Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at PARAMOUNT CHEMICALS & PLASTICS, INC., 14470 State Road 29, FELDA, FLORIDA 33930
on — Amputations, affecting the arm(s), n.e.c..
Final narrative
An employee was checking a tote that had a mix of sulfuric acid and chlorine when it exploded. Shrapnel from the tote amputated his right arm and partially severed his leg.
An employee was sitting in the cab of the truck while waste oxidizer was being offloaded. The waste reacted with the receiving tank and an explosion occurred in the tank. Fire traveled through the hose to the tanker truck, causing it to explode. The employee jumped from the burning truck and was hospitalized with burns to his face, chest, and arms.
An employee was installing piping and valves for fire protection systems in the vicinity of an electrical meter outside of a new warehouse. The meter exploded, causing burns to the employee's face and arms.
An employee was pouring molten aluminum into a drain pot. The aluminum touched moisture at the bottom of the drain pot and an explosion occurred. The employee sustained burns to their face, hands, and legs.
An employee was operating an oxygen-deficient oven that required manual ignition to make charcoal from wood. As the oven was opened, oxygen was introduced to the environment, resulting in an explosion. The employee sustained head trauma as well as fractures to the arms and legs.
An employee was setting up the electrical parts for a fireworks display. They were inserting an e-match when it generated friction with something else. A 3-inch firework shell ignited, injuring the employee's hand and head.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 424690)
An employee was servicing a bypass feeder system. The system released hot water onto the employee, resulting in first- and second-degree burns to his face, chest, right arm, and both hands.
An employee was cleaning a formic acid hose with water when formic acid splashed his right shoulder, both arms, and his face under his face shield. He was hospitalized.
A driver had just climbed out of a truck. He stepped back to close the door and his foot went into a low spot on the ground. He fell backward onto an incline, rolled, and suffered a compound fracture to the wrist. He was hospitalized, requiring surgery.
An employee was walking between two tanks when he stepped into a sump pit that was missing its metal grate. His leg was submerged in sulfuric acid, and he suffered chemical burns to the lower part of his right foot. The employee was hospitalized.
An employee was delivering pool chemicals from a tanker truck when the pipe connection broke. The employee sustained chemical burns from the sodium hypochlorite.
An employee was helping a coworker transport a tall palm tree with a mini skid steer. The employee was severely shocked by a high-voltage electrical wire above the ground.
An employee was retrieving a Christmas tree from a shelf using a ladder. He missed a step and fell to the concrete floor. He sustained injury to his head and wrist.
An employee was operating an agricultural tractor during sugarcane harvesting. The employee sustained a lumbar sprain due to vibration or motion from the tractor.
An employee was moving a 3-ton condensing unit, strapped down on a dolly, out of a garage. The strap broke, causing the employee to fall backward onto the brick pavered driveway. The employee suffered injury to a spinal ligament in the neck.