OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #14371694
RESPIRATORY,HYDROGEN SELENIDE,PULMONARY EDEMA,PPE,RESPIRATOR
Event description
EXPOSURE TO HYDROGEN SELENIDE
Investigation abstract
THIS INCIDENT (EXPOSURE TO HYDROGEN SELENIDE GAS) LED TO THE HOSPITALIZATION OF CLEAN THE SLUDGE FROM THE SCRAPPER. THE SLUDGE WAS REMOVED AND PLACED INTO A BAR REL. WATER WAS ADDED. THE WATER REACTED WITH THE SLUDGE, PRODUCING HYDROGEN SELE NIDE GAS. EMPLOYEE #1 DOUBLED OVER, EXTREMELY NAUSEAS, AND COUGHED EXCESSIVELY F OR ABOUT 20 MINUTES. THE SYMTOMS SUBSIDED UNTIL, ABOUT 6 HOURS LATER, PULMONARY EDEMA OCCURRED. THE EMPLOYEE WAS ADMITTED TO THE HOSPITAL WITH AN ARTERIAL BLOOD GAS LEVEL OF 38% OXYGEN.?? THE COMPANY WAS INSTRUCTED TO IMPLEMENT EMERGENCY PR OCEDURES, COMPOSED OF TRAINING AND NEUTRALIZATION OF THE SLUDGE WITH SODA ASH. T HIS WAS THE FIRST TIME THE COMPANY HAD HAD SUCH AN INCIDENT. ONE EMPLOYEE AND THE TREATMENT AND RELEASE OF TWO OTHERS. THE COMPANY STRIPS THE SELENIUM COATING FROM ALUMINUM CORE DRUMS IN A GRINDING OPERATION. THE DRUMS HA VE BEEN USED IN THE PHOTO COPY INDUSTRY. THE STRIPPING PROCESS UTILIZES A WATER BASED COOLANT AND PRODUCES A SLUDGE, PRIMARILY COMPOSED OF SELENIUM AND ALUMINUM . A SCRAPPER, AUGER TYPE, USED TO TO SEPARATE THE AQUEOUS PHASE FROM THE SLUDGE, WAS REMOVED FROM THE PROCESS AND PLACED IN A REMOTE PORTION OF THE PLANT. AFTER APPROXIMATELY 3 MONTHS THE SCRAPPER, COATED WITH DRY SLUDGE, BEGAN TO SOUR, EMI TTING AN OFFENSIVE ODOR. EMPLOYEES WERE INSTRUCTED TO MOVE THE UNIT OUTSIDE AND
Victims (3)
-
#1 Hospitalized Age 27 M
- Nature of injury
- 2
- Part of body
- 28
- Event type
- 8
- Source
- 19
- Occupation code
- 999
- Human factor
- 11
- Environmental factor
- 9
- Hazardous substance
- 1475
- Task assigned
- 2
-
#2 Non-hospitalized injury Age 31 M
- Nature of injury
- 2
- Part of body
- 28
- Event type
- 8
- Source
- 19
- Occupation code
- 999
- Human factor
- 11
- Environmental factor
- 9
- Hazardous substance
- 1475
- Task assigned
- 2
-
#3 Non-hospitalized injury Age 40 M
- Nature of injury
- 2
- Part of body
- 28
- Event type
- 8
- Source
- 19
- Occupation code
- 999
- Human factor
- 11
- Environmental factor
- 9
- Hazardous substance
- 1475
- Task assigned
- 2
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.