Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Brown & Root Industrial Services, LLC, 41 Tidal Rd., DEER PARK, TEXAS 77536
on — Thermal burns degree unspecified, affecting the Upper and lower extremities n.e.c..
Final narrative
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.
Hospitalized Upper and lower extremities n.e.c. Chemicals, hazardous materials n.e.c.
More severe injuries at Brown & Root Industrial Services, LLC
An employee was squatting down to knock some rubber buildup loose on the inside of a diverter feed hose when the valve diverted in the direction of his left hand, pinching the tip of his left middle finger between the diverter feed hose and the diverter housing. The employee suffered a fingertip amputation.
An employee was moving a barge upriver, using a winch and cable to give slack in the mooring lines so they could be removed. As the cable reeled in on the winch, it caught the employee's life vest and pulled him into the winch pulley bolted to a stanchion. He suffered a broken hip and was hospitalized.
A millwright was operating a rotating lathe when it caught his right hand. He suffered an open fracture to the little finger and a laceration to the index finger. He was hospitalized, requiring surgery.
Two employees were using a golf cart to transit from one production building to the other when the golf cart veered off the road and turned over into a ditch. The cart landed on one employee's right leg, breaking it in several places.
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 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.
An employee was using a torch to burn off liquid petroleum gas from old 100-pound cylinders so they could be recycled. When he went to move a tank, some gas spilled onto the ground, then ignited in a flash that engulfed him. He was burned on the face, hands, and back and was hospitalized.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 237990)
A crew was installing drilled micropiles alongside an outdoor covered deck foundation. The injured employee was working the front of the drill when a loose section of casing dropped onto the tip of a rig wrench and pulled the wrench down to an embedded casing. The employee's left little finger was caught between the rig wrench and the embedded casing and was amputated above the top knuckle.
An employee was standing on an extension ladder, using a torquing tool to remove bolts that secured blades to a rotor. When the torquing tool activated, its reaction arm came around and pinched the employee's right middle finger against a lifting eye. His fingertip was amputated.
Employees were securing the fuel line of an outboard motor in preparation for removing the motor from a small vessel located in the equipment yard. A gasoline-related fire occurred and one employee sustained burns to both hands and forearms.
A marine diver/construction worker was working underwater, using a hydraulic dredge to clear sediment away from the base of a dam. The dredge's suction nozzle began migrating toward him, and then pulled in his right hand and forearm. He sustained compartment syndrome in the hand and forearm.
An employee was standing on a sheet of -inch by 4-foot by 8-foot plywood on top of a rebar mat, supervising his crew. As he was moving to alert the crew to an incoming overhead load, he stepped off the plywood and his left foot slipped through the rebar mat and landed on the rebar mat below. His left ankle was broken and dislocated.
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.