Accident: 201030749 - Injured In Flash Fire While Lighting Water Heater

Employee #1, a campground manager, worked for a resort operator on Catalina Island. On the day of the accident, he was at the Hermit Gulch Campground, attempting to light a 100 gallon propane A.O. Smith water heater, model FGR 100 231, serial #ML94-0079063-S-06. The main propane tank for the water heater had just been replaced, and the hot water for the upper showers was turned off. The propane water heater was located in an enclosed, approximately 4 ft wide by 15 ft long area of the building that housed the showers. Employee #1 bled the propane line while lying down on a foam camping mat inside the water heater room. He then went to empty the trash cans around the campground so that the propane could disperse in the air. After about 15 minutes, Employee #1 attempted to light the pilot again while lying on the foam mat. He had the pilot lit, and was pulling out the sparker when a ball of fire erupted. Employee #1 sustained second-degree burns to his hands. He failed to test the air to determine if the concentration of the flammable vapors exceeded 25% of the lower explosive limit prior to introducing a source of ignition.

pilot light, hot water tank, propane, fire, burn, hand, flammable vapors, work rules, spark

Accident: 301284113 - Burned In Fall Into Hot Water Tank

At approximately 9:30 p.m. on May 8, 1997, Employee #1 was retrieving a board that had fallen from a lumber unit. He fell forward into hot water at the bottom of a pre-soak tank and sustained third-degree burns over the lower portion of his body. Employee #1 was transported to the Emanuel Burn Center in Portland.

fall, tank, hot water, hot water tank, high temperature, burn

Accident: 170204069 - Burned In Fall Into Hot Water Tank

Employee #1 was an employee of a rendering company. His job was to unload grease and hose down the truck. At approximately 7:00 p.m. on September 14, 1993, he noticed grease in the dip tank. He decided to remove the grease from the hot water tank. He took a shovel and went topside of the truck where the tank was located. Without proper fall protection, this procedure is prohibited by the company. When he finished, he began to climb down the side ladder, but he slipped and fell feet-first into the 3 foot deep tank. He managed to climb out and run to the shower room. Another employee called 911. Employee #1 was taken to St. Francis Hospital, where he was treated for second- and third-degree burns on both lower legs.

slip, dip tank, work rules, fall, truck, leg, hot water tank, fall protection

Accident: 14206312 - Burned In Propane Flash

On August 16, 1993, Employee #1 and a coworker, both fire fighters, responded to a report of a propane smell at a local restaurant. The two fire fighters searched the area and discovered a strong odor at the hot water heater. A short time later, Employee #2, a service person, arrived and began checking the hot water heater without turning off the ignition sources. Employee #1 turned off the gas and entered the danger zone to talk to Employee #2. The propane ignited and burned Employee #2 and singed the hair on the head and both arms of Employee #1. The fire fighter, Employee #1, required no medical treatment, but the service man, Employee #2, was taken to the local hospital and treated.

fire, burn, fire fighter, propane, hot water tank, arm, head, flammable vapors, work rules, gas leak