Exposure through intact tissue · Chemical burns, corrosions degree unspecified
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Groendyke Transport, Inc., 4700, LINDEN, NEW JERSEY 07036
on — Chemical burns, corrosions degree unspecified, affecting the Head and neck.
Final narrative
A truck driver was preparing a hose to load a chemical tanker trailer with sulfuric acid when sulfuric acid splashed the left side of their face and neck, causing skin burns.
An employee was climbing a ladder on a 12 1/2-foot tank trailer. He fell to the ground, suffering two fractures to the pelvis and a broken lower spine.
At about 11:20 a.m. on March 14, 2019, a truck driver was working on top of a tractor trailer to check the fuel level. A gust of wind blew the employee off the top of the trailer. The employee suffered broken bones 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 484230)
An employee was disconnecting steam lines from a bulk liquid trailer. He disconnected a steam line located on a vapor recovery line when hot steam blew back onto him, resulting in burns to the left side of his abdomen, as well as his left arm and leg. The employee was hospitalized.
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An employee assisted in cleaning material from a conveyor pit. After the pit was cleaned, the employee proceeded to replace metal safety plates to ensure other employees did not fall into the pit. While replacing one of the last plates, the employee mis-stepped and fell approximately 5 feet into the pit. The employee was hospitalized with back/side bruising, elbow bruising, bone bruises, and/or fractured ribs.
An employee was walking on the sidewalk. When they stepped off the curb, they fell to the ground, resulting in fractures to their tibia, fibula, and a metatarsal.