Case #1
At 10:15 a.m. on February 12, 2015, an employee was working from the elevated basket of a manlift, installing sheetrock in an area of the job site where water piping was undergoing pneumatic testing, at 130 psi. At the same time, another contractor was performing a compressed air leak test. An 80-pound section of the pipe under pressure dislodged and struck and killed the employee. CLICK HERE for the OSHA File
Case #2
At approximately 8:30 p.m. on October 21, 2014, Employees #1 and #2 were checking the compressed air system in Maintenance Room #1 of the 7K pellet support building. During the process of increasing the pressure into the 4-inch compressed air line from approximately 125psi to the test pressure of 175 psi a failure occurred. The pressure caused the two sections of the pipe to move or shoot out in opposite direction striking and damaging the interior wall system and puncturing the exterior pre-engineered metal building envelope. The failure broke apart a 90-degree elbow which connected a vertical pipe riser to a horizontal pipe section running overhead and perpendicular to the joists in the open ceiling area above. The failure caused the vertical pipe to disconnect from the upper fitting while the fitting at the bottom of the vertical pipe remained in position. The top of the vertical pipe riser rotated counterclockwise approximately 165 degrees striking Employee #1 on the left side of his head and Employee #2 was struck on his arm. Employee #1 was killed. CLICK HERE for the OSHA file
Case #3
On January 31, 2014, Employee #1, of United Mechanical Corporation, was working on a pipe at a manufacturing plant. He was attempting to remove the steel cap and steel ring coupling from the 10-inch HDPE high-density polyethylene pipe. The piping system had undergone a pressure test a couple months earlier, and the pipe the employee was working on was still pressurized. The pressure inside the pipe released, causing the steel cap and steel ring coupling to fly outward and strike Employee #1 in the chin. Employee #1 was killed by this blunt force injury. This fatal event was investigated by North Carolina OSHA. The investigation determined that Employee #1 had been employed for 13 years with the employer. CLICK HERE for the OSHA file
Case #4
At approximately 3:30 p.m. on June 14, 2012, Employee #1 was performing hydro testing of two recently constructed and installed crude oil pipelines. The employee removed a pressure test manifold from a pressure test flange while the pipeline contained a pressure of 2000 psi. Employee #1 did not lock-out the pipe valves, nor bleed the pressure off of the line prior to removing the pressure test manifold. The employee was struck-by the pressure test manifold that was propelled by the stored pipeline pressure. Employee #1 was transported by the impact of the manifold for a distance of 40 feet. The steel pressure test manifold impacted the skull of the employee which resulted in injuries to the employee and subsequent death. CLICK HERE for the OSHA file
Case #5
At approximately 5:00 p.m. on October 9, 2003, a coworker, the water inspector, of Western Pipeline, Inc. forgot to remove his pressure gauge from a fire hydrant after a water line pressure test. The coworker called Employee #1, the foreman, and asked if he would remove the gauge for him. The water line was pressurized to 160 psi. Employee #1 went to the fire hydrant and turned the valve to what he thought was in the “off” position. He then loosened the pressure gauge to relieve the residual pressure in the fire hydrant. The pressure gauge assembly did not have a bleed off valve to relieve the residual pressure. When Employee #1 loosened the pressure gauge assembly, it blew off the hydrant and pulled him down into the stream of water blowing out of the fire hydrant. Employee #1 was injured when the stream of water struck in the back. The water continued to blow out for several minutes. Employee #1was transported to Mercy San Juan Hospital in Sacramento, California where he was treated for a broken back. CLICK HERE for the OSHA file
Case #6
On January 8, 2003, Employee #1 was working in close proximity (about 10 feet) to a pipe undergoing a pressure test. The pipe was filled with nitrogen and measured approximately 25 feet in length and had a diameter of 12 inches. During the pressure test, the pipe reached a pressure of 1550 psi. For some reason, the pipe exploded. Employee #1 was hospitalized and pronounced dead due to injuries sustained in the explosion. CLICK HERE for the OSHA file
Case #7
Employee #1 was monitoring a hydrostatic pressure test to a pressure vessel. When the pressure reached 4,700 pounds per square inch, the test failed and the employee was struck by high-pressure water and debris that discharged from the detonation. He suffered massive trauma to his face and head and was hospitalized. He also suffered permanent loss of eyesight. CLICK HERE for OSHA file
Case #7
On May 16, 2002, Employee #1 and a coworker were pressurizing the compressor of an air conditioning system in order to perform a leak test. The compressor exploded and Employee #1 sustained multiple lacerations. He was transported to a medical facility where he was treated for his injury and released. CLICK HERE for the OSHA file