Depletion of oxygen · Loss of consciousness-not heat related
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Barry Callebaut USA LLC, 903 Industrial Highway, EDDYSTONE, PENNSYLVANIA 19022
on — Loss of consciousness-not heat related, affecting the bODY SYSTEMS.
Final narrative
At about 2:00 p.m. on July 18, 2018, an employee had opened the top hatch of a heat exchanger hopper and was changing an air filter. The employee became unresponsive due to a lack of oxygen, possibly because nitrogen gas had displaced the oxygen.
An employee was attempting to unjam a cocoa shell process machine when their left hand got caught in the machine, resulting in partial amputations of the middle and ring fingers.
An employee was wrapping plastic around a pallet when they tripped over a leg of a conveyor system, fell, and hit their head on the concrete floor, resulting in hematoma. The employee was hospitalized.
An employee was helping a mechanic diagnose a problem with an airlock. The mechanic had the airlock open to access the fan that was inside. The employee attempted to clear cocoa powder that was stuck in the port with his finger. The running airlock fan propeller then amputated his right index fingertip.
An employee was acting as a fire watch within the engine compartment of a vessel observing the cutting of the hull on the outside. The fire suppression system activated and the employee was trapped inside of the compartment. The employee suffered oxygen deprivation and was hospitalized.
An employee was performing maintenance inside a furnace when they lost consciousness due to the oxygen-deficient atmosphere. The employee was hoisted from the space and also sustained a leg fracture.
On May 30, 2017, an employee was diving to a depth of 82-84 feet with a team in the Gulf of Mexico. He was using an oxygen tank, got tangled in the line and the air shut off. He was found unconscious by other divers and was brought to the surface were he was resuscitated.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 311320)
An employee was going down a ramp to a basement to assist in cleanup efforts. The ramp had been closed to vehicle traffic all day, as it was slippery. The employee was halfway down the ramp when a forklift drove onto it, then slid down the ramp and struck him. The employee suffered a spinal fracture and was hospitalized.
An employee was clearing a jam and making an adjustment to a machine using the exit wheel. Their right thumb was caught in the machine and they sustained a partial amputation to the thumb tip.
An employee was pushing a bag that was stuck in the bag sealing machine when their right thumb became caught in one of the back wheels, resulting in an amputation of the thumb tip.
An employee was getting chocolate product from the outfeed of a wrapping machine when the rotating elevator that pushes wrapped chocolate onto the outfeed ramp caught her right middle fingertip, resulting in a partial fingertip amputation. The machine was guarded and in operation at the time of the incident.
An employee was walking into the motor control center (MCC) room when his right ring finger was caught in the hinge of a doorway. He sustained an open phalanx fracture, which resulted in a partial amputation above the first knuckle.
An employee was changing the spacing on a telehandler's forks. A fork slipped, and the employee's left index finger was caught between it and the mast. The fingertip was medically amputated at the first knuckle.
An employee was pulling down a broken skid with a forklift. When the employee backed up the forklift to get the forks out of the skid he pulled down, he contacted the forks of another parked forklift, fracturing both of his legs. He was hospitalized.
An employee was carrying cups back to the kitchen when her foot got caught on a cart and she fell face-first. During the fall, a piece of glass from a cup cut the inside of her mouth, severing an artery. She also sustained a laceration on her lower lip. The employee was hospitalized.