Exposure through intact skin, eyes, or other exposed tissue · Chemical burns and corrosions, unspecified
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Apex Material Technologies, 10 Industrial Avenue, JOLIET, ILLINOIS 60435
on — Chemical burns and corrosions, unspecified, affecting the nonclassifiable.
Final narrative
An employee was performing a lockout/tag-out procedure on a tank line and attached an air hose to clean the line. The pressure caused the flank to break, spraying and burning the employee with nitric acid.
HospitalizedNonclassifiableNitric acid
More severe injuries at Apex Material Technologies
On November 10, 2018, an employee was in an aerial lift using a propane and oxygen cutting torch while performing demolition of a vessel. During the demolition process, the vessel caught on fire and the employee jumped out of the aerial lift. The employee sustained burns from the fire and a fractured pelvis and wrist from the fall.
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 324199)
An employee was preparing an oven for charging and cracked the seal of the jump lid to release pressure. Flames unexpectedly released from the oven and burned the employee's right ring and little fingers. The employee sustained second-degree burns.
An employee was starting to work on the change of a conveyor belt and experienced symptoms of heat exhaustion due to high temperatures. The employee was hospitalized with heat exhaustion and dehydration.
An employee had been working to fill lump charcoal into 40-pound bags when the crusher jammed. He was standing at the filling station and went to clear the machine. The employee's gloved right hand was pulled into a belt and pulley, causing the amputation of his little finger and a severe laceration to his ring finger. The employee was hospitalized and required surgery. The machine was guarded and locked out/tagged out at the time.
An employee was uncoupling a hose from an air compressor. The pressurized hose struck the employee's left side, fracturing a rib and lacerating their kidney and spleen.
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 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.