Exposure through intact skin, eyes, or other exposed tissue · First degree chemical burns and corrosions
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at 3M Decatur Chemical, 1400 State Docks Road, DECATUR, ALABAMA 35601
on — First degree chemical burns and corrosions, affecting the multiple body parts, n.e.c..
Watch 3M Decatur Chemical — freeGet an email when a new federal OSHA severe-injury report for 3M Decatur Chemical is published. One employer, no account, unsubscribe in one click.
Final narrative
An employee was adding process chemicals to a process vessel. As the employee opened the valve on a dip tube to transfer material to the process vessel, they were splashed with a caustic sodium methylate solution, resulting in first-degree chemical burns to their left arm, torso, and face.
HospitalizedMultiple body parts, n.e.c.Alkalies, n.e.c.
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 322220)
An employee was working to clean a glue roller with a scraper tool. The tool and the employee's left thumb were pinched between two rollers, resulting in a partial amputation.
An employee was shadowing coworkers while in training on the wide extrusion line. The employee went to clean the roller with a rag and cleaner when his right index finger got caught between a powered roller and a rubber roller. The employee sustained an amputation to a finger.
While operating a machine, an employee noticed that a piece of plastic material was stuck to a chrome roll. The employee was removing the plastic when their arm came into contact with the rollers. The employee suffered a contusion to the upper arm between the elbow and the shoulder.
On June 9, 2025, a machine operator was using a sorting machine to sort/clean plastic sheets. While she was freeing stuck sheets on the lift table, the table engaged and crushed her against the top railing, trapping her torso. The employee was hospitalized with contusions to her back.
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.