Exposure through intact tissue · Chemical burns, corrosions first degree
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Graphic Packaging International, LLC, 4278 Mike Padgett Hwy, AUGUSTA, GEORGIA 30906
on — Chemical burns, corrosions first degree, affecting the Trunk unspecified.
Final narrative
A pulp mill employee was working around a fiber line. While connecting or disconnecting a hose between pipes, the employee came into contact with hot black liquor (sodium hydroxide). The employee suffered first-degree burns to the torso area and was hospitalized.
Hospitalized Trunk unspecified Lye, alkali metal hydroxides
More severe injuries at Graphic Packaging International, LLC
An employee was loading a chemical mixture intermediate bulk container tote from a pipeline to a tank. The employee went to disconnect the container and they were splashed with the chemical mixture that was in the pipeline, resulting in chemical burns to both legs.
An employee was troubleshooting cup transfer issues on a cup machine. The employee installed his company issued by-pass key, opened the machine's gull wings (guards), and began making air adjustments. The employee reached to remove a deformed cup and his middle and ring fingers got caught between a mandrel and the bottom maker die block resulting in amputations.
On November 16, 2023, a maintenance employee was servicing a belt and pulley system on a blower motor. They were manually manipulating the belt and pulley when the glove on their left hand got caught in a nip point. Their little finger was pulled into the nip point resulting in amputation of the fingertip.
An employee was using prybars to remove a diverter plate from a power boiler bark chute. The lower chute broke free and flipped over. As the employee reached out to try to stop the chute section from falling, his right index finger was pinched between the diverter plate and the bark chute. Their finger was amputated at the first knuckle.
An employee was operating a gluer when the machine jammed, causing a belt to come off track. The employee went to clear the jam and realign the belt when the machine jogged, pinching their right ring finger between the belt and roller and amputating the fingertip.
An employee was removing a hose from a chemical tank after filling the tank with hexamethylenediamine (HMD). He checked the line to ensure that the hose was clear, then disconnected the hose at the connection. Residual chemical sprayed onto his face, causing a second-degree burn. He was hospitalized.
A shipping/receiving operator was working on a loading rack, loading a railcar. A 2-inch discharge cap failed and released pressure along with sulfuric acid from the railcar. The acid sprayed onto the employee, who suffered burns to the chest and the lower facial area. The employee was hospitalized.
An employee was pressure washing truck scales when they were splashed with water and an unknown chemical on their leg and immediately experienced a burning sensation. The employee was hospitalized with a chemical burn and required surgery.
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.
Employees were removing scaffolding that was used to repair an ion exchange tank. The line was undergoing the regen process when a piece of scaffold struck a PVC pipe that transported hydrochloric acid (HCl). The injured employee was placing material inside a scaffold rack when he was sprayed in the face with HCl and sustained chemical burns to his eyes, face, chest, right arm, and left leg.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 322121)
Tools and parts were being lowered to the ground from an elevated platform in a 5-gallon bucket. The rope being used to lower the bucket failed; the tools and parts fell and lacerated the left forearm and upper left leg of an employee on the ground.
An employee was tracking an infeed belt on a scrap hogger when their right arm was caught between the belt and a roller. The arm was broken and the employee's shoulder was dislocated. The employee was hospitalized.
An employee was working to clear a jam from a paper napkin folder. The ram that advanced the napkins pushed the employee's right arm into the side of the machine, causing several lacerations and a hairline fracture.
An employee was troubleshooting overflowing ink on a printer-slotter machine when their right ring fingertip was caught in a guarded roller, resulting in a partial amputation.
An employee was disconnecting wires in preparation to swap out a refiner motor when they contacted energized equipment and sustained an electrical shock. The employee was hospitalized.
An employee was helping to lift the grating from a floor draining system when the grating slipped and landed on his hand, resulting in the amputation of his right middle finger at the first joint.
During a workshop meeting in a hotel, an employee heard a drilling noise, so he walked outside to see what it was. An explosion occurred (possible gas line) and his face, ear, and hair were burned. He also fell and sustained a pelvic fracture.
An employee was using a tool to remove a rag from a roll on the tube mill. The roll pulled the tool and the employee's right hand into the roll, resulting in a partial amputation of the little finger and a fracture to the index finger.