Accident: 170238455 - Killed When Crushed By Falling Compressor

Employee #1 was repairing the bearings on a mobile air compressor. He had jacked up the machine and gone under it to knock off the bearings when the compressor fell off the jack, landing on his head and neck. Employee #1 was killed. No cribbing or blocks were used to ensure the compressor did not fall.

construction, compressor, work rules, struck by, unsecured, unstable position, jack, falling object, head, blocks

Accident: 200200269 - Electric Shock - Direct Contact With Energized Conductor

An employee was assigned to troubleshoot a heating, air conditioning, and ventilation unit that was not cooling properly. The employee diagnosed the problem as a bad compressor. He unbolted the compressor from its base and disconnected the supervisory switch from the compressor. As he was removing the compressor from the unit, he contacted the conductors to the switch. The conductors were energized, and the employee was electrocuted.

electrical, electrocuted, electric switch, repair, lockout, compressor, e gi iv

Accident: 201050523 - Burned By Refrigerant, Later Dies Of Complications

Employee #1, a maintenance electrician for a company that manufactures beverage- dispensing equipment, was on the roof of a building, checking a compressor that was installed a few days previously, but was not functioning properly. He was visually examining the compressor when its line burst and R-22 refrigerant sprayed out onto his face, neck, and left hand. Employee #1 sustained first- and second-degree burns, for which he was treated and released from Glendale Memorial Hospital. He was subsequently admitted to Torrance Memorial Hospital when the burns became infected. While he was being treated for the infection, Employee #1 died from a pre-existing heart and respiratory condition.

compressor, maintenance, rupture, face, neck, hand, chemical, chemical burn, heart, respiratory

Accident: 170086433 - Killed By Ammonia Release When Compressor Ruptures

At approximately 1:40 a.m. on December 12, 1996, Employee #1, the refrigeration manager, arrived at the plant in response to reports of problems with the Frick 2 cylinder. 8-by-8 enclosed VSA refrigerator compressor, serial #HA55248. The problems had been identified and reported by a security guard working the 11:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. shift. Employee #1 was briefed by the security guard and then went to examine the ammonia refrigeration system equipment in the engine room of the plant. Approximately 10 minutes later, the security guard, who was in his guard shack, heard an explosion and saw a cloud rise above the main plant building. The compressor had ruptured, releasing ammonia. Employee #1 was found by the security guard in another building next to a water fountain and hand washing sink. He had been working in the small engine room and suffered extensive chemical burns. Employee #1 was killed. Subsequent investigation revealed that a section of the crankcase housing wall had blown out, discharging a mixture of refrigeration oil and ammonia. It is not known what caused the compressor to rupture.

ammonia, chemical, chemical burn, repair, explosion, chemical vapor, rupture, compressor, accidental discharge, skin

Accident: 170848113 - One Injured, 12 Exposed To Carbon Monoxide

Employee #1, a grocery store employee, was working at the same time that construction workers were in the store operating a concrete saw. The saw was powered by a generator, which had originally been located outside but which was brought inside after complaints about noise. The generator had been on for between two and three hours when Employee #1 fell down, unconscious. It was determined that gasoline exhaust from the generator had released carbon monoxide fumes into the store, and that Employee #1 was suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning. He and twelve coworkers were evacuated from the store, taken to local hospitals, and eventually treated in hyperbaric chambers at UCSD Medical Center. A treating physician's statement indicates that carboxyhemoglobin levels in the workers ranged from 17 to 26 percent, and that Employee #1's levels may have exceeded 36 percent. No ventilation duct had been provided to pipe the exhaust gases outside of the store during the cutting work, and no monitoring was done by the employer or by the contractor. The employer did not evaluate the hazard of gasoline engine exhaust to its employees but trusted the contractor to provide adequate ventilation for its equipment. The contractor had exacerbated the situation by placing the generator in the vicinity of an air compressor intake that was being used to power a jackhammer. The intake distributed the exhaust fumes to other areas of the store through the air lines of the compressor. Administrative controls, such as cordoning off the area or keeping workers out of the store while the saw cutter was in use, were not used.

carbon monoxide, poisoning, inhalation, ventilation, work rules, exhaust fumes, carboxyhemoglobin, overexposure, compressor, unconsciousness