Welder Dies as a Result of a Fishing Vessel Explosion -- Alaska

Details

• Corporate Authors:
  Alaska Fatality Assessment & Control Evaluation Project (Alaska FACE) ; Alaska. Division of Public Health. Section of Epidemiology. Occupational Injury Prevention Program
• Description:
  On May 26, 1993, a 40-year-old, male welder (victim) was killed as a result of traumatic impact injuries during the explosion of a fishing vessel undergoing repairs. The victim was welding a broken light bar inside the 30-foot fishing skiff in front of the control console prior to the explosion. At the time of the explosion, the victim was standing on an aluminum deck plate near the welding job. Another worker was performing a grinding operation (in preparation for repairing a broken speedometer transducer cable mount) on the vessel's stern. Sparks from the grinder apparently entered an open bilge drain and ignited gasoline vapors in the bilge. The subsequent explosion moved forward, through the bilge to the marine toilet. From this point the blast forces traveled under the false deck and blew off the welded down deck plate where the victim was standing. The aluminum deck plate (4-foot X 4-foot, 10-inch X 1/4 inch) struck the victim, causing massive impact injuries. Co-workers immediately called 911 and provided initial first aid efforts. They applied pressure to the groin area to prevent bleeding and covered the victim with a blanket. One worker noted that the victim had stopped breathing, and another worker immediately applied CPR. The victim started breathing again and EMTs began to arrive at the scene. The victim died at the site shortly after emergency rescue personnel arrived. Based on the findings of the epidemiologic investigation, to prevent similar occurrences employers should: 1. ensure that hazard assessments are conducted by employees prior to beginning any job or work task, especially those operations in which overtly hazardous chemicals or physical energies are present (e.g., gasoline, solvents, high voltages). 2. ensure that a safety program is conducted at the work site that includes a general hazard assessment, evaluation of work tasks to establish safe working procedures, regular safety training, and ongoing safety meetings. Even small work sites should have an individual designated for collateral safety duties. 3. ensure that employees are knowledgeable about the hazards of gasoline and other chemicals used at the work site. When chemical spills occur procedures should be carried out to minimize the impact of explosive vapors, mists, aerosols, or dusts. 4. ensure that a safe process for welding, grinding, or conducting other operations that produce ignition sources near vessel gasoline tanks or other flammable materials should be developed and immediately implemented.
• Subjects:
  • Accident Prevention
  • Accidents
  • Accidents, Occupational
  • Electricity
  • Hunting
  • Occupational Exposure
  • Occupational Health
  • Occupational Injuries
  • Safety
  • Safety Management
  More +
• Keywords:
  • Accident-analysis
  • Accident-potential
  • Accident-prevention
  • Accidents
  • Injuries
  • Injury-prevention
  • Safety-education
  • Safety-equipment
  • Safety-practices
  • Safety-measures
  More +
• FACE - NIOSH and State:
  FACE ; Commercial Fishing
• Series:
  Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation Reports (FACE)
• Subseries:
  State
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.26616/NIOSHSFACE93AK024
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Field Study
• Place as Subject:
  Alaska ; OSHA Region 10
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  5 pdf pages
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20026880
• NTIS Accession Number:
  PB2012-112934
• Citation:
  Morgantown, WV: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, FACE 93AK024, 1993 Dec ; :1-5
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1994
• Performing Organization:
  Alaska Department of Health and Social Services
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• NAICS and SIC Codes:
  11 - Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting - (NAICS)
• Start Date:
  1991/09/30
• End Date:
  2006/08/31
• Resource Number:
  FACE-93AK024 ; FACE AK-93-24
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/169125/cdc_169125_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 29.61 KB]
• Collection(s):
  Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE) Program ; National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:f006147a2f9696b876ef260613d73ea86a011b0ba6bb6a4ce0b1f054ca63952bba021c893857886382ea6a2f6a0e1d4d3a12d504ae10b57810d78ea1032be5ff