Safety Incidents

At approximately 8:20 AM, a hose on the discharge line on a dehydrator unhooked and triethylene glycol sprayed the owner and two technicians. The chemical was approximately 300+ degrees. Another technician manually closed the valve. One employee was treated for second-degree burns to the left arm and left calf and was released. The employee who was closest to the unit was sprayed on the left arm, wrist, and leg, and sustained third-degree burns. He was hospitalized.

An employee was cleaning a structural frame when an alkaline cleaner splashed the top of his leather boots. The chemical soaked through his boots, resulting in third-degree burns to the top of his feet. The employee was hospitalized.

An employee was removing parts for replacement during equipment maintenance. His right forearm was exposed to a mixture of silicon dioxide (silica) and trichlorosilane that caused an exothermic reaction and chemical burns. The employee was hospitalized.

An employee was unloading sodium hydroxide from a tanker car. The hose connecting the tank and the tanker truck ruptured. The chemical sprayed onto the employee, who suffered burns to the face and legs.

An employee was unloading and depressurizing a railcar filled with sulfuric acid. The employee turned the valve to disconnect the hose when sulfuric acid released and sprayed upward via the standpipe. The employee was hospitalized burns.

An employee was working on a burner unit and turning the controls for a fan motor on an incinerator unit when incendiary test material ignited, causing second-degree burns to his head, back, and left arm requiring hospitalization.

An employee was loading trash into a rear-load trash truck from a residential trash can. The hopper of the truck was nearly full so the employee compressed the trash with the blade of the truck to make room in the hopper. As the trash was compressed, a black liquid sprayed out from the truck and onto the employee. The liquid was later determined to be a highly concentrated sulfuric acid that was in a plastic container inside a paper bag in a trash bin. The employee was hospitalized with chemical burns to their face, arms, and abdomen.

An employee was walking between two tanks when he stepped into a sump pit that was missing its metal grate. His leg was submerged in sulfuric acid, and he suffered chemical burns to the lower part of his right foot. The employee was hospitalized.

An employee was delivering pool chemicals from a tanker truck when the pipe connection broke. The employee sustained chemical burns from the sodium hypochlorite.

An employee was using a floor machine and chemical floor stripper to strip the finish from the floor. The employee slipped backward on the wet floor and landed on their back. The employee was hospitalized with chemical burns caused by the floor stripper.

On July 31, 2025, two employees were walking near a friction wash tank when a rubber gasket on top of the tank blew. Hot water mixed with 50% caustic chemical sprayed out and rained down on the employees. Both employees were brought to an emergency shower and were neutralized with vinegar. One employee was hospitalized with chemical and thermal burns to their upper back and eyes.

An employee was removing contaminants from a low point drain on an ammonia line through a hose and into a container of water. A release of pressure from the end of the hose exposed the employee to anhydrous ammonia, resulting in chemical burns to his face, arm, and chest as well as ammonia inhalation. He was hospitalized.

Employees were investigating the vapor conditions at the purification vent scrubber after a restart. Employees were looking through the sight glass, when the glass ruptured, releasing chemical vapors. Two employees sustained chemical burns to their upper body.

An employee was delivering a package when it leaked acid on their skin, burning it.

On the morning of July 24, 2025, an employee was conducting synthesis of a highly toxic experimental chemical (nerve agent) in a chemical fume hood. The operation was completed at approximately 11:30 AM. The employee was exposed to the chemical and began experiencing symptoms of illness/poisoning around 1:30 PM and was hospitalized.

An employee was de-bundling cubed feedstock consisting of plastic barrels. The employee was putting feedstock into the shredders manually. She lifted a drum to put it in the shredding machine and sulfuric acid spilled down the front of her left leg. The employee sustained chemical burns to her lower leg requiring hospitalization.

An employee was bringing a filter online. When the employee opened a valve to initiate flow through the filter, the gasket on the filter housing failed, spraying a water/erythritol mixture (heated to about 175 degrees Fahrenheit) toward the employee. The employee moved back quickly and their chemical suit caught on something, causing it to open. The mixture burned the employee's abdomen and left arm.

An employee was cleaning the produce production room. The employee was spraying a grease cutter chemical when it mixed with an antimicrobial agent in a jug under a sink. The injured employee was called over to assess the situation, picked up the jug of antimicrobial agent, and inhaled the vapors from the chemical mixture. The injured employee was hospitalized.

An employee was washing the tunnel equipment area using a sprayer and a chemical containing 5-10% hydrofluoric acid. The chemical seeped into his clothing and caused chemical burns to his abdomen and upper thighs. The employee was hospitalized.

A bartender tasted a small amount of an unknown liquid found behind a bar. He had a severe reaction to the liquid, which proved to be concentrated liquid detergent, and he suffered burns to the interior of the mouth. He was hospitalized and required surgery.

An employee was standing between a truck and a roll-off container that was being offloaded. The container came down on their left ankle. The employee was hospitalized with a laceration and fracture to the ankle.

An employee was transferring hot oil from one containment tank to another. The employee removed a dust cap when hot oil came out the top and splashed on the employee, resulting in multiple third-degree burns to their neck, arms, and other parts of the body.

Three maintenance employees were working on chemical lines feeding into a large above ground wastewater treatment tank. Sodium hydroxide and sulfuric acid reacted in a floor drain and the chemicals sprayed onto the three employees. One employee was taken to the hospital for burns to his eyes.

On June 24, 2025, at 2:11 p.m., an employee was about to unbolt a spool connected to a vessel flange that needed to be removed for another crew to clean it. The employee saw leaking chemical product. The employee began running away from the product when he slipped and fell into the product, resulting in chemical burns to his arms and legs. The employee was hospitalized. Personal protective equipment (PPE) was not worn at the time.

An employee was adding an all purpose soak and electro cleaner chemical to a water tank to make a cleaner bath. An exothermic reaction caused the 200 F water to splash on him, and he suffered hot water and steam burns to the right side of his face, his upper right arm, the right side of his torso, and his right leg.