OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #14448096

RESPIRATORY,VENTILATION,WORK RULES,INHALATION,CHLORINE,CHEMICAL REACTION,INATTENTION

1987-03-11T00:00:00

Event: RESPIRATORY,VENTILATION,WORK RULES,INHALATION,CHLORINE,CHEMICAL REACTION,INATTENTION
Linked inspection: No inspection record linked to this accident's victims.
Summary number: 14448096
Report ID: 552700

Event description

EMPLOYEES EXPOSED TO CHLORINE GAS FROM MIXED CHEMICALS

Investigation abstract

ON MARCH 11, 1987, THE LAUNDRY MANAGER FOR THIS LARGE HOSPITAL DECIDED TO DISPOS FLOOR, THIS TIME FOR ABOUT ONE HOUR. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT ARRIVED AND TESTED FOR CHLORINE, THEN VENTILATED THE AREA AND FLUSHED DOWN THE DRAINS. THE BUILDING WAS DECLARED SAFE. 16 PEOPLE WERE TREATED IN EMERGENCY. ONE (EMPLOYEE #1) WAS ADMIT TED TO THE HOSPITAL. EMPLOYEE RIGHT TO KNOW TRAINING HAD BEEN CONDUCTED THE PREV IOUS JANUARY. THE LIQUID LAUNDRY CHEMICALS WERE BEING DISPOSED OF BECAUSE THEY W ERE CAUSING CONTACT DERMATITUS PROBLEMS ON THE LAUNDRY LINENS. POWDERED LAUNDRY CHEMICALS ARE NOW USED IN PLACE OF THE LIQUIDS. THE EMPLOYER HAS NOW WRITTEN A P ROCEDURE TO BE FOLLOWED FOR ANY FUTURE CHEMICAL DISPOSAL AT THE LAUNDRY. E OF APPROXIMATELY 40 GALLONS OF LIQUID LAUNDRY CHEMICALS BY DUMPING THEM DOWN T HE LAUNDRY DRAIN. HE DID NOT READ THE CONTAINER LABELS. HE DISPOSED OF THE CHEMI CALS BY DUMPING 10 GALLONS, WAITING 5 MINUTES, THEN DUMPING ANOTHER 10 GALLONS. THE LIQUID LAUNDRY CHEMICALS WHICH HE WAS DUMPING CONSISTED OF A LIQUID LAUNDRY WATER CONDITIONER, LIQUID SODIUM HYPOCHLORITE, AND AQUEOUS LAUNDRY SOUR (HYDROFL UOSILICIC ACID). CHLORINE GAS WAS GENERATED FROM THIS MIXTURE. THE EMPLOYEES WER E EVACUATED FROM THE FIRST FLOOR OF THE LAUNDRY. WHEN THEY RETURNED, 20 MINUTES LATER, THE ODOR WAS STILL SO STRONG THAT THEY AGAIN EVACUATED THE LAUNDRY FIRST

Victims (16)

#1 Hospitalized Age 20 M

Nature of injury
2

Part of body
28

Event type
8

Source
9

Occupation code
403

Human factor
11

Environmental factor
9

Hazardous substance
0640

Task assigned
1
#10 Non-hospitalized injury Age 23 F

Nature of injury
2

Part of body
28

Event type
8

Source
9

Occupation code
403

Human factor
11

Environmental factor
9

Hazardous substance
0640

Task assigned
1
#11 Non-hospitalized injury Age 49 F

Nature of injury
2

Part of body
28

Event type
8

Source
9

Occupation code
403

Human factor
11

Environmental factor
9

Hazardous substance
0640

Task assigned
1
#12 Non-hospitalized injury Age 40 F

Nature of injury
2

Part of body
28

Event type
8

Source
9

Occupation code
403

Human factor
11

Environmental factor
9

Hazardous substance
0640

Task assigned
1
#13 Non-hospitalized injury Age 27 F

Nature of injury
2

Part of body
28

Event type
8

Source
9

Occupation code
403

Human factor
11

Environmental factor
9

Hazardous substance
0640

Task assigned
1
#14 Non-hospitalized injury Age 38 F

Nature of injury
2

Part of body
28

Event type
8

Source
9

Occupation code
403

Human factor
11

Environmental factor
9

Hazardous substance
0640

Task assigned
1
#15 Non-hospitalized injury Age 48 F

Nature of injury
2

Part of body
28

Event type
8

Source
9

Occupation code
403

Human factor
11

Environmental factor
9

Hazardous substance
0640

Task assigned
1
#16 Non-hospitalized injury Age 62 M

Nature of injury
2

Part of body
28

Event type
8

Source
9

Occupation code
19

Human factor
11

Environmental factor
9

Hazardous substance
0640

Task assigned
1
#2 Non-hospitalized injury Age 39 F

Nature of injury
2

Part of body
28

Event type
8

Source
9

Occupation code
999

Human factor
11

Environmental factor
9

Hazardous substance
0640

Task assigned
1
#3 Non-hospitalized injury Age 33 F

Nature of injury
2

Part of body
28

Event type
8

Source
9

Occupation code
999

Human factor
11

Environmental factor
9

Hazardous substance
0640

Task assigned
1
#4 Non-hospitalized injury Age 51 M

Nature of injury
2

Part of body
28

Event type
8

Source
9

Occupation code
999

Human factor
11

Environmental factor
9

Hazardous substance
0640

Task assigned
1
#5 Non-hospitalized injury Age 59 M

Nature of injury
2

Part of body
28

Event type
8

Source
9

Occupation code
999

Human factor
11

Environmental factor
9

Hazardous substance
0640

Task assigned
1
#6 Non-hospitalized injury Age 48 M

Nature of injury
2

Part of body
28

Event type
8

Source
9

Occupation code
999

Human factor
11

Environmental factor
9

Hazardous substance
0640

Task assigned
1
#7 Non-hospitalized injury Age 32 F

Nature of injury
7

Part of body
28

Event type
8

Source
9

Occupation code
403

Human factor
11

Environmental factor
9

Hazardous substance
0640

Task assigned
1
#8 Non-hospitalized injury Age 53 F

Nature of injury
2

Part of body
28

Event type
8

Source
9

Occupation code
403

Human factor
11

Environmental factor
9

Hazardous substance
0640

Task assigned
1
#9 Non-hospitalized injury Age 45 F

Nature of injury
2

Part of body
28

Event type
8

Source
9

Occupation code
403

Human factor
11

Environmental factor
9

Hazardous substance
0640

Task assigned
1

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