OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #14539175
PENNWALT CORP
CALVERT CITY, KY—
Event description
BURNED BY METHYL CHLOROFORM; DIED FROM CARDIAC ARRHYTHMIA
Investigation abstract
EMPLOYEE #1 WAS IN THE PROCESS OF UNCLOGGING A LINE LEADING FROM THE REACTOR TO THE STORAGE TANK, USEING METHYL CHLOROFORM. THIS WAS NOT A ROUTINE TASK FOR EMPL OYEE #1, WHO WAS CLASSIFIED AS AN OPERATOR FOR THE K-98 PLANT. (THE CLEANING OF A LINE WITH CHLOROFORM HAD BEEN ATTEMPTED ONLY ONCE BEFORE.) EMPLOYEE #1 CONNECT ED A HOSE TO THE VALVE. WHEN THE COUPLING CAME LOOSE, EMPLOYEE #1 WAS SPRAYED WI TH A MIXTURE OF CHLOROFORM, HF AND OTHER COMPOUNDS, RESULTING IN APPARENT FIRST AND SECOND DEGREE BURNS TO HIS ARMS, FACE AND NECK. HE WAS TAKEN TO THE FIRST AI D ROOM. APPROXIMATELY 30 MINUTES LATER, CONVULSIONS OCCURRED. CPR WAS ADMINISTER ED, BUT HE WAS PRONOUNCED DEAD BY THE ATTTENDING PHYSICIAN 7 TO 8 MINUTES LATER.
Victim
-
#1 Fatality Age 53 M
- Nature of injury
- 5
- Part of body
- 2
- Event type
- 1
- Source
- 9
- Occupation code
- 699
- Human factor
- 9
- Environmental factor
- 11
- Hazardous substance
- 1720
- Task assigned
- 2
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.