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Company Agrees To Pay Fine In Flash Fire

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 23, 2008

ZEPHYRHILLS - A local company has agreed to pay $16,500 in fines stemming from a flash fire in June that gave a worker burns on 30 percent of his body.

Initially, investigators from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued more than $139,000 in fines. But both OSHA and Wheelblast, a Copeland Drive company that paints and sandblasts structural steel, negotiated in early January and came up with the new figure, according to paperwork sent to The Tampa Tribune on Monday.

Among the violations, inspectors said employees were exposed to toxic and flammable paints, and were not provided flame resistant clothing or personal protective equipment. There also were no guardrails around some open pits and inspectors saw employees smoking in the spraying area, according to the citation.

According to Zephyrhills Fire Rescue, firefighters responded to Wheelblast, at 3951 Copeland Drive, at 9:26 a.m. June 13. Paul Echevaria, then 28, had been applying flammable finish coatings in a designated outdoor spray area. Before being airlifted to a Tampa hospital, he told a fire inspector he had been checking a heater when the materials he was working with burst into flames, according to a Zephyrhills Fire Rescue report.

The fine will be paid in installments during the next year.

Nicola M. White

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