Matrix Service Inc.: OSHA inspections and violations

Incident on Nov 4, 2009: Employee fractures arm when struck by falling fan

At approximately 12:10 p.m. on November 4, 2009, Employee #1, a construction wor ker, and a coworker were deblinding and removing equipment from the decks on the 65-ft fractionation tower C-770 in the ISO MAX Unit. They decided to lower equi pment from deck to deck using a rope. The coworker was on the top deck lowering a 65-lb Coppus manway fan (Equipment Number 596353, Model Number RF-2C, 6,000 rp m) when the knot came undone, allowing the fan to drop 21 feet to the next deck, striking Employee #1 on his right arm. He sustained a radial fracture to his ri ght arm and was hospitalized for treatment.

Incident on May 20, 2004: Employee burned when vapors ignite during welding

On May 20, 2004, Employee #1, a welder, and a coworker-helper were working for a mechanical contractor at a refinery. At 7:00 a.m., a hot work permit, Number 42 0446, had been issued for hot work on the Number #1 Lift Station Oil Trap-Whole Bay. At approximately 11:00 a.m., another of the contractor's work crews removed an air blower from an overflow pit adjacent to the oil trap and placed metal co vers over the top of the overflow pit. The air blower had been used to keep hydr ocarbon vapors from backing up into the overflow box. About two hours later, thi s same work crew anchored a come-along to a valve box and used it to move one of the metal covers into place. This valve box was bolted to the metal plate sitti ng on the northern half of the overflow pit. Anchoring the come-along to the val ve box caused the plate holding the valve box to flex, breaking the vapor seal a long the north side of the plate. Despite these two changes in the conditions ad jacent to the southeast corner of the lift station oil trap, the hot work permit was not terminated. At approximately 3:46 p.m., a coworker was using a cutting torch to cut a diamond plate adjacent to the northwest corner of the overflow pi t. Employee #1 was setting up to weld north of the coworker-helper. The torch op erator was east of the coworker-helper and was attempting to fight a fire when h e noticed material burning next to the cutting operation. At that time, the hydr ocarbon vapors ignited and a flash of flames shot out from under the plate cover ing the north side of the overflow pit. Employee #1 sustained second-drgree burn s to the left side of his face, for which he was hospitalized for five days. The coworker-helper suffered second-degree burns to small areas on his left hand an d on the back of his left leg. He was trabsposted to the hospital, where he was treated and released. It was later determined that the coworker-helper's coveral ls looked like they were made of fire retardant material, but were not.

Incident on Oct 24, 1996: Employee injured when blown off tank in explosion

On October 24, 1996, Employee #1, of Matrix Services Inc., was working as a supe rvisor in the marine terminal of Ultramar Refinery. He had been subcontracted by Ultramar to do modification work in tank 40001, which was adjacent to tank 2100 1. A catwalk connected the roofs of the two tanks to allow movement from one roo f to the other. Approximately three weeks before, the catwalk had been removed t o facilitate work on 40001 and its roof. On the day of the accident, a five-men crew, including Employee #1, was installing the catwalk to its original position between the two tanks. The catwalk was lifted by a crane; one end of it was pos itioned and in contact with the roof of 40001, and the other end was being posit ioned on the top of 21001. Employee #1 was the only worker on the top of 21001; the other crew members were on the ground level or in the other tank. Tank 40001 was completely empty and dry because the insides had been worked on for the las t few weeks. Fresh flammable liquid had been added to 21001 the day before. Acco rding to Ultramar, it was a kerosene distillate; however, examination of a sampl e collected by DOSH revealed it to be diesel distillate. Employee #1 had done se veral spot/tack welds by electric arc between the catwalk and the roof when, abo ut two minutes later, a explosion occurred inside tank 21001. The force threw hi m about 15 ft above the 40 ft high tank. He struck several objects as he fell, s ustaining multiple fractures to his upper and lower extremities. Causal factors for this accident include Employee #1 not being instructed to recognize hazards when there were known job site hazards ( i.e., flammable liquids), and the failu re to survey site conditions to determine hazards to employees. In addition, a w ritten hot work permit had not been issued prior to using a source of ignition c onnected to product-related petroleum transportation/handling.