Accident: 201080256 - Truck Driver Burned When Residual Butane Gas Ignites

At approximately 3:45 a.m. on December 26, Employee #1, a contract truck driver who was working alone, was outside the gate of the Sealed Air Corporation. He had just opened the back door of a trailer filled with foam rolls and pads to inspect the load and to look for the shipping papers, when he saw a number of sparks. There followed an explosion, and Employee #1 was thrown under the vehicle. He sustained second- and third-degree burns to his face, hands, arms, chest, and abdomen. The causal factors could not be clearly documented. The trailer was not placarded, but it did have a small, 4 in. by 8 in. warning tag on the trailer attached to the shipping papers (per the manufacturer), warning of the potential for residual flammable gases from the manufacturing of the foam rolls and pads. Subsequent investigation revealed that butane gas was used to manufacture the foam. The foam bundles were aged to off-gas any residue butane, usually for a period of seven days. The process involved allowing the rolls to sit for three to five days in the open to off-gas, reversing the rolls so that the inside was on the outside, and then allowing them to sit for approximately three more days. Four of the rolls on this trailer were loaded immediately after being reverse rolled and were not given the normal opportunity for off-gassing.

truck driver, ventilation, explosion, burn, face, flammable vapors, fire, abdomen, work rules, butane

Accident: 170082333 - Dies When Struck By Butane Cylinder

At approximately 11:00 a.m. on October 21, 1994, Employee #1 was working on the east side of the yard filling a 25 gallon capacity liquid butane cylinder from a 500 gallon capacity butane tank. The smaller cylinder was connected by hose and valve to the tank. When Employee #1 had been working for about 25 minutes, the hose valve suddenly separated from the smaller cylinder. The bottom of the cylinder blew out and the cylinder went approximately 40 ft straight up into the air. It is believed that at that time Employee #1 was bending over the top of the smaller cylinder to check the bleeder valve. The cylinder struck Employee #1 in the head, killing him. The smaller cylinder was manufactured in March 1989, serial #018092. There was a hazardous material (flammable) diamond sticker on the cylinder identifying the contents with chemical code number 1075 and a flammable rating of 2. It was marked DOT 240 and WC 238.

oil well drilling, struck by, flying object, cylinder, butane, valve, hose, head, work rules, explosion

Accident: 170121271 - Dies Of Burns After Butane Explosion

At approximately 5:10 a.m. on June 10, 1992, Employee #1, employed by Mohasco Upholstered Furniture Corp., an out-of-state furniture manufacturer, was preparing to haul a load of 98 rolls of 47 in. wide 550 ft long polyethylene foam from High Point, NC, to a destination in Mississippi. The foam was loaded onto a trailer that had inside dimensions of 45 ft long by 8 ft wide by 9 ft high. The trailer was locked, sealed, and dropped off in the east section of the rear loading dock parking area. Approximately 13 hours after the trailer was loaded, Employee #1 opened the trailer to check the load. Because it was dark, Employee #1 lit a cigarette lighter, and the trailer exploded. Apparently the polyethylene foam was off-gassing butane, which is used as a blowing agent during the manufacturing process. The butane accumulated near the trailer floor and was ignited when Employee #1 lit the lighter. Employee #1 sustained first- and second-degree burns on 20 percent of his body and subsequently died.

explosion, fire, butane, burn, trailer, flammable vapors