Young camp counselor killed when cannon bursts to pieces

Details

• Corporate Authors:
  Oregon Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (Program) (OR-FACE) ; Oregon Health & Science University. Oregon Center for Research on Occupational and Environmental Toxicology (CROET)
• Description:
  On August 1, 2003, a 16-year-old youth working as a camp counselor was fatally injured when a cannon he was attempting to fire exploded and burst into pieces. This cannon had been used during evening flag ceremonies at the camp for about three years. On the evening of the incident, the victim set up the cannon as instructed and attempted to fire it during the flag ceremony, but the wind twice extinguished the touch stick used to fire the cannon. After the second attempt failed, the ceremony proceeded without the cannon, and everyone retired for the evening meal. The victim and another youth working as a counselor remained at the site to see why the cannon did not fire. They added a small amount of black powder to the touchhole and again attempted to fire the cannon. This time the cannon fired, and the explosion caused the cannon's breech to burst into pieces. One fragment struck the victim in the head, fatally injuring him. Recommendations: 1. Develop written procedures to ensure the cannon is charged and fired by trained and knowledgeable persons, within the manufacturer's operational specifications, and with specific misfire procedures. 2. Adult counselors should conduct the firing of black-powder cannons used at youth camps. 3. Youth should not be employed in positions that include the use or handling of explosive materials. 4. Use only solid steel or seamless steel-lined cast-iron cannons to fire black-powder charges. 5. Do not obstruct the bore when firing for ceremonial salutes. 6. Use the appropriate grade and quantity of black powder as designated for the cannon. 7. Inspect the gun tube regularly to detect signs of stress. 8. Periodically review processes to ensure continuing adherence to safe work practices.
• Content Notes:
  Revised: 2006/03/02
• Subjects:
  Accident Prevention Accidents Accidents, Occupational Age Factors Nervous System Nervous System Diseases Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Accident-analysis Accident-potential Accident-prevention Age-factors Blasting-agents Brain-damage Injuries Injury-prevention OSHA Region 10 Traumatic-injuries
• FACE - NIOSH and State:
  FACE ; Youth
• Series:
  Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation Reports (FACE)
• Subseries:
  State
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.26616/NIOSHSFACE03OR020
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Field Study
• Place as Subject:
  Oregon ; OSHA Region 10
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  8 pdf pages
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20025927
• NTIS Accession Number:
  PB2006-107531
• 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 03OR020, 2003 Sep ; :1-8
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2003
• Performing Organization:
  Oregon Department of Human Services
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• NAICS and SIC Codes:
  72 - Accommodation and Food Services - (NAICS)
• Start Date:
  2002/09/01
• End Date:
  2006/08/31
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:6e550939226c39d8c9be81dc5ca96cb0f626a95c9d57681762c1d53f7d6369bb9f24ae8da3f8a9fe67670bdeb9e652cb82c77c0e41e9196c7454a2801cbb65d7
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/170350/cdc_170350_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 606.63 KB ]