Exposure to other harmful substance-multiple routes of exposure · Chemical burns and corrosions, unspecified
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Albemarle Corporation, 2270 Highway 79 S, MAGNOLIA, ARKANSAS 71753
on — Chemical burns and corrosions, unspecified, affecting the upper and lower limb(s).
Final narrative
On November 17, 2023, a maintenance employee opened a line and residual bromine was released. The employee sustained burns to their palm and left leg and also suffered an inhalation injury.
HospitalizedUpper and lower limb(s)Halogens and halogen compounds, n.e.c.
An employee was making his rounds and checking equipment when the wet ground underneath him gave way. He fell in a hole that was about 1.5 feet deep and contained hot water and steam condensate. The employee was hospitalized with burns to both lower legs and ankles.
An employee was sliding a mechanical seal/sleeve onto a shaft. The shaft has a small groove with sharp edges. The employee's hand was on the shaft with his finger in the groove. When the employee slid the mechanical seal/sleeve on the groove, it amputated his right index fingertip.
An employee and two coworkers were working on a malfunctioning vacuum pump when the pump ruptured and sprayed the employee with hot lubricant, requiring hospitalization.
An employee was picking up trash bags on a route and putting the bags in the back of a garbage truck. The employee was compacting the trash when one of the bags released vapor and dust from chlorine and pool cleaning chemicals. The vapor and dust contacted the employee's eyes and mouth and were inhaled. The employee was hospitalized with chemical irritation to the eyes and lungs.
On June 2, 2023, an employee was re-installing a repaired valve. When the employee applied pressure to the system to test the repair, air that contained peracetic acid (PAA) residue flowed from the tote filling wan. The employee contacted the PAA mist, resulting in hospitalization for second-degree chemical burns to the face, swelling of the lips and throat, and irritation to the lungs.
An employee was pouring a copper food additive into a bucket when the product splashed into his eyes and face. The employee also inhaled and ingested the substance. The employee suffered copper poisoning.
An employee was rebuilding a valve on a refrigeration system and had pumped down the ammonia in the system to conduct maintenance. He removed a cover and was sprayed by residual anhydrous ammonia. The employee sustained chemical burns to the face and hands and may have sustained a respiratory injury.
An employee was on a scissor lift, using a reciprocal saw to cut an inactive line with a 6-inch blade. The blade cut into an adjacent anhydrous ammonia line, releasing vapors that burned the employee's mouth and tongue and caused respiratory issues.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 325180)
An employee was on a ladder disconnecting a 1-inch hose, known to have last carried acrylic acid that had been drained. When the hose was disconnected, residual acid dripped onto the employee's shoulder/arm area, causing a second-degree chemical burn.
On October 1, 2025, at approximately 9:50 p.m., an employee was removing a sack of debris from a dust collector when four of his right-hand fingers were severed by a rotary valve. The employee was hospitalized and underwent surgery to amputate the four fingers at the knuckle.
An employee was unloading and depressurizing a railcar filled with sulfuric acid. The employee turned the valve to disconnect the hose when sulfuric acid released and sprayed upward via the standpipe. The employee was hospitalized burns.
On May 8, 2025, an employee developed a cough while cleaning up chemical sewage from the floor. He was hospitalized, having suffered an allergic reaction to chemical product vapors.
An employee was loading a magazine of tubes into a machine to fill. As they raised the door into position, the door dropped onto the employee's right hand and amputated their right index fingertip at the nailbed.
An employee was operating an ironworker (steel punching/shearing) machine. A piece of the tooling broke off and struck the employee's neck; a fragment was lodged in his neck. The employee was hospitalized and required surgery.
On October 25, 2025, an employee was stringing up a new reel of tire tread on a machine. The employee pulled a 6-inch tail and proceeded to spool up the liner. As the machine was jogged to begin the liner wrapping process, the liner caught the employee's glove and pulled their right arm into the liner, causing a fracture to the arm.
An employee was doing a cable change on top of an electric overhead traveling (EOT) crane. They were positioned between the cable drum and the drive shaft. While rotating the cable drum, the employee reached for the new cable that was to be installed. The grease fitting on the drive shaft caught their fall harness and pulled them underneath the drive shaft. The employee was pinned between the drive shaft and two pieces of angle steel, resulting in a fracture to their left hip.
On October 5, 2025, an employee was pulling a pressure washer hose when it it disconnected from the cooker. The employee was struck by jets of high-pressure water, resulting in lacerations to their left thigh requiring surgery. The employee was hospitalized.