On October 29, 2009, Employee #1 was performing pressures tests on 30-pound fire extinguisher bodies, using a test machine run in automatic mode. Employee #1 loaded four bodies/cylinders into the machine and started the test cycle by activating the two-hand control. The machine submerged the fire extinguishers into a water bath, and the bodies were to be pressurized to approximately 640 psi. As Employee #1 was observing for water bubbles, which indicated that the body did not pass the pressure test, one fire extinguisher body ruptured. The 0.375-inch-thick Lexan cover/guard, used as an observation port, blew apart. Piece(s) of the cover/guard and/or air pressure struck Employee #1 in the face and head. Employee #1 sustained multiple facial fractures and was hospitalized.
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