104,543Records 70,659Employers 84,666Hospitalizations 27,563Amputations 2015-01-01 2025-09-30
Safety Incidents OSHA Severe Injury Reports · 2015–2025

OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #14387310

INHALATION,DIZZINESS,PAINT SOLVENT,MEK,VAPOR,VENTILATION,HEADACHE,NAUSEA,PAINT,VOMIT

Event
INHALATION,DIZZINESS,PAINT SOLVENT,MEK,VAPOR,VENTILATION,HEADACHE,NAUSEA,PAINT,VOMIT
Linked inspection
No inspection record linked to this accident's victims.
Summary number
14387310
Report ID
524200

Event description

INHALATION OF PAINT AND SOLVENT VAPORS

Investigation abstract

ON FEBRUARY 25 AND 26, 1985, EMPLOYEES WORKING IN THE ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICES OF AL BY AMBULANCE. THE REMAINING EMPLOYEES WENT TO THE HOSPITAL EMERGENCY ROOM ON THEIR OWN. THE EMPLOYEES WHO BECAME ILL WERE WORKING AT THEIR DESKS, DOING THEIR REGULARLY ASSIGNED TASKS. THERE WAS NO SUBSTANTIAL SEPARATION BETWEEN THEIR WOR K AREA AND THE SPRAY PAINTING OPERATION. THE CHICAGO AND NORTHWESTERN TRANSPORTATION COMPANY'S PROVISO YARDS BECAME ILL F ROM EXPOSURE TO A SPRAY PAINTING OPERATION. AN OUTSIDE CONTRACTOR HAD BEEN HIRED TO DO ELECTROSTATIC SPRAY FINISHING OF THE METAL OFFICE FURNITURE IN THE ADMINI STRATION BUILDING. NO VENTILATION WAS PROVIDED, OTHER THAN THE NORMAL HEATING AN D AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM. THE PAINT BEING SPRAYED WAS AN EPOXY POLYAMIDE RESIN. THE CLEANING SOLVENT USED WAS METHYL ETHYL KETONE. THE EMPLOYEES COMPLAINED OF SUCH SYMPTOMS AS HEADACHE, NAUSEA, VOMITING, DIZZINESS, CONFUSION, DIFFICULT BRE ATHING, RAPID PULSE AND GENERAL WEAKNESS. TWO EMPLOYEES WERE TAKEN TO THE HOSPIT

Victims (19)

  1. #1 Hospitalized Age 26 F

    Nature of injury
    21
    Part of body
    29
    Event type
    8
    Source
    9
    Occupation code
    999
    Human factor
    17
    Environmental factor
    7
    Hazardous substance
    M125
    Task assigned
    1

  2. #10 Hospitalized Age 38 M

    Nature of injury
    21
    Part of body
    29
    Event type
    8
    Source
    9
    Occupation code
    999
    Human factor
    17
    Environmental factor
    7
    Hazardous substance
    M125
    Task assigned
    1

  3. #11 Non-hospitalized injury Age 46 F

    Nature of injury
    21
    Part of body
    29
    Event type
    8
    Source
    9
    Occupation code
    999
    Human factor
    17
    Environmental factor
    7
    Hazardous substance
    M125
    Task assigned
    1

  4. #12 Hospitalized Age 32 F

    Nature of injury
    21
    Part of body
    29
    Event type
    8
    Source
    9
    Occupation code
    999
    Human factor
    17
    Environmental factor
    7
    Hazardous substance
    M125
    Task assigned
    1

  5. #13 Hospitalized Age 31 F

    Nature of injury
    21
    Part of body
    29
    Event type
    8
    Source
    9
    Occupation code
    999
    Human factor
    17
    Environmental factor
    7
    Hazardous substance
    M125
    Task assigned
    1

  6. #14 Hospitalized Age 30 F

    Nature of injury
    21
    Part of body
    29
    Event type
    8
    Source
    9
    Occupation code
    999
    Human factor
    17
    Environmental factor
    7
    Hazardous substance
    M125
    Task assigned
    1

  7. #15 Hospitalized Age 27 F

    Nature of injury
    21
    Part of body
    29
    Event type
    8
    Source
    9
    Occupation code
    999
    Human factor
    17
    Environmental factor
    7
    Hazardous substance
    M125
    Task assigned
    1

  8. #16 Non-hospitalized injury Age 27 F

    Nature of injury
    21
    Part of body
    29
    Event type
    8
    Source
    9
    Occupation code
    999
    Human factor
    17
    Environmental factor
    7
    Hazardous substance
    M125
    Task assigned
    1

  9. #17 Hospitalized Age 43 F

    Nature of injury
    21
    Part of body
    29
    Event type
    8
    Source
    9
    Occupation code
    999
    Human factor
    17
    Environmental factor
    7
    Hazardous substance
    M125
    Task assigned
    1

  10. #18 Hospitalized Age 44 M

    Nature of injury
    21
    Part of body
    29
    Event type
    8
    Source
    9
    Occupation code
    999
    Human factor
    17
    Environmental factor
    7
    Hazardous substance
    M125
    Task assigned
    1

  11. #2 Hospitalized Age 24 M

    Nature of injury
    21
    Part of body
    29
    Event type
    8
    Source
    9
    Occupation code
    999
    Human factor
    17
    Environmental factor
    7
    Hazardous substance
    M125
    Task assigned
    1

  12. #3 Hospitalized Age 35 F

    Nature of injury
    21
    Part of body
    29
    Event type
    8
    Source
    9
    Occupation code
    999
    Human factor
    17
    Environmental factor
    7
    Hazardous substance
    M125
    Task assigned
    1

  13. #4 Hospitalized Age 28 F

    Nature of injury
    21
    Part of body
    29
    Event type
    8
    Source
    9
    Occupation code
    999
    Human factor
    17
    Environmental factor
    7
    Hazardous substance
    M125
    Task assigned
    1

  14. #5 Hospitalized Age 37 F

    Nature of injury
    21
    Part of body
    29
    Event type
    8
    Source
    9
    Occupation code
    999
    Human factor
    17
    Environmental factor
    7
    Hazardous substance
    M125
    Task assigned
    1

  15. #6 Hospitalized Age 28 F

    Nature of injury
    21
    Part of body
    29
    Event type
    8
    Source
    9
    Occupation code
    999
    Human factor
    17
    Environmental factor
    7
    Hazardous substance
    M125
    Task assigned
    1

  16. #7 Hospitalized Age 28 F

    Nature of injury
    21
    Part of body
    29
    Event type
    8
    Source
    9
    Occupation code
    999
    Human factor
    17
    Environmental factor
    7
    Hazardous substance
    M125
    Task assigned
    1

  17. #8 Hospitalized Age 27 F

    Nature of injury
    21
    Part of body
    29
    Event type
    8
    Source
    9
    Occupation code
    999
    Human factor
    17
    Environmental factor
    7
    Hazardous substance
    M125
    Task assigned
    1

  18. #9 Hospitalized Age 28 F

    Nature of injury
    21
    Part of body
    29
    Event type
    8
    Source
    9
    Occupation code
    999
    Human factor
    17
    Environmental factor
    7
    Hazardous substance
    M125
    Task assigned
    1

  19. #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.

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