Inhalation of harmful substance-single episode · Poisoning, including poisoning-related asphyxia
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at National Technical Systems, Inc., 7800 Hwy 20 West, HUNTSVILLE, ALABAMA 35824
on — Poisoning, including poisoning-related asphyxia, affecting the bODY SYSTEMS.
Final narrative
A forklift was undergoing an icing test inside a 15-foot by 15-foot cold chamber, into which liquid nitrogen had been injected. The nitrogen had become a gas, and when one of the employees entered the space to check on the test's progress, he breathed in the gas and lost consciousness. His head struck the floor. He was hospitalized.
An employee was passing through a building when she suffered an allergic reaction to a cinnamon air freshener. The employee began to feel dizzy and ill, ultimately becoming unresponsive. The employee was hospitalized.
An employee wearing a blasting hood was preparing to blast inside a tank. The line that supplies the hood with breathing air was plugged into an argon line. The employee breathed the argon gas and fell. The employee was hospitalized for argon poisoning.
An employee was preparing a pump for maintenance. When the employee removed a cover, chemicals were released into the air. The employee was exposed to hydrogen sulfide and methyl mercaptan and was hospitalized.
An employee was operating a horizontal belt sanding machine that rotates a metal sanding belt. The employee switched hands while the belt transitioned from left to right. When the machine's speed was adjusted, the employee s left hand was pulled into the machine and crushed. The employee was hospitalized and required surgery.
An X-ray machine had lost power and an employee went to replace the power supply. While replacing a cable on the power supply assembly, the employee's right hand contacted the grounding terminals coming out of the back of the power supply assembly and they received an electric shock. The employee was hospitalized.
On March 19, 2025, an employee was retrieving a medical specimen from the back of a vehicle. When he turned to enter the building, he either tripped over something or lost his footing and fell due to an incline in the pavement. The employee was hospitalized with a head abrasion and injuries to his right shoulder and right hip.
Employees were pulling a chemical sample from a device (sample port). The sample wouldn't come out because there were two samples in the port. The employees then turned off and deenergized the machine to 0 pounds per square inch. They unscrewed the top of the machine to retrieve the stuck samples when a small amount of pressure caused liquid to squirt out and onto one of the employee's face shields as the lid was removed. The employee was hospitalized due to chemical exposure.
An employee was walking around a boiler recovery tank when they stepped into an uncovered U-drain filled with hot water. The employee sustained second-degree burns to their right leg and the top of their foot.
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 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.