Harcros Chemicals Inc

An employee was introducing an air sparge to an atmospheric blending vessel which contained sodium glucoheptonate (SGH) mother liquid heated to approximately 210 degrees Fahrenheit. The employee opened a valve to introduce air at the base of the vessel and rise through the vessel contents. The valve was stuck and when the handle broke free it turned further than desired and released more air than intended. The air rising through the vessel caused the SGH mother liquid to splash out of a 23-inch diameter manhole in the top of the vessel approximately 11 feet above the employee. The heated liquid fell onto the employee causing first- and second-degree thermal burns to his back.

An employee was working with a wrench. The employee fell backward into a valve, suffering an injury that required hospitalization.

While opening a valve an employee was splashed with chemicals and sustained chemical burns to the right leg, right arm, and face.

An employee was moving a pallet jack from a loading dock onto a trailer when the pallet jack became stuck in a gap between the dock and the trailer. The employee attempted to pull the jack free of the gap when his hand became pinched in the equipment, resulting in a partial amputation of the right index finger.

An employee was using a forklift to unload a pallet of 55-gallon drums from a tractor trailer. A 55-gallon drum containing hydrofluoric acid was leaking and the acid was released into the air. The employee was hospitalized for exposure to the acid including lung and throat injuries.

An employee connected a steam line to a hose to clean equipment when the fitting broke loose. They were struck by steam in the left inner thigh, resulting in burns that required hospitalization.

An employee was straining hot water from a pot of rice when the water splashed onto them, resulting in burns to their chest, arms, shoulder, and back.

An employee was making tea when she noticed tea grinds were collecting on the side and water was no longer dripping through the funnel. The employee was checking the funnel when boiling water and tea grinds spilled onto the left side of her body. The employee sustained burns to her neck, back, and arm.

An employee had turned off the ball valve on a waterpipe system and was removing the plug when the coupling system attached to the strainer came apart. Hot water sprayed on his arm and back, resulting in first- and second-degree burns that required surgery.

An employee was using a shovel to remove waste vermiculite from molten zinc. The metal had been placed in a bin and partially hardened. The employee broke through the partially hardened metal; still-molten metal flowed to the employee's steel-toed right boot and entered through the cloth boot tongue. The employee suffered a third-degree burn to the right foot and was hospitalized.

An employee was climbing into the cab of a semi-tractor when he stepped on the battery cover and it shifted from under him, causing him to fall to the ground. The employee sustained a fractured left wrist.

An employee was clearing a product flow restriction when the rotating valve activated. They sustained amputations to their left middle and index fingers.

A panel was being lifted when an attached roller (approximately 20 pounds) slipped and fell about 2 feet onto the hard hat of an employee working below. The roller also struck the employee's shoulder and back. The employee was hospitalized and suffered a contusion to the shoulder/back.

An employee drank water from a water cooler in the control room that was contaminated with sodium nitrite. The employee sustained methemoglobinemia and was hospitalized.

An employee was collecting waste material and taking it to a waste container that was in close proximity to material that was emitting chemical fumes due to elevated temperatures. The employee inhaled the fumes and was admitted to the hospital due to the exposure.

An employee was working to remove a product blockage from a piece of equipment. The employee was struck by a metal bar near the deck of the pin mixer equipment and sustained blunt force trauma to the torso.

An employee was moving a rack onto a lower conveyor in the south heat treat area when their finger got caught between the part tray and the rollers, resulting in a fingertip fracture and amputation.

An employee was climbing a ladder to get on top of the breakroom. The ladder slipped, causing him to fall to the ground. The employee sustained fractures to his upper back, left foot, and ankle.

Two employees were removing a circuit breaker. The injured employee was using wrenches in the removal process. One of the wrenches contacted an adjacent door, resulting in an arc flash. The employee suffered burns to their neck, face, and ear, as well as momentary vision loss due to the flash.

An employee bent over to pick up a rubber mat from the ground. When he grabbed the corner of the mat, a rattlesnake hidden under it bit his left middle finger near the first knuckle. He was hospitalized.