Abstract: At approximately 2:15 p.m. on July 5, 1990, Employee #1, a 20-year-old mechanic's helper for Curtis Mills Trucking, was disposing of used motor oil by pouring it into an empty crude oil tanker trailer, serial #4502. While pouring 4 to 5 gallons of used truck motor oil into the hatch from a polyethylene or polypropylene plastic bucket, static electricity ignited the vapors and gases inside the empty tank. A massive explosion blew Employee #1 into the air and onto a flatbed trailer parked next to the tanker. He suffered a fractured jaw, hip, pelvis, left ankle, and collarbones, and second- and third-degree burns over 50 percent of his arms, head, and upper body. Employee #1 was transported to San Joaquin Community Hospital and then transferred to Sherman Oaks Burn Center for long-term treatment. The tanker trailer was not grounded, bonding was not being used, nor had any attempt been made to prevent the accumulation of electrical charges.