Exposure through intact tissue · Chemical burns, corrosions degree unspecified
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Terracon Consultants, Inc., 604 N A Sandifer Highway, MONTICELLO, MISSISSIPPI 39654
on — Chemical burns, corrosions degree unspecified, affecting the Upper and lower extremities n.e.c..
Final narrative
Two employees were drilling geotechnical borings and were exposed to chemicals just below the soil subsurface. They both sustained chemical burns to multiple extremities, potentially due to black liquor, and were both hospitalized.
Hospitalized Upper and lower extremities n.e.c. Chemicals, hazardous materials n.e.c.
More severe injuries at Terracon Consultants, Inc.
An employee was riding in the passenger seat of a utility terrain vehicle (UTV). The vehicle overturned and the employee was hospitalized with fractures to her right middle and index fingers.
An employee was walking across the construction zone to get more material when they were struck by a tractor trailer that was carrying materials. The employee sustained multiple fractured ribs, fractured vertebrae, and a hip injury.
Two employees were on site performing geo-technical drill sampling. The injured employee was removing a core sample from a core barrel when the barrel detached from the drill rod and fell onto the employee's right middle finger and amputated it.
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 541330)
An employee was working to free a load by grabbing and shaking the live side of a tugger line. Once the load became free and progressed upward, the employee's hand was caught and pulled into a snatch block. The employee's right thumb was broken and lacerated. The employee was hospitalized and required a surgical amputation.
An employee was operating a drill rig when when their hand got caught between a 1/4-inch steel cable and a drill rod, resulting in the amputation of four fingers.
An employee was overseeing the operation of a rope being respooled onto the drum of a wire winding machine. He went to remove a piece of wooden reel from the rope. His glove got snagged and his right hand was pulled into the roller, pinching his fingers between the machine's roller and the rope. The middle and index fingers were crushed.
An employee was visiting a patient's home to fit them with a wearable cardiac defibrillator. As he was walking from the front door to his car, a large dog broke free from a chain and attacked him. He was bitten on the forearm and fell. The patient was then able to restrain the dog. The employee was hospitalized with severe dog bites and required surgery.
An employee tripped over a junior I-beam about 4 feet long and 6 inches tall that was installed for circulating water valves and fell to the ground, resulting in a broken right-side rib.
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.