OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #14200372
BURN,EYE,THROAT,LUNG,INHALATION,NOSE,ANHYDROUS AMMONIA,DIZZINESS,TOXIC FUMES
Event description
EMPLOYEES INHALED AMMONIA VAPORS
Investigation abstract
ON SEPTEMBER 20, 1985, AT APPROXIMATELY 10:25 AM, AN ANHYDROUS AMMONIA LEAK OCCU EOPLE, A STATE TROOPER AND AN EMPLOYEE WORKING IN THE PICKING ROOM, WERE TAKEN T O THE HOSPITAL AND TREATED FOR AMMONIA INHALATION AND RELEASED. THE LEAK WAS STO PPED AT APPROXIMATELY 10:45 AM. RRED AT PERDUE INC. IN SALISBURY, MARYLAND. THE LEAK ORIGINATED IN THE COMPRESSO R ROOM AND WAS EXHAUSTED TO THE OUTSIDE. DUE TO THE DIRECTION OF THE WIND, THE A MMONIA GAS WAS BLOWN INTO THE RECEIVING DEPARTMENT. FORTUNATELY, MOST OF THE EMP LOYEES WORKING IN THIS AREA HAD LEFT FOR LUNCH. HOWEVER, TWO EMPLOYEES WERE ON T HEIR WAY OUT WHEN THE AMMONIA GAS WAS BLOWN INTO THEIR AREA. BOTH EMPLOYEES HAD AN IMMEDIATE REACTION TO THE GAS. THEY EXPERIENCED A BURNING SENSATION IN THEIR NOSE, THROAT, LUNGS AND EYES, AS WELL AS DIZZINESS AND DIFFICULTY IN BREATHING. BOTH MANAGED TO GET TO THE OUTSIDE. THEY WERE TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL. TWO OTHER P
Victims (4)
-
#1 Hospitalized Age 28 M
- Nature of injury
- 2
- Part of body
- 28
- Event type
- 8
- Source
- 9
- Occupation code
- 883
- Human factor
- 9
- Environmental factor
- 7
- Hazardous substance
- 0170
- Task assigned
- 1
-
#2 Hospitalized Age 31 M
- Nature of injury
- 2
- Part of body
- 28
- Event type
- 8
- Source
- 9
- Occupation code
- 883
- Human factor
- 9
- Environmental factor
- 7
- Hazardous substance
- 0170
- Task assigned
- 1
-
#3 Non-hospitalized injury Age 26 F
- Nature of injury
- 2
- Part of body
- 28
- Event type
- 8
- Source
- 9
- Occupation code
- 883
- Human factor
- 9
- Environmental factor
- 7
- Hazardous substance
- 0170
- Task assigned
- 1
-
#4 Non-hospitalized injury Age 34 M
- Nature of injury
- 2
- Part of body
- 28
- Event type
- 8
- Source
- 9
- Occupation code
- 418
- Human factor
- 9
- Environmental factor
- 7
- Hazardous substance
- 0170
- 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.