Line Break Gone Bad (Hot Water)

This incident is one I call attention to as it involved a lack of LOTO during removal of a valve on a hot water system.  OSHA issued a Willful citation because the work was done without having an energy isolation control panel/task specific LOTO procedures.  The work was done from an aerial lift without LOTO in place – once the valve was removed a computer program called for hot water and an automated valve upstream of the line opening – opened and sprayed the worker in the lift with 165F water.  Another operator attempted to stop the water pump from the control panel but was not able to find the correct pump.  The employee in the aerial lift sustained 2nd and 3rd-degree burns and was hospitalized.

At 10:30 a.m. on December 3, 2017, a 47-year-old industrial/maintenance mechanic was repairing a 2-way water valve in a brew house. The valve was located approximately 30 feet in the air around piping and a tank. The employee accessed the valve using an aerial lift. The employee requested a coworker to operate the pneumatics for the valve from the control panel so that the valve could be removed from the valve seat. The control room was located on an elevated platform within eyesight of the employee. After the valve was removed from the line, another valve (XV1341), which had previously been malfunctioning, opened up. The computer program called for water. Water from the hot water tank (approximately 160-165 degrees F) sprayed on the employee. The employee sustained 2nd and 3rd-degree burns and was hospitalized. The operator attempted to stop the pump from the control panel but was not able to find the correct pump.