This week I was privileged to be able to present as ASSE’s Safety 2016 on a topic near and dear to me… Line Break/Process Opening. In our presentation, we mentioned “Routine vs. Non-Routine Openings” and how we manage these different openings. One of the requests we received afterward was for “routine openings” that resulted in an incident. Today, we get word of such an incident… Burned Boise beer brewer back on the job, wins awards
Last July, the worker was tending to a batch of Obligatory Double IPA ale when the bubbling brew spewed out of the top of the brewing tank and caused second- and third-degree burns on 30 percent of her body — from her shoulder to her foot. The syrupy, bubbling brew spewed out of the 18-inch opening at the top of the tank and sprayed her. Today she suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and sees a psychologist for that. She also takes a prescription medication to help with the condition and attends group sessions for other Treasure Valley burn victims.
The brewing process begins with malted barley, hops and other grains getting added to hot water. In a process known as mashing, the mixture is cooked for an hour to break down the grains into sugars that are later fermented to create alcohol.
After the water is removed, what’s left is called wort, a sweet, sticky liquid full of the sugars from the grains. The wort — with hops and spices added to the mixture — is boiled for an hour in a 500-gallon brew kettle.
The accident occurred near the end of the boil. She stood on the brew stand, a metal walkway that wraps around the kettle 5 feet above the ground that provides waist-high access to the top of the kettle. The boiling liquid spilled out of the 18-inch opening at the top of the kettle like water from a stovetop pot of noodles.
Boilovers are not unusual in brewing. Typically, the liquid runs down the side of the kettle but poses no danger to someone on the brew stand. Water sprayed from a hose prevents more liquid from boiling over. It took several moments before an assistant brewer using a hose at a nearby mash vat could get to her.
OSHA investigated the boilover that caused her injuries but did not find any violations of safety rules, said David Kearns, the agency’s area director in Boise.
The Brewery was cited, however, for two violations of confined space regulations. The brewery also failed to have a written safety policy for employees to enter the mash tank to clean it. The agency proposed a $4,900 fine and later agreed to accept $2,500, which the business paid. The brewery also agreed to undergo a free workplace safety audit conducted by the Idaho Occupational Safety & Health Consultation Program offered by Boise State University.