A 53-year-old male was working alone in the workshop while using an oxyacetylene torch to cut a piece of steel. The employee used two “empty” barrels of Methanol as a work rest while cutting the steel. The oxyacetylene flame or sparks ignited the internal vapors of one of the barrels, resulting in a deflagration and rupture of the barrel, causing a severe head injury to the employee, resulting in the fatality.
Citation 1 Item 1 Type of Violation: Serious
29 CFR 1910.252(a)(2)(vi)(C): Cutting or welding was permitted in the presence of explosive atmospheres (mixture of flammable gases, vapors, liquids, or dusts with air), or explosive atmospheres that could develop inside uncleaned or improperly prepared tanks or equipment which had previously contained such materials, or that could develop in areas with an accumulation of combustible dusts.
An employee using an oxyacetylene torch to cut a piece of steel worked on and near two Methanol barrels, causing residual vapors or liquid in one of the barrels to ignite, resulting in a deflagration and employee fatality.
Proposed Penalty: $4000.00