Two workers were injured on an offshore platform while installing a skillet, the steel circular joining plate inside a section of piping. The incident occurred while the workers were on scaffolding and unbolting a 10-inch flange (Figure 1). After determining the skillet was the wrong size, the supervisor instructed a third worker to join the initial two workers on the scaffolding to take skillet measurements to verify the pipe size.
Upon arrival, the third worker saw that the other two had already unbolted the flange to install the skillet. The third worker instructed them to pass down the gasket so he could verify the pipe size, then exited the scaffolding and relocated to the tool shed to retrieve a fall protection harness. During this time, the two workers on the scaffolding became alarmed when a handheld gas detector signaled the presence of gas. Simultaneously, they heard pressure escaping between the pipe flange opening. The third worker, who was still in the tool shed, heard a rumbling and loud noise and looked toward the noise to see a black plume of smoke. The third worker noticed the other two workers were exposed to the material emitted from the gap in the parted flange (Figure 2). The two workers on the scaffolding experienced smoke inhalation and described feeling a burning sensation. They were quickly transported to the nearest hospital by air transport for further evaluation.