That moment a 4 inch steam line let go 30 feet up

I was on a job at a paper mill in Savannah two years ago, working on a deaerator tank. We were trying to isolate a section and a gasket blew out on a 4 inch steam line at 150 psi. Steam hit me square in the chest before I could drop off the scaffold. Had to bail, land on my side, and ended up with burns on my arms that took a month to heal. Any of you guys ever had a near miss with steam like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

tessap731d ago

I had a 2 inch condensate line pop on me at a chemical plant in Baton Rouge about three years back. That stuff hits like a freight train made of fire. I was climbing down a ladder when it let go and caught my right arm. I swear I smelled bacon for a week and not the good kind. My wife said I looked like a lobster that fell asleep in the sun. Took six weeks for the skin to stop peeling off in sheets. Now I treat every steam line like it's got a personal grudge against me.

evan_davis1d ago

At least you got a good story out of it and a new appreciation for why gloves exist. Bet you check every gasket twice now before getting close.

the_claire1d ago

Used to think people overreacted about steam safety. Like it's just hot water vapor, right? Then I watched a buddy grab a pipe that looked cold. Knuckle peeled off like wet paper. Changed my whole perspective on PPE real quick. You never unsee that.