Contact with hot objects or substances · Heat (thermal) burns, unspecified
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at River Valley Recycling, LLC, 288 W. Southtec Dr., KANKAKEE, ILLINOIS 60901
on — Heat (thermal) burns, unspecified, affecting the eye(s).
Final narrative
On December 27, 2021, at approximately 1:00 AM, an employee was pouring aluminum from the melt furnace when melted aluminum splashed onto their face. The employee sustained burns around their eye socket and was hospitalized for treatment. Personal protective equipment was not worn at the time.
HospitalizedEye(s)Molten or hot metals, slag
More severe injuries at River Valley Recycling, LLC
An employee was using a hammer and chisel to dismantle an engine. The hammer missed the chisel, striking the employee's left middle finger and amputating it. The employee was hospitalized for surgery to reattach the finger.
At about 4:10 p.m. on August 8, 2022, an employee had developed heat stress symptoms (among them cramping, nausea, and tingling in the fingers) after finishing a shift in a furnace room. The employee was hospitalized.
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 562920)
An employee was working on a loading ramp that was stuck open (upright). The employee went under the ramp to release it. When he pulled on a chain that was holding the ramp open, the ramp came down rapidly, striking the right side of his face (cheek) and the right side of his neck. The employee was hospitalized.
An employee was cutting off bracing from an 8 x 12' metal wall when the wall fell, striking the employee on their side and back. The employee sustained bruised ribs and two fractures in their back.
A driver was climbing the rear trailer ladder to facilitate tarping when they lost balance, slipped, and fell approximately 6-8 feet to the ground. The employee sustained a fractured wrist.
An employee was changing a die in a press when the die slipped and crushed the employee's left index finger. The employee sustained an open facture of the tuft of the left distal phalanx and a partial amputation.
An employee was driving a boom lift (in the lowered position) in an exterior dock area. The lift s left wheels rolled onto base plates that covered a 3-foot-deep sump pit. The base plates failed, and one side of the lift dropped. The employee's left leg was caught under the lift basket, and he suffered a fracture to the lower leg including the ankle.