VERTEX CHEMICAL CORPORATION

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.

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 fell while moving a water canister, resulting in fractures to four fingers on her right hand.

An employee was changing a die in a press when the die slipped and crushed the employee's left index finger. The employee sustained an open facture of the tuft of the left distal phalanx and a partial amputation.

An employee was mixing sauce using a sauce barrel mixer when his left little finger was amputated.

An employee was driving a boom lift (in the lowered position) in an exterior dock area. The lift s left wheels rolled onto base plates that covered a 3-foot-deep sump pit. The base plates failed, and one side of the lift dropped. The employee's left leg was caught under the lift basket, and he suffered a fracture to the lower leg including the ankle.

A temporary employee was carrying a nail gun through the warehouse when it hit his leg, activated, and fired a nail into the leg.