At 8:30 a.m. on May 24, 2018, Employee #1, 45, set up a booth representing the control laboratory for a safety day event at the plant, which involved approximately 1,000 employees, visitors, and vendors. Employee #1 wanted a fog effect at the booth to attract visitors.
Employee #1 made plans to have coworker #1 get dry ice for the effect. When coworker #1 could not get dry ice, coworker #1 asked coworker #2 to get liquid nitrogen from an adjacent lab. Even though the control lab does not use nitrogen, Employee #1 knew it was available at the development lab.
A container designed for high vapor pressure volatile petroleum hydrocarbons was filled with liquid nitrogen for use in generating a fog effect at the control lab booth on safety day. The stainless steel container, rated for a maximum pressure of 150 psi of liquid, not gases, was placed under the display table at a safety day event by coworker #2.
It ruptured after 20-30 minutes of exposure to the heat outdoors, causing flying debris to strike Employee #1, who suffered a deep laceration in her back. There was no pressure relief device on the container.
Source: https://www.osha.gov/ords/imis/accidentsearch.accident_detail?id=106061.015