OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #221391766

CHEP SERVICES, LLC

ALBANY, GA· 2021-09-13T00:00:00

Event: Arm, Burn, Engine, Equipment Operator, Flying Object, Forklift, Heat, Heat Exchanger, High Pressure, High Temperature, Hot Water, Hot Water Tank, Industrial Truck, Malfunction, Material Handling, Mech Malfunction, Misjudgment, Misjudgment of Hazardous Situation, Motor Vehicle, Overheated, PIV, Powered Industrial Vehicle, Pressure, Pressure Release, Skin, Struck By, Torso
NAICS: 321920
Inspection type: Referral
Activity number: #345531990
Employer profile: CHEP SERVICES, LLC
Summary number: 221391766
Report ID: 0418400

Event description

Employee burns arm and torso when struck by hot PIV radiator

Investigation abstract

At 3:00 p.m. on September 13, 2021, a forklift operator employed by a wood container and pallet manufacturer reported to a management coworker that their Linde H20 propane-powered industrial vehicle (PIV) was overheating. The coworker instructed the operator to park the PIV and allow it to cool. The employee opened the engine compartment to cool the motor and, without authorization or instruction, removed the radiator cap while the system was still hot and pressurized. This caused hot radiator fluid to spray from the expansion tank, striking the employee. The employee sustained second- and third-degree burns to the torso and arm and was hospitalized for treatment.

Victim

#1 Hospitalized Age 28 M

Event type
14

Occupation code
856

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.