Ringneck Energy Ethanol Plant

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 was backing up a forklift when the frame of the forklift clipped the wall. The employee's right little finger was pinched between the wall and the forklift, resulting in amputation.

An employee was removing contaminants from a low point drain on an ammonia line through a hose and into a container of water. A release of pressure from the end of the hose exposed the employee to anhydrous ammonia, resulting in chemical burns to his face, arm, and chest as well as ammonia inhalation. He was hospitalized.

An employee was priming a cook pump and sustained burns from contact with hot water (140-200 degrees F).

At about 7:00 a.m. on February 11, 2025, an employee was troubleshooting a system that had failed to start. Suspecting a tripped breaker and intending to test the system's motor leads, he hooked up an insulation resistance tester. The side of the breaker the tester was hooked up to was still energized, resulting in an arc flash. The employee was hospitalized with second-degree burns to his face and right arm.

An employee was preparing hopper rail cars for loading. The employee fell from the platform used to access the rail car lids, landing in an empty hopper and suffering broken ribs.

An employee was moving a tensile strength test device with a dolly. The device fell from the dolly onto the employee's right leg, causing a compound fracture.

An employee was walking past a crossover conveyor when a ramp came down and hit them in the back. The employee sustained a broken back vertebra, as well as a concussion, and was hospitalized.

An employee was using a hook tool to pull a pallet onto the lift gate of a tractor trailer. The hook detached from the underside of the pallet, causing the employee to fall backward off the lift gate. The employee landed on the concrete parking lot about 5 feet below, suffering fractures to the skull and two thoracic vertebrae.

A skid loader backed over an employee's leg, breaking it.

An employee was walking on a truss table when he lost his balance and fell approximately 3 feet to the floor. The employee sustained a dislocated and fractured left ankle.