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 Turner Industries Group, Turner Specialty Services at Cornerstone Chemical, WESTWEGO, LOUISIANA 70094
on — Chemical burns and corrosions, unspecified, affecting the multiple body parts, n.e.c..
Final narrative
An employee was changing out bolts and a gasket on a 1.5" acid line in the acrylonitrile unit. The line was blinded and locked out and the valve was in the open position to the bleeder. When the employee cut the bolt on the flange, trapped pressure between the bleeder and flange caused residual sulfuric acid to spray the employee, causing chemical burns to the left abdomen, left arm, and left lower back.
HospitalizedMultiple body parts, n.e.c.Sulfuric acid
An employee rigged a crate so that it could be removed from a shipping container. The pallet jack could not access the crate in the back of the container so a choker was attached to the crate and a forklift attached to the choker to pull the crate into a position where the pallet jack could reach it. As the forklift operator was pulling out the crate with the choker and the employee was walking away, the crate came apart and a 4 x 4 portion of the skid struck the employee who rigged it in the back of the head below their hard hat, resulting in a laceration. The employee was knocked to the floor and sustained a fractured ninth rib on his left side.
Two employees were removing a pressure safety valve when chlorine gas was released. The injured employee suffered upper respiratory irritation due to the chlorine gas.
An employee was climbing up a fixed structural ladder when he lost his grip and fell approximately 6 feet to the ground, resulting in a fractured left hip.
An employee had just completed a job and was returning to the operations control room to sign out of the unit. The employee used his right shoulder to push open the door and exit the building. The door closed on his left middle finger, resulting in a fingertip amputation.
Employees were unbolting the head of a product purge bin utilizing a high-speed cut saw. As the crew was cutting the last of 15 bolts on the purge bin head, a flash fire occurred resulting in burns to four employees.
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 423990)
An employee was working to unjam an auger screw. The screw caught his glove, resulting in a severe open fracture to his left lower forearm. He was hospitalized, requiring surgery.
An employee was working in a warehouse without air conditioning on a day when the temperature outside was in the 90s. The employee developed heat stress, became ill, and was hospitalized.
An employee was walking in the middle of the track during heavy rain when he slipped on a rail transition and fell, hitting his arm on the rail. The employee was hospitalized with a fractured left arm.
An employee was scraping down the sides of a mixing machine. The machine activated and her right arm was caught in the auger, resulting in a fractured lower arm.
Two employees were conducting a roll change on a rolling mill machine using a porter bar and a counterweight sleeve. The sleeve slid back and crushed the injured employee's right index fingertip between the sleeve and the counterweight, resulting in a partial amputation.
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.