Document ID: EPA-HQ-RCRA-2016-0040-0243
Agency: epa
Document Type: Supporting & Related Material
Title: 
Posted Date: 2016-04-11T04:00Z

Accident Report Detail
Accident: 200781342 - Employee Killed In Fall Into Pit Of Hot Water And Chemicals 
      Accident: 200781342 -- Report ID: 0626300 -- Event Date: 07/12/2000
                                  Inspection
                                   Open Date
                                      SIC
                              Establishment Name
300561644
08/04/2000
1771
B & C Concrete
Employee #1 was carrying a piece of concrete form past a 10 ft deep pit that contained water at 136 degrees F and with a pH of 10.5. He stumbled, tripped, and fell into the pit, sustaining chemical and thermal burns from contact with the hot chemical mixture. Employee #1 was killed. The form he was carrying had been used by coworkers as a cover for the pit. 
Keywords: fall, pit, chemical, hot water, cover, tripped, chemical burn, burn, work rules, unguarded 
                                    End Use
                                   Proj Type
                                   Proj Cost
                                    Stories
                                   NonBldgHt
                                   Fatality
Manufacturing plant
New project or new addition
$50,000 to $250,000
1
20
X
                                       #
                                  Inspection
                                      Age
                                      Sex
                                    Degree
                                    Nature
                                  Occupation
                                 Construction
1
300561644

Fatality
Burn(Chemical)
Occupation not reported
FallDist: 10
FallHt:10
Cause: Exterior masonry
FatCause: Fall, other

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Accident Report Detail
      Accident: 120240411 - Employee Burned When Splashed With Chemicals 
      Accident: 120240411 -- Report ID: 0950631 -- Event Date: 11/18/1999
                                  Inspection
                                   Open Date
                                      SIC
                              Establishment Name
120241773
02/04/2000
7363
Kimco Staffing Services
Early in the morning of November 18, 1999, Employee #1, a 19-year-old temporary worker, was on the graveyard shift as a parts washer at Textron Aerospace. At the start of the shift, his supervisor told him to add caustic soda to dip tank #1, which contained heated, 150 to 160 degrees F, aqueous sodium hydroxide, to adjust the liquid pH into the range between 11and 12. He weighed out approximately 49 lb of solid sodium hydroxide into a plastic container and then manually poured it directly into the tank. A chemical reaction occurred, and Employee #1's chest, face, and eyes were splashed with chemicals. Coworkers immediately helped him to flush himself with water from a nearby chemical safety shower and eye wash, and then he was transported to a local hospital for medial treatment. Employee #1 sustained chemical burns over approximately 15 percent of his body. Subsequent investigation revealed that he had been involved in a similar incident two months earlier that had not resulted in injury. Textron Aerospace had provided him with additional training to supplement previous training on the proper method and precautions of adding caustic soda to the tank. These precautions and procedures included remotely adding the caustic soda using a conveyor system, something he did not follow in either instance. The cause of this accident appears to be Employee #1 failing to follow proper procedures. The employer was cited for an accident-related violation for failing to ensure that proper body protection was worn. 
Keywords: chemical, caustic, sodium hydroxide, chemical reaction, protective clothing, work rules, ppe, chemical burn, manual mat handling, face 
                                       #
                                  Inspection
                                      Age
                                      Sex
                                    Degree
                                    Nature
                                  Occupation
                                       
1
120241773

Hospitalized injury
Burn(Chemical)
Occupation not reported

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Accident Report Detail
            Accident: 201630829 - Employee Suffers Chemical Burns 
      Accident: 201630829 -- Report ID: 1054191 -- Event Date: 11/06/1999
                                  Inspection
                                   Open Date
                                      SIC
                              Establishment Name
303129811
11/10/1999
1751
Under Construction Inc
Employee #1 and some coworkers were shoveling slurry from the laundry ring into the primary clarifier. The slurry had a pH of approximately 9.9. The laundry ring is an elevated ring, like a trough, encircling a large holding tank. The tank is called the primary clarifier. The primary clarifier separates the solid sludge from the liquids. All of the effluent pipes at this facility are pumped into the clarifier for separation. A breach was discovered leaking from the primary clarifier. Employee #1 suffered chemical burns on the lower extremities and was hospitalized. 
      Keywords: leak, chemical, chemical burn, sludge, leg, maintenance 
                                    End Use
                                   Proj Type
                                   Proj Cost
                                    Stories
                                   NonBldgHt
                                   Fatality
Manufacturing plant
Maintenance or repair
$50,000 to $250,000

                                       #
                                  Inspection
                                      Age
                                      Sex
                                    Degree
                                    Nature
                                  Occupation
                                       
1
303129811

Hospitalized injury
Burn(Chemical)
Helpers, construction trades

Accident Report Detail
  Accident: 200550200 - One Employee Killed, Four Injured, By Chemical Spill 
      Accident: 200550200 -- Report ID: 0625700 -- Event Date: 10/31/1997
                                  Inspection
                                   Open Date
                                      SIC
                              Establishment Name
300398435
11/02/1997
2621
International Paper Company - Louisiana Mill
At approximately 10:00 a.m. on October 31, 1997, Employees #1 through #5 were near the north heavy black liquor storage tank. Black liquor is a highly corrosive combination of sodium hydroxide, sodium sulfide, wood fibers, and other components of negligible quantities, with a pH of between 12 and 14; in this tank, the mixture was 45 percent solids. The 40 ft diameter by 60 ft tall tank was on the east side of the facility and was receiving black liquor from the power plant during a normal boil-out of the concentrators. The liquor entered the tank from the side, at a height of approximately 8 ft, under 60 psi pressure, and at 295 degrees F, as opposed to the contents of the tank, which was at 235 degrees F. Steam at 60 psi and weak liquor also entered the tank through the same location during boil-out. On the day of the accident, the boil-out process started at approximately 7:45 a.m. and the liquid level in the tank rose dramatically over a short period of time. At about 8:00 a.m., the level started to rise from 36 to 45 ft; just prior to 10:00 a.m., the level spiked to 55 ft. It was normal for the liquor level to rise rapidly during the boil-out of the concentrators, which was done approximately every three weeks. During normal operations, black liquor circulated through the north heavy black liquor storage tank from the evaporators, with the level running at approx 37 ft. On this day, the tank had filled to approximately the 43 ft level, as indicated from control room readings, when it failed and ruptured at the 20 ft level. Approximately 300,000 gallons of the hot, heavy, black liquor was released. Employee #1 was coated with the material and was killed. Employees #2 and #5 suffered burns and were admitted to the LSU/Shreveport burn unit. Employees #3 and #4 were treated locally and released. The storage tank was an atmospheric tank constructed to API 650 standards and inspected using API 653. It was made of A36 carbon steel plate in 6 ft to 10 ft rings of various thickness ranging from 0.5 in. for the top course (#6) to 0.645 in. for the bottom course (#1), with a 08125 in. thick base. The tank was placed in service in 1992 and had been experiencing a high rate of corrosion (between 0.03 and 0.07 in. per year) on the interior surface. From 1992 until 1996, the company had used it only for black liquor, with flashing as the only major problem occurring. Since the liquor entered the tank from the top, flashing would occur near the outlet. The company solved this problem by installing a bell-shaped covering at the end of the inlet pipe. The company did not consider black liquor to be a covered process under the PSM standard. 
Keywords: burn, tank, chemical burn, storage tank, rupture, equipment failure, spill, high temperature, accidental discharge, corrosive 
                                       #
                                  Inspection
                                      Age
                                      Sex
                                    Degree
                                    Nature
                                  Occupation
                                       
1
300398435

Fatality
Burn(Chemical)
Machine operators, not specified

2
300398435

Hospitalized injury
Burn(Chemical)
Machinery maintenance occupations

3
300398435

Non Hospitalized injury
Burn(Chemical)
Electricians

4
300398435

Non Hospitalized injury
Burn(Chemical)
Supervisors, production occupations

5
300398435

Hospitalized injury
Burn(Chemical)
Chemical engineers

Accident Report Detail
    Accident: 170630495 - Employee Burned After Fall Into Molten Salt Bath 
      Accident: 170630495 -- Report ID: 0950642 -- Event Date: 07/23/1995
                                  Inspection
                                   Open Date
                                      SIC
                              Establishment Name
119870095
08/01/1995
3316
Precision Specialty Metals
Employee #1, of Precision Speciality Metals, Inc., Los Angeles, CA, was lowering a large heavy metal cover onto an elevated opening atop a 7 ft high molten salt bath. The molten salt bath operates at 875 degrees Fahrenheit. It contains sodium hydroxide with a pH of 10 to 14. In an attempt to position himself better so that he could align the cover to the opening, Employee #1 stepped on a metal plate that he thought was welded. The plate gave way and he fell halfway into the molten salt bath. Employee #1 received chemical and thermal burns on both legs and was hospitalized. 
Keywords: work rules, fall, unstable position, burn, sodium hydroxide, leg, chemical burn, high temperature 
                                       #
                                  Inspection
                                      Age
                                      Sex
                                    Degree
                                    Nature
                                  Occupation
                                       
1
119870095

Hospitalized injury
Burn/Scald(Heat)
Supervisors, production occupations

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Accident Report Detail
   Accident: 170670582 - One Employee Killed, One Burned When Pump Ruptures 
      Accident: 170670582 -- Report ID: 0418400 -- Event Date: 05/07/1995
                                  Inspection
                                   Open Date
                                      SIC
                              Establishment Name
110098928
05/23/1995
2611
Browning Trucking
Employees #1 and #2 were attempting to pull a pump away from its casing. The impellers on the pump were in the casing. Employee #1 was between the pump and a 320,000 gal tank which was two-thirds full. A valve normally used to shut off the hydraulic pressure from a 12 in. pipe coming from the tank would not close. The liquid in the tank was 180 to 185 degrees Fahrenheit and had a pH level of 12 to 12 1/2. Employees #1 and #2 had left three to six bolts in the pump. Employee #2 obtained a pry bar and wedged it between the pump and its housing to move the pump away from its casing. The liquid pressure from the tank stripped the bolts out of the pump and pushed it out of its casing. Black liquid poured out of the casing like a fire hose onto the two employees. Employee #1 was burned over 55 percent of his body and was sent to a burn center, where he later died. Employee #2 was also burned, but was treated by the plant nurse after a local hospital had seen and released him on the day of the accident. 
Keywords: chemical burn, high pressure, valve, equipment failure, work rules, struck by, pump, high temperature, burn, bolt 
                                       #
                                  Inspection
                                      Age
                                      Sex
                                    Degree
                                    Nature
                                  Occupation
                                       
1
110098928

Fatality
Burn(Chemical)
Occupation not reported