On February 21, 2023, at 10:15 p.m., an unknown amount of propane was accidentally released, seriously injuring a temporary employee at a facility in California.
A temporary employee had moved a propane-fueled forklift to the facility’s filling station to refuel its tank. He connected the filling station’s hose to the forklift’s tank and opened the valve to start the propane flow. The hose connection was not secure, and propane immediately discharged into the atmosphere. The employee tried to either tighten or remove the hose during the release. As a result, the cold propane sprayed and cryogenically burned him. The temporary employee was not wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) that could have protected the employee from being exposed to cold propane.
There was no documentation that the temporary employee had been trained on safely filling propane tanks, although another employee stated that the temporary employee had been trained. The company's investigation found that site training on refilling propane fuel tanks did not include information on items to inspect before beginning the filling operation.
Probable Cause
Based on the company's investigation, the CSB determined that the probable cause of the accidental release of propane was not securing the hose connection before starting the filling operation. Not using personal protective equipment that could protect the employee from being exposed to cold propane contributed to the severity of the incident.
Source:CSB.gov
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