Newport News Shipbuilding Division of Huntington Ingalls
Exposure through intact skin, eyes, or other exposed tissue · Second degree chemical burns and corrosions
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Newport News Shipbuilding Division of Huntington Ingalls, 4101 Washington Avenue , NEWPORT NEWS, VIRGINIA 23607
on — Second degree chemical burns and corrosions, affecting the hand(s), unspecified.
Final narrative
An employee was troubleshooting an R-22 refrigeration system. When the employee went to disconnect a connector from a valve, the connector did not fully disengage from the valve, causing the valve to be halfway open. R-22 refrigerant escaped. The employee was hospitalized with second degree chemical burns and frostbite to the top of both hands.
An employee was changing out a reaming bit on a cordless magnetic drill. When installing a bit extension, the drill power switch contacted the working surface and the drill subsequently became energized. The employee's cut-resistant glove became tangled in the drill bit and it contacted his right thumb, resulting in an amputation.
An employee was climbing a fixed scaffold ladder when a guardrail pin came loose. The employee fell 6.5 feet to the floor below, sustaining fractures to the left hip and right wrist.
An employee was performing carbon arc welding when hot multi-metal weld fell downward and onto the employee's skin between the neck and chest, under the collar of the employee's fire-rated overalls. The employee suffered second and third degree burns.
On September 15, 2021, an employee was removing the through-spindle coolant tube on a gantry mill. The employee lowered the coolant tube and another component shifted, causing his left index and middle fingers to become pinched. The employee's index finger was lacerated at the point of impact and required surgery.
An employee was entering the back door of his work location when he tripped over a concrete slab and fell, resulting in a fracture to his left hip below the ball joint.
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.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 336611)
An employee was hooking up bundled tie-downs with a chain. While he was holding a hook, the other hook was unlocked. This caused the employee's hook to slide down and pinch his right index finger between the chain and the shackle. He suffered an amputation to the fingertip (without bone loss), as well as an open fracture.
An employee was preparing to bend a flat bar in a brake press. When the machine was jogged, the stock rotated up and crushed his left middle fingertip against the outer frame of the die. The fingertip was amputated.
An employee was cutting metal with a torch. A piece of metal struck the employee's left foot, causing multiple fractures to metatarsal(s). The employee was hospitalized.
An employee was descending a ladder carrying a bag of trash. He fell, landed on the ground about 10 feet below, and suffered fractures to his right hip and pelvis.
A building engineer was inspecting a generator. As he closed the generator enclosure door, his right ring finger was caught between the door and the door frame. The fingertip was amputated.
An employee was walking back to a carrier case with mail in her hand when she tripped over a tub. Her back overarched as she fell, resulting in a fractured back that required hospitalization.
An employee was driving a utility tractor rig when it struck the rear trailer of another utility tractor rig, which was traveling in the opposite direction. The glancing impact caused damage to the cab, and he sustained a laceration on right side of his face, a cervical fracture, two fractured left ribs, and a pelvic fracture. The employee was hospitalized.
An employee was washing an aircraft from a scissor lift when they fell to the floor. The employee sustained a back injury and lacerations to their head and neck.