Exposure to other harmful substances, unspecified · Poisoning, including poisoning-related asphyxia
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at CORNERSTONE CHEMICAL COMPANY, 10800 RIVER ROAD , WESTWEGO, LOUISIANA 70094
on — Poisoning, including poisoning-related asphyxia, affecting the bODY SYSTEMS.
Final narrative
An employee was tracing an acetonitrile solution pipeline to verify which pipe was leaking from the pipe rack when he came into contact with the chemical mist. He experienced a headache and signs of exposure to acetonitrile, requiring hospitalization.
HospitalizedBODY SYSTEMSAromatics and hydrocarbon derivatives, except halogenated, n.e.c.
More severe injuries at CORNERSTONE CHEMICAL COMPANY
An employee was in a wash bay using an alkaline chemical cleaner to clean truck beds. The employee began experiencing lip numbness and facial and eye redness. The employee also experienced breathing difficulties, resulting in hospitalization.
On February 15, 2023, at approximately 5:15 p.m., an employee laid her head down on a desk and then noticed that her face and tongue were swollen. She later had trouble breathing while driving home. The employee was hospitalized for a potential allergic reaction.
On July 16, 2025, at around 2:20 PM, an employee was drilling a hole in a metal bracket. One end of the bracket was secured in a vise. When drilling, the bracket twisted and wrapped around the employee's left index finger. The employee's fingertip was amputated near the top joint.
An employee was manually lifting a 2-inch roll of paper weighing 58 pounds onto the line when they suffered a lower back injury. The employee was hospitalized.
On April 14, 2025, an employee was adding material into a mixer for rubber manufacturing. The employee was removing a piece of rubber under the door of the machine when the machine was started. The employee's left hand was shut in the door and they were hospitalized with a fractured hand. The machine was not locked out/tagged out at the time.
An employee was driving a forklift after putting trash into the trash compactor. The forks of the lift struck uneven asphalt on the road, causing the forklift to abruptly stop. The employee bounced up and struck his head on the forklift cage, resulting in a skull fracture.
Two employees locked out/tagged out a screw for digging out rubber, which caused the paddle screw to get stuck. They removed the rubber from the paddle screw, removed the lock out/tag out, and restarted the machine. When it restarted, the injured employee's right leg became entangled in the paddle screw, resulting in a fractured leg.
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.