Westfield Electroplating Company

An employee from the blasting department was working on top of a cart that was oily and dirty. He took a bottle containing hydrofluoric acid (HF) (49%) thinking it contained acetone, MEK, or some other cleaning agent. He poured some of the HF on a cloth rag and started cleaning the cart. The dermal absorption of HF changed the employee's blood chemistry composition and the employee was hospitalized.

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.

An employee placed an aluminum step ladder beside a tractor trailer and was removing a piece of scrap aluminum from the trailer that resulted from a motor vehicle accident. While coming down the ladder, the employee fell approximately 6 feet to the concrete. The employee was hospitalized with a fractured T4 vertebra.

On August 26, 2025, an employee was repairing a pipe at a tank. The employee fell and slid down the tank, suffering severe lacerations to the lower arms. The employee was hospitalized.

On August 26, 2025, a temporary employee was assisting a mechanic. The employee was on an overhead crane, removing a chain hoist attachment over a large plating tank. When the platform of the crane was moved, the employee became caught between the platform's railing and a support beam. The employee sustained a punctured lung and fractures to their clavicles, humerus, and ribs.

An employee was adding an all purpose soak and electro cleaner chemical to a water tank to make a cleaner bath. An exothermic reaction caused the 200 F water to splash on him, and he suffered hot water and steam burns to the right side of his face, his upper right arm, the right side of his torso, and his right leg.

At 3:00 AM, on 2/18/2025, an employee was mixing chemicals. The employee had difficulty breathing due to inhalation of unknown chemicals. The employee was hospitalized.

An employee fell while exiting a trailer. The employee landed on their left side on the pavement, suffering multiple broken ribs on the left side. The employee was hospitalized.

Two employees were setting up a mandrel in the spindle of a machine. The mandrel was side-shifted while an employee's hand was on the mast of a powered industrial truck. The employee suffered crushing injuries that resulted in amputations to the middle and ring fingertips.

An employee had been loading a double deck press. The employee saw a mold had been sent in with the C-hook still attached on the belly bar. As he went to remove the hook from the mold, his right thumb got caught on the C-hook. The employee's thumb was partially amputated.

An employee was operating a roller and paving a small pathway next to a pavilion. The ground was on a slight pitch, causing him to reach up toward the roll cage to stabilize himself. His right fifth finger was pinched between the roll cage and the rafter of the pavilion. The employee sustained a partial degloving injury with partial traumatic amputation.

An employee was delivering home heating fuel when bees came from the ground and stung the employee's face, neck, torso, and hands. The employee proceeded to shut off the oil flow before losing consciousness. They were hospitalized due to an anaphylactic reaction.