OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #14214977
RESPIRATORY,AMMONIA,INHALATION,TOXIC FUMES,HYDROCHLORIC ACID,CHEMICAL REACTION,CHEMICAL VAPOR,CHEMICAL
Event description
3 CONSTRUCTION WORKERS INJURED WHEN EXPOSED TO TOXIC FUMES
Investigation abstract
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
Victims (4)
-
#1 Non-hospitalized injury Age 22 M
- Nature of injury
- 17
- Part of body
- 28
- Event type
- 8
- Source
- 44
- Occupation code
- 575
- Human factor
- 14
- Environmental factor
- 7
- Hazardous substance
- 0175
- Task assigned
- 1
-
#2 Hospitalized Age 30 M
- Nature of injury
- 17
- Part of body
- 28
- Event type
- 8
- Source
- 44
- Occupation code
- 575
- Human factor
- 14
- Environmental factor
- 7
- Hazardous substance
- 0175
- Task assigned
- 1
-
#3 Non-hospitalized injury Age 32 M
- Nature of injury
- 17
- Part of body
- 28
- Event type
- 8
- Source
- 44
- Occupation code
- 575
- Human factor
- 14
- Environmental factor
- 7
- Hazardous substance
- 0175
- Task assigned
- 1
-
#981 Degree 0 Age 0
- Nature of injury
- 0
- Part of body
- 0
- Event type
- 0
- Source
- 0
- Occupation code
- 0
- Human factor
- 0
- Environmental factor
- 0
- Task assigned
- 0
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.