot store #5211, and a coworker were removing lawn mowers from packing crates. Employee #1 was using the forks of a lift truck to take apart a crate. As he approached the crate, the truck struck and wedged a1 gal jug of muriatic acid (swimming pool grade) against a wooden pallet. The acid was squeezed out of the bottle, splashing onto Employee #1's face and right arm. He suffered first-degree burns to his right eye and on other exposed areas. Employee #1 was transported to Redding Medical Center, where he was treated and released.

eye, chemical burn, chemical, inattention, work rules, industrial truck, spill, ind trk operator, struck against, clearance