Ascend Performance Materials, LLC

An employee was troubleshooting a compound extrusion line. As they opened a vent, fumes from the stearic acid additive ignited when exposed to air, causing a flash fire. Molten plastic in the line contacted their lower face and neck, resulting in first- and second-degree burns. A face shield was not used at the time of the incident.

An opened valve sprayed hot, hexamethylene diamine (HMD) onto an employee, causing second-degree burns. The employee was hospitalized.

While decontaminating equipment and boots, an employee potentially came in contact with chemicals. The employee suffered an infection to both feet and was hospitalized.

An employee was struck in the back by a piece of a stainless steel organic solvent container that became over-pressurized and burst, suffering back lacerations. The container had at least 200 pounds of pressure and was full of liquid nitrogen at the time.

An employee was assisting with pipe on a drilling rig. The slips came down and landed on the employee's left foot fracturing four metatarsals.

Two employees were struck by the rotary table of a drilling rig while installing caisson. Employee 1 suffered multiple fractures, internal injuries, and head trauma. Employee 2 suffered multiple fractures, internal injuries, spinal injury, and head trauma.

Employees were felling hazard trees. The injured employee was conducting 'bucking' operations to saw a tree from the road when the tree kicked-back, pinning him against the ground and fracturing his left femur. The employee was hospitalized and required surgery.

An employee was greasing tongs on a work-over rig. The tongs lacerated one of the employee's fingers.

An employee was chaining a vehicle when he had to change tools and the compressor. As the compressor was being charged, the employee stepped near the vehicle to make sure the compressor was attached. Then, he instructed a co-worker to lower the compressor. His right hand was on the compressor and under the chain, causing his ring finger to be crushed.

Two employees were lifting a roll of steel poly bar (50 inches and approximately 150 pounds) from ground level to a height of 4 feet at the 66-inch rubber calendar. One employee dropped the roll, resulting in the poly bar contacting the injured employee's right knee. The employee was hospitalized with fractured right patella.

Employees were loading a 295-pound transformer onto a pickup truck using a forklift. The injured employee was acting as the spotter. The transformer hit the tailgate of the pickup truck and the spotter's right hand was struck by the transformer, resulting in amputation of the ring fingertip.

An employee was wearing full PPE while emptying a 55-gallon drum of phosphorus pentoxide and fainted, collapsing and striking their head against the ground. The employee was hospitalized and it is likely that heat caused by wearing full body PPE contributed to fainting.

An employee was troubleshooting a plug in the super-absorbent polymer line. The employee opened an inspection port and their right hand was caught in a rotary valve, resulting in the amputation of four fingers between the knuckle and the first joint.

An employee was conducting a quality control measure by taking a chemical sample for lab analysis. When the employee was opening the sample point, it broke off and crude 2-Ethylhexyl thioglycolate (EHTG) shot out at 265 degrees, and it covered the employee's legs and right arm and splashed the right side of their face. The employee was hospitalized with first- and second-degree burns to their right thigh, lower right knee, inner left thigh, and upper left forearm.

An employee was traveling down the maintenance aisle of a warehouse on a single-pallet front rider jack. The jack malfunctioned, causing the brakes to apply; the employee fell forward onto the concrete warehouse floor. The employee suffered an injury to the left leg and was hospitalized, requiring surgery.

An employee was operating a metal roller machine to roll a small piece of metal. The employee's right index finger became caught between the metal and the machine, and the fingertip was amputated.

An employee was shot in the leg with a pistol during an altercation with two people who had entered the store without permission.

An employee was directing a truck driver to a dump site when the truck's peanut trailer slipped off the kingpin. As the trailer fell, a ladder attached to it lacerated the employee's ear. The employee was hospitalized.

An employee was unloading a forklift from a trailer to the ground. The employee was climbing down the ladder of the trailer when their foot slipped through one of the rungs, causing them to fall backward onto the forklift forks. The employee was hospitalized for fractured ribs.