Exposure through intact tissue · Chemical burns, corrosions second degree
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Optimus Steel, LLC, 100 Old Hwy 90 West, VIDOR, TEXAS 77662
on — Chemical burns, corrosions second degree, affecting the Leg(s) unspecified.
Final narrative
An employee was preparing to rig an aerial lift to an overhead crane in a bay that had 4 to 8 inches of standing water. The employee went to a waste pile to get wooden pallets to stand on. The employee slipped and fell into lime that was in the waste pile. The employee then fell into the the standing water, creating a chemical reaction with the lime. The employee was hospitalized with second-degree chemical burns on both legs.
An employee was preparing to conduct a 6-foot welding operation to repair a ladle plate. When he stepped forward on a scaffolding platform to conduct the weld, his right foot slipped and his right ankle was wrenched and broken. He was hospitalized.
Employees were connecting railcars in preparation for later use. One of the employees was standing in-between two sets of railcars. The employee was trying to straighten out the coupler on one of the cars that was attached to the engine so that it could connect to the string of stationary railcars. A second set of railcars (approximately 10) rolled forward and struck/pinned the employee's arm between the two couplers. The second set of railcars that rolled forward did not have a chock installed under the wheel. The employee suffered fractures, severe bruising to the arm, and compartment syndrome, requiring hospitalization and surgery.
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 331110)
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.
An employee was working to close a furnace door. The hydraulic mechanism that opens and closes the furnace door was non-operational and had been disconnected to allow the furnace door to be opened manually. As the employee was releasing the pins that held the door open, the door and the hydraulic cylinder fell, pinching their left hand between the hydraulic cylinder's base plate and the furnace. The employee suffered amputation of the little fingertip.
A rolling mill was shut down due to a cobble between two mill stands. The injured employee was cleaning the cobble from the delivery side of stand A, while another employee went to the control panel to move stand B and stand A moved instead. The injured employee's right thumb got caught between the delivery guide of stand A and the looper trough. The tip of his thumb required surgical amputation to the bone to allow for stitches.
An employee was helping another employee load stock material onto a press brake when the stock slipped. The injured employee's right index finger was caught between the press brake die and the stock, resulting in amputation at the first knuckle.
After cutting a slab of beef short ribs, an employee turned to grab the pieces he had cut and his right hand contacted the saw blade. The employee sustained an amputation to his right index finger.
An employee was unloading a carpet pad from a truck when they fell from the truck dock to the concrete below, resulting in five fractured ribs and an injury to their left lung.
An employee was walking up a walkway to enter a building through the back entrance when she tripped over the lip of the cement ramp. The employee fell and sustained a fractured right hip.