Exposure through intact skin, eyes, or other exposed tissue · Second degree chemical burns and corrosions
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at CF Industries Nitrogen, LLC, 39018 Hwy 3089, DONALDSONVILLE, LOUISIANA 70346
on — Second degree chemical burns and corrosions, affecting the multiple body parts, n.e.c..
Final narrative
An employee was clearing a plugged ammonia transmitter when the vat line on the transmitter blew. The employee was sprayed with ammonia and suffered 2nd degree burns on approximately 5% of the body. The employee was admitted to Baton Rouge General Burn Unit for treatment.
HospitalizedMultiple body parts, n.e.c.Ammonia, anhydrous ammonia
More severe injuries at CF Industries Nitrogen, LLC
An employee placed a stepladder onto a golf cart and the stepladder contacted the accelerator. Upon attempting to stop the golf cart, the employee got caught and pinned between the golf cart and a wall, resulting in a laceration to the spleen.
An employee was using a ladder to take a nitrogen purge line off of a unit that was being decommissioned. He lost his balance on the ladder and fell backwards onto his backside. This is not the fall that caused the injury, but was a precursory fall. He gathered himself and headed back toward the control unit when he then tripped over his feet and landed on an approximately 12-inch high dike on his right side, causing the injury. He was hospitalized for a fractured pelvis.
An employee was exposed to an amputation hazard while coupling rail cars. He used his foot to align the couplers. His foot slipped and got caught between the two couplers. His toe was smashed when the cars connected.
On November 27, 2023, an employee was emptying a 2-inch product line that transports sodium hydroxide liquid from a rail car to a 275-gallon tote tank. The nozzle came out of the tote and sprayed sodium hydroxide onto the employee's face. The employee was hospitalized with chemical burns to their face, mouth, and neck.
An employee was working with sulfuric acid as part of the production process. While transferring the chemical from a large container to a smaller container, it splashed on his body and hand, resulting in a chemical burn.
An employee knelt in wet concrete while performing work as a concrete finisher and sustained a chemical burn to the right shin. The employee was hospitalized and required surgery.
An employee was using a 5-gallon bucket to unload acid product from a tank. Residual product leaked into the containment area, causing the employee to sustain first- and second-degree burns to the chest, as well as third-degree burns to the arms.
An employee was transferring an alkaline cleaning chemical from a bulk container into 1-gallon containers. The employee lifted a gallon container by its label tag. The tag broke causing the container to fall approximately 14-18 inches. The container struck the ground and the contents splashed onto the employee causing chemical burns to their eyes.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 325311)
A shipping/receiving operator was working on a loading rack, loading a railcar. A 2-inch discharge cap failed and released pressure along with sulfuric acid from the railcar. The acid sprayed onto the employee, who suffered burns to the chest and the lower facial area. The employee was hospitalized.
An employee was on the ground unloading fertilizer when he tripped and fell over a cinder block that was on the ground. The employee was hospitalized with a fractured left hip.
An employee was performing maintenance on a pump. They replaced the pump and activated the pump motor for testing. The 7.5 HP mix tank pump impeller caught the employee's shoelace, causing their leg to get pulled against the pump housing. The employee sustained a compound fracture of the lower left leg.
On August 12, 2024, at approximately 3:20 AM, employee 1 opened the dome lid of a sulfur railcar that released hydrogen sulfide gas pressure that had built up inside the car during transportation. Employee 1 became overwhelmed by the gas and fell to the ground. Employee 2 went over to check on employee 1, when they were also overcome by the gas. Employee 2 was hospitalized for observation and employee 1 was hospitalized for inhalation injuries from the hydrogen sulfide gas.
An employee was shocked while working on a breaker at the motor control center, suffering an electrical burn to the left hand, left wrist, left side of the neck, and face.
A driver was exiting his vehicle outside the plant gate when his foot slipped on the top step of the truck. He fell to the ground, landed on his left hip and elbow. The employee was hospitalized with a fractured hip/femur.
A security employee was responding to an urgent call from staff regarding a violent patient. The employee tripped and fell on the floor outside of the stairwell. The employee sustained a closed head injury, contusion of the cerebrum without loss of consciousness, and a closed fracture of the distal end of the right radius.
A temporary employee was testing an electrical starter motor. He was placing tape on the starter while the breaker was not engaged, but the starter sent an arc flash that burned his hands and stomach.
An employee was walking on a sidewalk and stubbed his toe on an elevated portion of concrete, causing him to trip and fall. The employee's right knee was dislocated.