Explosion severs worker’s leg

October 8, 2009 by Fred Hosier

An explosion at a worksite may cost an employee his leg, if attempts to reattach it fail.

Workers were cleaning and dismantling old gasoline storage tanks at a Miami, FL, convenience store when the explosion occurred.

Rescue workers rushed the 38-year-old man to the hospital in hopes doctors may be able to reattach the leg, which was severed below the knee.

Two workers were cleaning and dismantling two 3,000-gallon gas tanks after they were dug up at the store.

While cutting through one tank, a spark from a saw ignited fumes. The tanks hadn’t been used for 20 years.

Part of one tank struck the one worker’s leg.

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G. Weldon Price Says:
October 12th, 2009 at 5:23 pm
They did not check the tank with a LEL (Lower Explosion Level) meter. The tanks must be monitored CONSTANTLY due to the “recharging” effect of flammable liquids such as gasoline. Fumes will continue to emit from the pores of the metal. They also should be purging the tank with an ambient blower system to keep the tank inert. Three conditions must exist for an explosion; 1) A fuel source, 2) Oxygen 3) An ignition source. If any one of these three elements are missing, an explosion cannot occur. These safety methods were probably not used at the site. The last thing to keep in mind, the tanks should have been taken off site for the dismantling procedure. A 2′ x 2′ hole needs to be cut into the tank for transporting and cleaning only. Once the tank is cleaned, it can be taken to a scrap yard for recycling without complete disassembly.

A very stupid and costly mistake by people who don’t follow existing procedures for their own safety.

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