Exposure through intact tissue · Chemical burns, corrosions degree unspecified
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at PSC Group LLC, 28950 LA-1, PLAQUEMINE, LOUISIANA 70764
on — Chemical burns, corrosions degree unspecified, affecting the Head and neck.
Final narrative
An employee was applying pressure to a tank car loaded with caustic soda solution for post-load leak testing. He twisted the valve plug to check it for leaks when it broke free, releasing the caustic soda solution through the opening. The employee suffered chemical burns to both eyes and to his respiratory tract.
Hospitalized Head and neck Lye, alkali metal hydroxides
An employee was working from the ground, connecting/disconnecting railcars within a storage yard. He was adjusting a railcar coupling with his foot. The employee's right foot was fractured and lacerated by the coupler as the railcars were coming together.
An employee was clearing a drain line with steam. While repositioning the steam line, he stepped into the drain filled with hot condensate and sustained second-degree burns to the lower left leg and foot.
An employee was helping start up a plastic extruder. The employee was standing at a screen changer near the end of the extruder. The screen changer broke in half, fell to the ground, and struck the employee, who then fell to the floor and stuck his head. He suffered a brain injury and was hospitalized.
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 325110)
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Two employees were removing a recirculation pump from service at an evaporator. They were disconnecting pump flanges and couplings from the motor when boiling water burst out from the system. Both employees sustained second-degree burns to the chest, stomach, and arms.
On December 9, 2024, an employee was cleaning out a mixtruder. While he was retrieving some residual pieces of silicone left inside, its rotating blades caught the fingers of his right hand resulting in amputation of all four fingers. The thumb was left intact.
An employee was removing a brine belt on a unit when they tripped over a 9-inch wall, fell backward approximately 14 inches to a lower level, and landed on their back. The employee sustained a concussion.
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