OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #1000777
RESPIRATORY,UNCONSCIOUSNESS,VAPOR,ALLERGIC REACTION,SPRAY PAINTING,PAINT,RESPIRATORY TRACT,OVEREXPOSURE,PAINT BOOTH,CHEMICAL
Event description
Employee dies of severe allergic reaction to HDI
Investigation abstract
Employee #1 was assigned as a spray painter in a paint department. His responsib miner in Chapel Hill, NC, identified the probable cause of death as accidental, an exacerbation of chronic bronchitis and small airway disease, secondary to hex amethylene diisocyanate (HDI) sensitivity and possible volatile respiratory irri tants. Employee #1 was potentially exposed to a number of organic volatiles in t he primer and poly top coat, including HDI, a component of the polyurethane hard ener. Breathing zone air samples representative of Employee #1's exposure to org anic volatiles were found to be insignificant with regard to the legal North Car olina occupational health exposure limits. HDI was not detected in the air while the shelter bottoms were spray painted with polyurethane paint. Paint departmen t personnel were provided with and required to wear full body Tyvek suits, rubbe ilities included mixing paints, spray painting piece parts and mobile shelter bo r gloves, and respiratory protection. Employee #1 was wearing a 3M #7251 half ma sk negative pressure respirator equipped with a NIOSH-approved organic vapor car tridge and dust/mist pre-filters. ttoms, and other non-painting and miscellaneous duties. An epoxy primer was used on all parts to be painted, and a polyurethane paint and hardener was used on t he shelter bottoms. Painting was confined to two downdraft spray booths equipped with an electrostatic spray apparatus. Toward the end of the shift, at approxim ately 5:30 a.m. and after priming and poly painting three shelter bottoms, Emplo yee #1 was found unconscious outside the plant and pronounced dead at 6:40 a.m. at Swain County Hospital in Bryson City, NC. The Office of the Chief Medical Exa
Victim
-
#1 Fatality Age 47 M
- Nature of injury
- 21
- Part of body
- 28
- Event type
- 12
- Source
- 9
- Occupation code
- 759
- Human factor
- 14
- Environmental factor
- 9
- Hazardous substance
- 1377
- Task assigned
- 1
Codes shown verbatim from OSHA's accident-investigation database. A human-readable decoder is coming in a future release once the accident_lookup2 dictionary is loaded.