Contact with hot objects or substances · Second degree heat (thermal) burns
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at CHALMETTE REFINING LLC, 500 W. ST. BERNARD HWY, CHALMETTE, LOUISIANA 70044
on — Second degree heat (thermal) burns, affecting the nonclassifiable.
Final narrative
An employee received second degree burns from steam from the coker drum while performing housekeeping duties.
An employee connected a steam line to a hose to clean equipment when the fitting broke loose. They were struck by steam in the left inner thigh, resulting in burns that required hospitalization.
An employee was making tea when she noticed tea grinds were collecting on the side and water was no longer dripping through the funnel. The employee was checking the funnel when boiling water and tea grinds spilled onto the left side of her body. The employee sustained burns to her neck, back, and arm.
An employee had turned off the ball valve on a waterpipe system and was removing the plug when the coupling system attached to the strainer came apart. Hot water sprayed on his arm and back, resulting in first- and second-degree burns that required surgery.
An employee was using a shovel to remove waste vermiculite from molten zinc. The metal had been placed in a bin and partially hardened. The employee broke through the partially hardened metal; still-molten metal flowed to the employee's steel-toed right boot and entered through the cloth boot tongue. The employee suffered a third-degree burn to the right foot and was hospitalized.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 324110)
An employee was ascending an 8-foot aluminum extension ladder to access and replace a hypochlorite pump located on top of a 7-foot chemical tank. When he reached approximately 5 feet on the ladder, the ladder shifted and twisted to the right. The employee fell from the ladder and landed on his right side. The employee sustained a compound fracture to his right leg just above the ankle, dislocation of his shoulder, and a torn rotator cuff. The employee was hospitalized.
An employee was taking a butane gas sample as part of the hydrocarbon refining process. A component disconnected and the butane ignited, resulting in first- and second-degree burns to the employee's forearms and to their face, including their cheeks, chin, and neck.
An employee was driving a carry deck/small crane when its boom made contact with an overhead support beam. The employee was jostled in the cab and suffered a concussion.
An employee was inventorying hammer mill screens when the screens fell on the employee. The employee sustained a laceration to their leg requiring hospitalization.
An ironworker was maneuvering a mobile elevated work platform (MEWP) into position to install a structural beam. The employee was pinned between another structural steel beam that was already installed and the MEWP control box cover. The employee was hospitalized with a laceration to their lip, dislodged teeth, and a fractured jaw.
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.