OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #14497929
HEIGHTS HOSPITAL
HOUSTON, TX—
Event description
Six employees injured by exposure to ethylene oxide
Investigation abstract
Employees #1 through #6 were working in a hospital, preparing instruments for us e in surgery. Due to a mechanical failure of the pressure sensing device, an eth ylene oxide sterilizer became overpressurized and caused a door seal to rupture. All six employees were exposed to ethylene oxide. They experienced eye irritati on, headaches, and nausea, for which they were hospitalized.
Victims (6)
-
#1 Hospitalized Age 60 F
- Nature of injury
- 17
- Part of body
- 8
- Event type
- 8
- Source
- 19
- Occupation code
- 999
- Human factor
- 4
- Environmental factor
- 7
- Hazardous substance
- 1190
- Task assigned
- 1
-
#2 Hospitalized Age 63 F
- Nature of injury
- 17
- Part of body
- 8
- Event type
- 8
- Source
- 19
- Occupation code
- 999
- Human factor
- 4
- Environmental factor
- 7
- Hazardous substance
- 1190
- Task assigned
- 1
-
#3 Hospitalized Age 61 F
- Nature of injury
- 17
- Part of body
- 8
- Event type
- 8
- Source
- 19
- Occupation code
- 999
- Human factor
- 4
- Environmental factor
- 7
- Hazardous substance
- 1190
- Task assigned
- 1
-
#4 Hospitalized Age 35 F
- Nature of injury
- 17
- Part of body
- 8
- Event type
- 8
- Source
- 19
- Occupation code
- 999
- Human factor
- 4
- Environmental factor
- 7
- Hazardous substance
- 1190
- Task assigned
- 1
-
#5 Hospitalized Age 57 F
- Nature of injury
- 17
- Part of body
- 8
- Event type
- 8
- Source
- 19
- Occupation code
- 999
- Human factor
- 4
- Environmental factor
- 7
- Hazardous substance
- 1190
- Task assigned
- 1
-
#6 Hospitalized Age 61 F
- Nature of injury
- 17
- Part of body
- 8
- Event type
- 8
- Source
- 19
- Occupation code
- 999
- Human factor
- 4
- Environmental factor
- 7
- Hazardous substance
- 1190
- 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.