105,313Records 71,083Employers 85,290Hospitalizations 27,770Amputations 2015-01-01 2025-10-31
Safety Incidents OSHA Severe Injury Reports · 2015–2025

OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #14251532

LEAK,RESPIRATORY,AMMONIA,INHALATION,CHEMICAL VAPOR,TOXIC FUMES

Event
LEAK,RESPIRATORY,AMMONIA,INHALATION,CHEMICAL VAPOR,TOXIC FUMES
Linked inspection
No inspection record linked to this accident's victims.
Summary number
14251532
Report ID
453710

Event description

17 EMPLOYEES EXPOSED TO AMMONIA GAS

Investigation abstract

AT 1:45 PM ON AUGUST 20, 1987, THE HEAD OF AN AMMONIA COMPRESSOR AT THE COBLE DA #13, & #14) WERE ADMITTED TO THE HOSPITAL, TREATED AND RELEASED THE NEXT DAY. IRY PRODUCTS PLANT IN LEXINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA, BLEW OFF, ALLOWING AMMONIA TO E SCAPE INTO THE ATMOSPHERE. THE EMPLOYEES IN THE PLANT WERE TOLD TO EVACUATE AND DID SO ACCORDING TO VERBAL INSTRUCTIONS PREVIOUSLY RECEIVED FROM MANAGEMENT. THE EMPLOYEES WERE TO LEAVE THE PLANT AND ASSEMBLE IN THE SOUTHWEST PARKING AREA. H OWEVER, THE WIND WAS BLOWING SUCH THAT THE AMMONIA WAS CARRIED FROM THE COMPRESS OR ROOM TO THE PREARRANGED ASSEMBLY AREA SOUTHWEST OF THE PLANT. THE EMPLOYEES A SSEMBLING THERE WERE EXPOSED TO AMMONIA GAS. SEVENTEEN EMPLOYEES WERE TREATED AT A LOCAL HOSPITAL FOR AMMONIA EXPOSURE. OF THE SEVENTEEN, THREE EMPLOYEES (#12,

Victims (17)

  1. #1 Non-hospitalized injury Age 19 F

    Nature of injury
    21
    Part of body
    28
    Event type
    8
    Source
    19
    Occupation code
    883
    Human factor
    4
    Environmental factor
    7
    Hazardous substance
    0170
    Task assigned
    1

  2. #10 Non-hospitalized injury Age 18 F

    Nature of injury
    21
    Part of body
    28
    Event type
    8
    Source
    19
    Occupation code
    883
    Human factor
    4
    Environmental factor
    7
    Hazardous substance
    0170
    Task assigned
    1

  3. #11 Non-hospitalized injury Age 41 F

    Nature of injury
    21
    Part of body
    28
    Event type
    8
    Source
    19
    Occupation code
    883
    Human factor
    4
    Environmental factor
    7
    Hazardous substance
    0170
    Task assigned
    1

  4. #12 Hospitalized Age 26 M

    Nature of injury
    21
    Part of body
    28
    Event type
    8
    Source
    19
    Occupation code
    883
    Human factor
    4
    Environmental factor
    7
    Hazardous substance
    0170
    Task assigned
    1

  5. #13 Hospitalized Age 45 F

    Nature of injury
    21
    Part of body
    28
    Event type
    8
    Source
    19
    Occupation code
    883
    Human factor
    4
    Environmental factor
    7
    Hazardous substance
    0170
    Task assigned
    1

  6. #14 Hospitalized Age 38 F

    Nature of injury
    21
    Part of body
    28
    Event type
    8
    Source
    19
    Occupation code
    777
    Human factor
    4
    Environmental factor
    7
    Hazardous substance
    0170
    Task assigned
    1

  7. #15 Non-hospitalized injury Age 20 M

    Nature of injury
    21
    Part of body
    28
    Event type
    8
    Source
    19
    Occupation code
    883
    Human factor
    4
    Environmental factor
    7
    Hazardous substance
    0170
    Task assigned
    1

  8. #16 Non-hospitalized injury Age 28 M

    Nature of injury
    21
    Part of body
    28
    Event type
    8
    Source
    19
    Occupation code
    777
    Human factor
    4
    Environmental factor
    7
    Hazardous substance
    0170
    Task assigned
    1

  9. #17 Non-hospitalized injury Age 26 F

    Nature of injury
    21
    Part of body
    28
    Event type
    8
    Source
    19
    Occupation code
    235
    Human factor
    4
    Environmental factor
    7
    Hazardous substance
    0170
    Task assigned
    1

  10. #2 Non-hospitalized injury Age 38 F

    Nature of injury
    21
    Part of body
    28
    Event type
    8
    Source
    19
    Occupation code
    883
    Human factor
    4
    Environmental factor
    7
    Hazardous substance
    0170
    Task assigned
    1

  11. #3 Non-hospitalized injury Age 41 F

    Nature of injury
    21
    Part of body
    28
    Event type
    8
    Source
    19
    Occupation code
    883
    Human factor
    4
    Environmental factor
    7
    Hazardous substance
    0170
    Task assigned
    1

  12. #4 Non-hospitalized injury Age 52 F

    Nature of injury
    21
    Part of body
    28
    Event type
    8
    Source
    19
    Occupation code
    777
    Human factor
    4
    Environmental factor
    7
    Hazardous substance
    0170
    Task assigned
    1

  13. #5 Non-hospitalized injury Age 53 F

    Nature of injury
    21
    Part of body
    28
    Event type
    8
    Source
    19
    Occupation code
    883
    Human factor
    4
    Environmental factor
    7
    Hazardous substance
    0170
    Task assigned
    1

  14. #6 Non-hospitalized injury Age 62 F

    Nature of injury
    21
    Part of body
    28
    Event type
    8
    Source
    19
    Occupation code
    883
    Human factor
    4
    Environmental factor
    7
    Hazardous substance
    0170
    Task assigned
    1

  15. #7 Non-hospitalized injury Age 26 F

    Nature of injury
    21
    Part of body
    28
    Event type
    8
    Source
    19
    Occupation code
    883
    Human factor
    4
    Environmental factor
    7
    Hazardous substance
    0170
    Task assigned
    1

  16. #8 Non-hospitalized injury Age 70 F

    Nature of injury
    21
    Part of body
    28
    Event type
    8
    Source
    19
    Occupation code
    883
    Human factor
    4
    Environmental factor
    7
    Hazardous substance
    0170
    Task assigned
    1

  17. #9 Non-hospitalized injury Age 26 F

    Nature of injury
    21
    Part of body
    28
    Event type
    8
    Source
    19
    Occupation code
    235
    Human factor
    4
    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.

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