OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #14196554
PPE,INHALATION,RUPTURE,CHLORINE DIOXIDE,PIPE,TOXIC FUMES,CHEMICAL,RESPIRATOR
Event description
EMPLOYEE EXPOSED TO CHLORINE DIOXIDE GAS
Investigation abstract
EMPLOYEE #1 WAS THE OPERATOR OF A CHLORINE DIOXIDE TANK. CHLORINE DIOXIDE IS MAN HE VALVE COULD BE CLOSED. EMPLOYEE #1 WAS TRANSPORTED TO CUMBERLAND MEMORIAL HOS PITAL, OBSERVED AND RELEASED. HE SUFFERED MINOR RESPIRATORY IRRITATION. THE PIPE , WHICH WAS SCHEDULED FOR REPLACEMENT, HAD SIMPLY DETERIORATED AND FAILED. EMPLO YEE #1 HAD BEEN TRAINED ON THE USE OF THE SCOTT AIRPAK (THE AIRPAK USED WAS OF T HE DEMAND TYPE). UFACTURED IN THIS BUILDING AND THEN PIPED TO THE BLEACH ROOM. EMPLOYEE #1 WAS IN THE OPERATOR'S ROOM WHEN HE HEARD A NOISE. HE LOOKED OUT THE WINDOW AND SAW THA T CHLORINE DIOXIDE HAD SPILLED ONTO THE FLOOR. HE GRABBED A SCOTT AIRPAK AND LEF T THE BUILDING. AFTER ALERTING THE PULP MILL SUPERVISOR, HE RETURNED TO THE BUIL DING AND SAW THAT A 3 INCH CHLORINE DIOXIDE LINE HAD RUPTURED. HE ENTERED THE BU ILDING AND SHUT OFF THE VALVE TO THE RUPTURED LINE. DURING THE EXERTION TO CLOSE THE VALVE, CHLORINE DIOXIDE GAS LEAKED INTO THE SCOTT AIRPAK. THE KYNAR-LINED S TEEL PIPE WHICH HAD RUPTURED RELEASED 7,000 GALLONS OF CHLORINE DIOXIDE BEFORE T
Victim
-
#1 Non-hospitalized injury Age 62 M
- Nature of injury
- 21
- Part of body
- 28
- Event type
- 8
- Source
- 19
- Occupation code
- 699
- Human factor
- 14
- Environmental factor
- 7
- Hazardous substance
- 0614
- 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.