OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #14541643

GEORGIA KRAFT COMPANY

ROME, GA· 1986-09-08T13:00:00

Event: HEAD, STAIR, UNCONSCIOUSNESS, HYDROGEN SULFIDE, INHALATION, RUPTURE, CHEMICAL REACTION, FALL, TOXIC FUMES, SULFURIC ACID
NAICS: 000000
Inspection type: Referral
Activity number: #100369172
Employer profile: GEORGIA KRAFT COMPANY
Summary number: 14541643
Report ID: 418100

Event description

EMPLOYEE EXPOSED TO HYDROGEN SULFIDE; INJURED IN FALL

Investigation abstract

AT APPROXIMATELY 1 PM ON SEPTEMBER 8, 1986, EMPLOYEE #1, A LABORATORY SPECIALIST , RESPONDED TO A CALL FROM THE TALL OIL PLANT TO INVESTIGATE A POSSIBLE HYDROGEN SULFIDE LEAK. THE HYDROGEN SULFIDE LEAK WAS CAUSED BY A RUPTURE IN A 28,000 GAL LON SULFURIC ACID BULK STORAGE TANK. THE ACID LEAKED THROUGH A BROKEN VALVE IN A DIKE AND EMPTIED INTO A U-DRAIN CONTAINING BLACK LIQUOR (A HIGH SULFIDE MATERIA L). THE ENSUING CHEMICAL REACTION RESULTED IN THE FORMATION OF HYDROGEN SULFIDE GAS. WHILE CLIMBING A METAL STAIRWAY ENROUTE TO AREA OF THE LEAK, EMPLOYEE #1 WA S OVERCOME BY HYDROGEN SULFIDE, LOST CONSCIOUSNESS AND FELL. HE FELL DOWN ABOUT 20 METAL STEPS, RECEIVING MULTIPLE HEAD INJURIES AND LACERATIONS.

Victim

#1 Hospitalized Age 56 M

Nature of injury
3

Part of body
13

Event type
5

Source
19

Occupation code
999

Human factor
19

Environmental factor
7

Hazardous substance
1480

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.