Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at AmSpec, 3800 Texas 225, PASADENA, TEXAS 77503
on — Thermal burns second degree, affecting the Head and extremities.
Final narrative
An employee was venting a liquefied natural gas cylinder. Static electricity from a plastic garbage bag on the ground ignited the gas, causing a flash fire. The employee suffered second-degree burns to the hands and face.
Hospitalized Head and extremities Methane except sewer gas
An employee was using a torch to loosen a bolt on a water trailer. Natural gas was present in the water and it ignited, causing a fire. The employee sustained third-degree burns to their upper leg.
An employee had been removing phosphorus pentasulfide while on a scaffold. He was using a non-sparking tool to dislodge the phosphoric material. The employee noticed a flash of flame. He descended the scaffold, but the flash ignited residual phosphorus pentasulfide that was on the outside of the employee's personal protective equipment (PPE). He sustained thermal burns to his right hand and right calf.
An employee was taking a butane gas sample as part of the hydrocarbon refining process. A component disconnected and the butane ignited, resulting in first- and second-degree burns to the employee's forearms and to their face, including their cheeks, chin, and neck.
An employee was troubleshooting a power washer in the field. Because there might have been water in its fuel, he brought it back to the shop and drained about a gallon of fuel from the tank into a plastic container. Some of the fuel spilled onto the floor and ignited. The employee was stomping out the fire when he lost his balance and tripped into a stool, which caused the plastic container to spill more fuel onto the fire. The employee's pants and shirt caught on fire, and he fell, abrading his knee while trying to get through the flames. As well as the knee abrasion, he suffered burns to the left leg and left lower quadrant of the torso. He was hospitalized.
An employee was fueling a gasoline-powered pressure washer with a safety fuel can. During the transfer the fuel ignited, causing a fire. The employee sustained burns to his nose, and his right hand and forearm.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 541380)
An employee was operating a horizontal belt sanding machine that rotates a metal sanding belt. The employee switched hands while the belt transitioned from left to right. When the machine's speed was adjusted, the employee s left hand was pulled into the machine and crushed. The employee was hospitalized and required surgery.
An X-ray machine had lost power and an employee went to replace the power supply. While replacing a cable on the power supply assembly, the employee's right hand contacted the grounding terminals coming out of the back of the power supply assembly and they received an electric shock. The employee was hospitalized.
On March 19, 2025, an employee was retrieving a medical specimen from the back of a vehicle. When he turned to enter the building, he either tripped over something or lost his footing and fell due to an incline in the pavement. The employee was hospitalized with a head abrasion and injuries to his right shoulder and right hip.
Employees were pulling a chemical sample from a device (sample port). The sample wouldn't come out because there were two samples in the port. The employees then turned off and deenergized the machine to 0 pounds per square inch. They unscrewed the top of the machine to retrieve the stuck samples when a small amount of pressure caused liquid to squirt out and onto one of the employee's face shields as the lid was removed. The employee was hospitalized due to chemical exposure.
An employee was walking around a boiler recovery tank when they stepped into an uncovered U-drain filled with hot water. The employee sustained second-degree burns to their right leg and the top of their foot.
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.