OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #14251631
EYE,MAINTENANCE,WORK RULES,HIGH PRESSURE,FACE,CHEMICAL
Event description
EMPLOYEE INJURED WHEN SPRAYED IN FACE BY A LUBRICANT
Investigation abstract
AT APPROXIMATELY 3:30 PM ON OCTOBER 23, 1987, EMPLOYEE #1 WAS HELPING INSURE THA THE EMERGENCY ROOM. UPON FURTHER INVESTIGATION, THE DEVICE TURNED OUT TO BE AN A UTOMATIC LUBRICATOR MADE BY PERMA. THE LUBRICATOR WORKS BY THE CHEMICAL REACTION OF THE POTASSIUM HYDROXIDE IN THE UPPER END CAUSING PRESSURE THAT FORCES LUBRIC ANT OUT THE BOTTOM. THE COMPANY BOUGHT THE CONCRETE PLANT SECOND HAND AND THE WA RNING LABELS HAD EITHER BEEN REMOVED OR HAD WORN OFF WITH AGE. THE COMPANY WAS U NAWARE OF THE CONTENTS. T A NEWLY SET-UP CONCRETE PLANT WAS READY TO GO. EMPLOYEE #1 WAS CHECKING WHAT H E AND THE LEAD GROUND MAINTENANCE MAN THOUGHT WAS AN AUTOMATIC OILER FOR THE UPP ER PULLEY BEARING OF THE BATCH PLANT'S STACKER CONTROL. AS THE EMPLOYEE WAS REMO VING A SCREW CAP FROM THE TOP OF THE DEVICE, A LIQUID UNDER PRESSURE SQUIRTED OU T AND STRUCK HIM IN THE FACE. AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT, THE OTHER EMPLOYEES A ND THE COMPANY MANAGEMENT DID NOT KNOW WHAT MATERIAL SQUIRTED OUT OF THE DEVICE. ANOTHER EMPLOYEE AIDED EMPLOYEE #1 FROM THE TOP OF THE HOPPER AND PROCEEDED TO HELP HIM WASH HIS EYES AND FACE WITH WATER. THE OTHER EMPLOYEE THEN TOOK HIM TO
Victim
-
#1 Hospitalized Age 33 M
- Nature of injury
- 4
- Part of body
- 8
- Event type
- 1
- Source
- 9
- Occupation code
- 516
- Human factor
- 11
- Environmental factor
- 18
- Hazardous substance
- 2140
- 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.