In a steam plant at a plywood mill, two (2) workers were attempting to replace a leaky nipple and gasket at the end of a condensate header. As they were loosening or removing nuts from the outer flange at the end of the header, one worker was sprayed with steam and condensate (hot water). The worker sustained serious injuries.
Investigation conclusions
Cause
Failure to lock out the dryer system caused condensate to enter the header.
The dryer system was not locked out. As a result, the system maintained some degree of operating pressure, allowing condensate to enter the header. It is plausible that once the sixth nut was loosened or removed from the outer flange, the condensate in the flash tank boiled. The hot condensate then traveled the length of the header, and one of the workers was sprayed with steam and condensate.
Contributing factors
Lack of training and safe work procedures.
The lack of training and safe work procedures for replacing a leaky gasket at the end of the header was a contributing factor in this incident. The employer failed to provide its workers with the information, instruction, and training necessary to replace a leaky gasket at the end of the header.