OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #14200109
BATA SHOE COMPANY INC
BELCAMP, MD—
Event description
VAPORS ESCAPING FROM A MALFUNCTIONING SPRAY BOOTH.
Investigation abstract
A SPRAY BOOTH WAS REMODELED TO MAKE IT SMALLER, AND WHEN PUT INTO OPERATION DID D PENTANE. IT APPEARS THAT THE REMODELING OF THE SPRAY BOOTH INVOLVED USE OF A M UCH SMALLER EXHAUST DUCT WITHOUT A CHANGE IN FAN SIZE OR SPEED. EVIDENTLY THE FA N WAS PULLING MORE MATERIAL THAN THE EXHAUST DUCT COULD HANDLE AND THIS BLEW THE RUBBER LACQUER PARTICULATE AND VAPORS OUT INTO THE WORK AREA. A BUILDUP OF MATE RIAL OCCURRED DURING THE DAY AS THE FIRST SHIFT NOTED SOME SYMPTOMS, BUT DID NOT BECOME SICK ENOUGH TO LEAVE THE WORK AREA. NOT EXHAUST PROPERLY. THE OVERSPRAY PARTICULATE AND VAPORS WERE FORCED BACK INTO THE WORK AREA. THE SPRAY BOOTH WAS LOCATED IN A MILITARY RUBBER BOOT PRODUCTION AREA IN A SHOE FACTORY. A PROTECTIVE RUBBER LACQUER WAS BEING APPLIED IN THE SP RAY BOOTH, WHICH WAS ONE STEP IN THE PRODUCTION OF THE BOOTS. THE AFFECTED WORKE RS WERE WORKING NEAR THE SPRAY BOOTH DOING PRODUCTION PIECEWORK ON THE BOOTS. TH OSE ON THE SECOND SHIFT BECAME ILL WITH SYMPTOMS SUCH AS VOMITING, DIZZINESS , G IDDINESS, NAUSEA, & HEADACHES WHICH WERE COMPATIBLE WITH THE EFFECTS OF THE INGR EDIENTS IN THE LACQUER: XYLENE, TOLUENE, MEK, MIBIC, ETHANOL, HEXANE, HEPTANE AN
Victims (10)
-
#1 Hospitalized Age 25 F
- Nature of injury
- 21
- Part of body
- 29
- Event type
- 8
- Source
- 9
- Occupation code
- 753
- Human factor
- 12
- Environmental factor
- 7
- Hazardous substance
- 2592
- Task assigned
- 1
-
#10 Non-hospitalized injury Age 30 F
- Nature of injury
- 21
- Part of body
- 29
- Event type
- 8
- Source
- 9
- Occupation code
- 753
- Human factor
- 12
- Environmental factor
- 7
- Hazardous substance
- 2592
- Task assigned
- 1
-
#2 Hospitalized Age 25 F
- Nature of injury
- 21
- Part of body
- 29
- Event type
- 8
- Source
- 9
- Occupation code
- 753
- Human factor
- 12
- Environmental factor
- 7
- Hazardous substance
- 2592
- Task assigned
- 1
-
#3 Hospitalized Age 25 F
- Nature of injury
- 21
- Part of body
- 29
- Event type
- 8
- Source
- 9
- Occupation code
- 753
- Human factor
- 12
- Environmental factor
- 7
- Hazardous substance
- 2592
- Task assigned
- 1
-
#4 Hospitalized Age 25 F
- Nature of injury
- 21
- Part of body
- 29
- Event type
- 8
- Source
- 9
- Occupation code
- 753
- Human factor
- 12
- Environmental factor
- 7
- Hazardous substance
- 2592
- Task assigned
- 1
-
#5 Hospitalized Age 18 F
- Nature of injury
- 21
- Part of body
- 29
- Event type
- 8
- Source
- 9
- Occupation code
- 753
- Human factor
- 12
- Environmental factor
- 7
- Hazardous substance
- 2592
- Task assigned
- 1
-
#6 Hospitalized Age 18 F
- Nature of injury
- 21
- Part of body
- 29
- Event type
- 8
- Source
- 9
- Occupation code
- 753
- Human factor
- 12
- Environmental factor
- 7
- Hazardous substance
- 2592
- Task assigned
- 1
-
#7 Hospitalized Age 25 F
- Nature of injury
- 21
- Part of body
- 29
- Event type
- 8
- Source
- 9
- Occupation code
- 753
- Human factor
- 12
- Environmental factor
- 7
- Hazardous substance
- 2592
- Task assigned
- 1
-
#8 Non-hospitalized injury Age 25 F
- Nature of injury
- 21
- Part of body
- 29
- Event type
- 8
- Source
- 9
- Occupation code
- 753
- Human factor
- 12
- Environmental factor
- 7
- Hazardous substance
- 2592
- Task assigned
- 1
-
#9 Non-hospitalized injury Age 25 M
- Nature of injury
- 21
- Part of body
- 29
- Event type
- 8
- Source
- 9
- Occupation code
- 753
- Human factor
- 12
- Environmental factor
- 7
- Hazardous substance
- 2592
- Task assigned
- 1
Codes shown verbatim from OSHA's accident-investigation database. A human-readable decoder is coming in a future release once the accident_lookup2 dictionary is loaded.