Safe USA Inc: OSHA inspections and violations

Incident on Aug 11, 2018: Employee sustains burns in equipment fire

At 7:00 a.m. on August 11, 2018, Employee #1 was preparing the Crafco, EZ-Pour 400 Melter asphalt applicator equipment for use, ensuring that there was enough material for the day. As his coworkers arrived at 8:00 a.m., they began repairing sections of the public street that had cracks. The employee was driving the motor vehicle forward slowly, while another coworker trailed behind applying the hot material with the spraying hose. At approximately 10:20 a.m., Employee# 1 was informed that the product was not coming out of the hose nozzle. He got out of the vehicle and walked to the melter equipment, opened the top hatch, and looked inside to see what was wrong. The employee noticed that the top portion of the material inside was solid, but that the burner light was still in the ON position, heating up the material. He then informed the coworker that they would need to stop work, when unexpectedly, the hot material exploded. Employee #1 was knocked down, and the equipment caught fire. He sustained serious burns and was transported to a nearby medical center, where he was admitted and treated for his injuries. It was determined that the defective component(s) of the equipment did not shut off the burner at the set temperature, causing the explosion and fire.