Fall to lower level resulting in exposure or contact unspecified · Thermal burns degree unspecified
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at International Paper/Vicksburg Mill, 3737 Highway 3 North, REDWOOD, MISSISSIPPI 39156
on — Thermal burns degree unspecified, affecting the Multiple body parts n.e.c..
Final narrative
Two employees were troubleshooting the lime conveyor. One employee opened the lime conveyor chute and sustained burns from falling solid lime pieces. This caused the employee to jump from an upper level to the floor where he landed on lime that had been removed earlier that day. The lime that he landed on was heated to 600-700 degrees Fahrenheit and caused additional burns. The employee sustained burns to their face, arms and legs.
Hospitalized Multiple body parts n.e.c. Conveyors belt, slot, chain
More severe injuries at International Paper/Vicksburg Mill
An employee was troubleshooting a sulfuric acid flow process after the acid was not getting through the system. The employee turned a valve and acid sprayed through a pinhole at a union that was at chest level. The employee suffered injuries from the sulfuric acid striking his chest, left arm, and face.
An employee was on a ladder, adjusting the upper limit switch for an ash expeller. He slipped off the ladder and his left ring finger was caught between the expeller piping and the moving ram cylinder, resulting in a finger fracture and an amputated fingertip.
An employee stood on a conveyor wall to unclog the cotton feeder. The employee fell on the moving conveyor and fractured his right arm. The employee was hospitalized.
Multiple employees were using baling buckets to remove 750 gallons of 150-degree hydraulic oil out of a pit in a confined space for approximately 5.5 hours. The injured employee was standing on a ladder performing this task when they fell feet-first into the hydraulic oil pit, resulting in burns on both legs.
An employee was climbing down a ladder. The ladder was unsecured and the employee fell, severely cutting his right arm on metal siding. He was hospitalized and required surgery.
An electrician was on a 9-foot scaffold performing valve maintenance on an 8-inch line near a heat exchanger. The electrician was working to cycle a valve that failed to close. Due to a misaligned drain line and an open manual valve, hot liquid dextrose (~250 F) was released onto the floor below, creating a steam cloud. The electrician was evacuating the scaffold using the scaffold ladder when they slipped and fell 5-6 feet into the hot liquid, sustaining first- and second-degree burns to multiple parts of their body including both arms, both hands, their back, and their buttocks.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 322130)
An employee worked in the paper machine area for a shift, cutting corners off paper rolls around the roll machine. Afterwards, the employee sustained cramping and dehydration due to heat. The employee was hospitalized.
An employee was adjusting a trim sheet leading to a sheeter machine. Their glove became caught in the machine and the shearer closed on the employee's right hand, crushing it and breaking the hand and wrist.
An employee was troubleshooting a process upset. A nearby refiner had a pressure spike, causing the housing to separate slightly, which allowed the loss of primary containment. The employee was sprayed by hot water, resulting second- and third-degree burns on his torso and left arm.
On July 22, 2024, at 10:30 AM, an employee was responding to a pulp mill manufacturing process shutdown. Pulp stock overflowed through an engineered overflow pipe resulting in a buildup of stock in a bermed area. The stock was 140 to 150 degrees. The employee went to the bermed area to close an air-actuated process valve. While closing the valve, pulp stock entered the top of his boots and caused second-degree burns to both of his lower legs down to his feet. The employee was hospitalized.
An employee was checking a pole-type transformer tank for leaks. A hydraulic clamping device was lowered onto his right thumb and crushed it against the sharp edge of the bottom of the tank. He suffered a partial transphalangeal amputation to the thumb.
The injured employee was standing behind a table. She jumped out to scare another employee, but tripped and fell on the tile floor, injuring her right ankle/foot. She was hospitalized with a dislocated ankle that required surgery.
An employee was going into a trailer to mark product for shipment and the trailer pulled away from the dock. The employee fell out of the trailer, contacted the dock plate, and then fell to the ground. The employee was hospitalized with a punctured lung, fractured ribs, and contusions.
An employee was hooking up bundled tie-downs with a chain. While he was holding a hook, the other hook was unlocked. This caused the employee's hook to slide down and pinch his right index finger between the chain and the shackle. He suffered an amputation to the fingertip (without bone loss), as well as an open fracture.
An employee was operating a gas tugger to lift metal sheeting. His left hand was pulled into the pulley, which crushed his left thumb, resulting in avulsions and other tissue damage. He was hospitalized and required surgery.