Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Turner Industries Group, DOW Chemical Center 355 LA-3142, HAHNVILLE, LOUISIANA 70057
on — Heat (thermal) burns, unspecified, affecting the nonclassifiable.
Final narrative
Employees were unbolting the head of a product purge bin utilizing a high-speed cut saw. As the crew was cutting the last of 15 bolts on the purge bin head, a flash fire occurred resulting in burns to four employees.
An employee rigged a crate so that it could be removed from a shipping container. The pallet jack could not access the crate in the back of the container so a choker was attached to the crate and a forklift attached to the choker to pull the crate into a position where the pallet jack could reach it. As the forklift operator was pulling out the crate with the choker and the employee was walking away, the crate came apart and a 4 x 4 portion of the skid struck the employee who rigged it in the back of the head below their hard hat, resulting in a laceration. The employee was knocked to the floor and sustained a fractured ninth rib on his left side.
Two employees were removing a pressure safety valve when chlorine gas was released. The injured employee suffered upper respiratory irritation due to the chlorine gas.
An employee was climbing up a fixed structural ladder when he lost his grip and fell approximately 6 feet to the ground, resulting in a fractured left hip.
An employee had just completed a job and was returning to the operations control room to sign out of the unit. The employee used his right shoulder to push open the door and exit the building. The door closed on his left middle finger, resulting in a fingertip amputation.
An employee was taking measurements from a scaffold to fabricate and install an insulation cover on a boiler system. A nearby 1/2-inch screw pipe with a pressure transmitter broke and sprayed the employee with hot boiler feed water. The employee sustained burns to the back of their legs.
An employee was performing oversight for the welding of a pipeline launcher door on a construction project. Two welders were performing arc welding, one on the interior diameter of the pipeline launcher door, and the other on the outside diameter of the launcher door when a flash fire occurred. The injured employee sustained first- and second-degree burns to the face, neck, back, and hands.
While on a scissor lift, an employee was grinding a steel pipe. Sparks from the grinder ignited some nearby rags that had been used to apply coating treatments to the pipe. This fire subsequently ignited the employee's clothing. The employee sustained burns to approximately 46% of their body and was hospitalized.
An employee was working in an area where another company was also working. The other company's employees were using an electric hydraulic pump to remove the bolts of the frac valve. The wiring of the torque wrench and pump unit were then charred and a flash fire occurred. The employee sustained second-degree burns to their face and neck.
On October 17, 2023, an employee was at a sink while using a solvent to unclog a vacuum trap dip tube that contained solids from pinacolborane distillation. During this process, the sink caught on fire and the solvent bottle containing tert-butyl methyl ether fell into the burning sink. The employee attempted to remove the solvent bottle which also caught on fire and suffered burns to their neck and left hand.
An employee was under a railcar cleaning up dust with a vacuum hose. The hose caused a spark that caused a flash fire that ignited the employee's clothing. The employee sustained second- and third-degree burns over 83% of his body.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 213112)
An employee had been cleaning the work area. While lifting a saw, the employee's index finger was lacerated by the saw blade. A tendon was cut and required surgery.
An employee was delivering home heating fuel when bees came from the ground and stung the employee's face, neck, torso, and hands. The employee proceeded to shut off the oil flow before losing consciousness. They were hospitalized due to an anaphylactic reaction.
An employee was using a torch to loosen a bolt on a water trailer. Natural gas was present in the water and it ignited, causing a fire. The employee sustained third-degree burns to their upper leg.
An employee had been conducting crane operations. The employee went to stop a piece of oil and gas equipment for tubular running from falling over to the ground. Their right hand was caught between a rolling ladder and the equipment, resulting in fractures to the index and middle fingers. They were hospitalized and the middle finger required surgery.
An employee was working to install a drive belt on a water pump. He was holding the belt on both sides of the pulley, working to route it over the top. As he pulled down with his right hand, the pulley rotated and the belt slid over it, pulling his left little finger between the pulley and the belt. He suffered an amputation to the fingertip as well as a fracture to the ring finger.
A driver was exiting his vehicle outside the plant gate when his foot slipped on the top step of the truck. He fell to the ground, landed on his left hip and elbow. The employee was hospitalized with a fractured hip/femur.
A security employee was responding to an urgent call from staff regarding a violent patient. The employee tripped and fell on the floor outside of the stairwell. The employee sustained a closed head injury, contusion of the cerebrum without loss of consciousness, and a closed fracture of the distal end of the right radius.
A temporary employee was testing an electrical starter motor. He was placing tape on the starter while the breaker was not engaged, but the starter sent an arc flash that burned his hands and stomach.
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.