OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #571067
DECATUR MEMORIAL HOSPITAL
DECATUR, IL—
Event description
CHLORINE GAS RELEASED WHEN BLEACH AND ACID WERE MIXED
Investigation abstract
EMPLOYEES #1-8 WERE ENGAGED IN WASHING AND FOLDING LAUNDRY IN THE LAUNDRY ROOM O ADEQUATE LABELING OF THE DRUMS, WHICH WERE ALL THE SAME COLOR. F DECATUR MEMORIAL HOSPITAL, DECATUR, ILLINOIS. EMPLOYEE #3 WAS POURING THE REMA INING CONTENTS OF A DRUM CONTAINING CHLORINE BLEACH INTO ANOTHER DRUM. EMPLOYEE #3 THOUGHT THE DRUMS CONTAINED THE SAME BLEACH SOLUTION. HOWEVER, THE DRUM THAT EMPLOYEE #3 POURED INTO WAS A DRUM CONTAINING A SOLUTION OF PHOSPHORIC ACID. ALL THE OTHER EMPLOYEES WERE LOCATED IN THE LAUNDRY ROOM AT THE TIME EMPLOYEE #3 MI XED THE CHLORINE BLEACH WITH THE ACIDIC SOLUTION. CHLORINE GAS WAS PRECIPITATED IN THE LAUNDRY ROOM AS A RESULT OF THIS MIXTURE. EMPLOYEES #1-8 EXPERIENCED IRRI TATION TO THEIR UPPER RESPIRATORY TRACT AND LUNGS. THE INCIDENT WAS CAUSED BY IN
Victims (8)
-
#1 Non-hospitalized injury Age 60 F
- Nature of injury
- 2
- Part of body
- 28
- Event type
- 8
- Source
- 19
- Occupation code
- 999
- Human factor
- 8
- Environmental factor
- 9
- Hazardous substance
- 0640
- Task assigned
- 1
-
#2 Non-hospitalized injury Age 27 M
- Nature of injury
- 2
- Part of body
- 28
- Event type
- 8
- Source
- 19
- Occupation code
- 999
- Human factor
- 8
- Environmental factor
- 9
- Hazardous substance
- 0640
- Task assigned
- 1
-
#3 Non-hospitalized injury Age 38 F
- Nature of injury
- 2
- Part of body
- 28
- Event type
- 8
- Source
- 19
- Occupation code
- 999
- Human factor
- 8
- Environmental factor
- 9
- Hazardous substance
- 0640
- Task assigned
- 1
-
#4 Non-hospitalized injury Age 27 M
- Nature of injury
- 2
- Part of body
- 28
- Event type
- 8
- Source
- 19
- Occupation code
- 999
- Human factor
- 8
- Environmental factor
- 9
- Hazardous substance
- 0640
- Task assigned
- 1
-
#5 Non-hospitalized injury Age 27 M
- Nature of injury
- 2
- Part of body
- 28
- Event type
- 8
- Source
- 19
- Occupation code
- 999
- Human factor
- 8
- Environmental factor
- 9
- Hazardous substance
- 0640
- Task assigned
- 1
-
#6 Non-hospitalized injury Age 54 F
- Nature of injury
- 2
- Part of body
- 28
- Event type
- 8
- Source
- 19
- Occupation code
- 999
- Human factor
- 8
- Environmental factor
- 9
- Hazardous substance
- 0640
- Task assigned
- 1
-
#7 Non-hospitalized injury Age 51 M
- Nature of injury
- 2
- Part of body
- 28
- Event type
- 8
- Source
- 19
- Occupation code
- 999
- Human factor
- 8
- Environmental factor
- 9
- Hazardous substance
- 0640
- Task assigned
- 1
-
#8 Non-hospitalized injury Age 48 F
- Nature of injury
- 2
- Part of body
- 28
- Event type
- 8
- Source
- 19
- Occupation code
- 999
- Human factor
- 8
- Environmental factor
- 9
- Hazardous substance
- 0640
- 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.