Contact with hot objects or substances · Second degree heat (thermal) burns
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Darling Ingredients, Inc., 1001 Orient Rd., TAMPA, FLORIDA 33619
on — Second degree heat (thermal) burns, affecting the shoulder(s) and arm(s).
Final narrative
An employee was performing maintenance to a conveyor screw system that contained a cooker with hot oil when the oil splashed his right arm and shoulder, causing second degree burns. The cooker was not locked/tagged out at the time of the incident.
HospitalizedShoulder(s) and arm(s)Fats, oils, cooking greases
A driver just completed dumping the contents of his truck bed and the hides basket at their facility. The employee noticed that the hides basket door did not close completely after the dump bed was lowered with the exterior controls. The employee went to manually push the hides basket door closed when their hand was pinched between the door and body of the hides basket, resulting in a right ring fingertip amputation. The employee was hospitalized and required surgery.
On June 2, 2023, an employee was standing on the mezzanine around the pressure cookers when hot steam and 300-degree grease escaped from the ports. The employee sustained burns to 57% of their body.
An employee was on a catwalk pressure washing the inside of a feather dryer to prepare it for maintenance. The employee's knee pad slipped, causing him to lose his balance and move forward. The stream from the pressure washer contacted his left index finger, resulting in a laceration that required hospitalization.
An employee was cleaning a centrifuge when he dropped a pair of pliers. The pliers struck a valve containing hot water, causing it to it discharge and strike him in the face. The employee sustained second-degree burns to the nose and right cheek.
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 325998)
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.
An employee was removing a hose from a chemical tank after filling the tank with hexamethylenediamine (HMD). He checked the line to ensure that the hose was clear, then disconnected the hose at the connection. Residual chemical sprayed onto his face, causing a second-degree burn. He was hospitalized.
Two employees were moving a railcar (plastic pellet hopper car) using a mobile railcar mover. One employee was the engineer in control of the railcar mover and the injured employee was a switchman. The railcar mover went forward and the hopper railcar struck the injured employee, resulting in a severe crushing injury to the employee's right arm.
An employee was opening a filter housing in the potassium chloride production area and got sprayed with a hot solution of potassium chloride brine. The employee sustained thermal burns to their right hand and legs.
An employee was performing maintenance on a guillotine cutter machine. As the employee was placing a pin in the machine, his left middle fingertip was caught, resulting in a partial amputation to the finger. The machine was not locked out at the time.
An employee was helping a coworker transport a tall palm tree with a mini skid steer. The employee was severely shocked by a high-voltage electrical wire above the ground.
An employee was retrieving a Christmas tree from a shelf using a ladder. He missed a step and fell to the concrete floor. He sustained injury to his head and wrist.
An employee was operating an agricultural tractor during sugarcane harvesting. The employee sustained a lumbar sprain due to vibration or motion from the tractor.
An employee was moving a 3-ton condensing unit, strapped down on a dolly, out of a garage. The strap broke, causing the employee to fall backward onto the brick pavered driveway. The employee suffered injury to a spinal ligament in the neck.