Inhalation of harmful substance single episode or single shift · Poisoning, poisoning-related asphyxia
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Cacique Foods LLC, 8501 South Georgia Street, AMARILLO, TEXAS 79118
on — Poisoning, poisoning-related asphyxia, affecting the BODY SYSTEMS .
Final narrative
Employees were removing excess chlorinated alkaline cleaner from a 4,000-gallon tank to conduct maintenance on a broken pipe. The excess chlorinated alkaline cleaner was emptied into a chemical tote that already contained nitric phosphoric acid. The chemical mixture resulted in the formation of chlorine gas which flooded the building. Eleven employees were taken to the hospital, but only one was hospitalized for chemical poisoning/asphyxia.
Hospitalized BODY SYSTEMS Multiple chemicals and hazardous materials
An employee was working in the food service warehouse when he experienced chest pain, difficulty breathing, and lost consciousness. The employee sustained carbon monoxide poisoning.
An employee was performing janitorial duties on the 15th floor of a building that was under construction. She began having trouble breathing. The employee was hospitalized with lung irritation caused by dust.
An employee was sweeping in an area with powdered PVC on the floor and began having difficulty breathing and coughing up blood, The employee was hospitalized for inhalation of PVC.
An employee was diagnosing the lack of flow of product to a powder bin. The employee removed the rotary star valve below the bin. While he was reinstalling the valve, his right middle finger was crushed between its shaft and its housing. The finger was partially amputated.
A production sanitation employee was pre-rinsing an incline conveyor and noticed cheese stuck between the belt idler. The employee went to remove the cheese and their glove got caught and pulled their left forearm into the conveyor. The employee's arm was fractured. The machine was not locked out/tagged out at the time.
An employee was changing an O-ring on a pneumatic valve. The employee had placed the valve on his work cart and was applying air to open the valve and access the O-ring. After changing the O-ring, the valve closed on his fingertip, crushing it. He was taken to the hospital, where he received an amputation.
An employee was using a pike to move a pallet of sugar that was stuck in the powder racking. The employee fell backward, landing on his right leg. The employee's leg was fractured and he was hospitalized.
The injured employee was carrying totes of cheese when they tripped over another employee's foot/ankle and fell to the cement floor. The injured employee sustained six fractured ribs on the left side and was hospitalized.
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.