OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #671602
ESSEX GROUP INC
VINCENNES, IN·
Event description
EMPLOYEE BURNED BY FIRE FROM ALCOHOL USED AS CLEANING AGENT
Investigation abstract
At 10:00 a.m. on April 2, 1989, Employee #1 was pouring alcohol from a galvanize 1 was transported by ambulance to Good Samaritan Hospital in Vincennes, Indiana, and later transported from there to the Wishard Hospital burn unit in Indianapo lis, Indiana. d bucket into another galvanized bucket containing wire dies that had been previ ously soaking for two hours at a temperature of approximately 150 degrees Fahren heit. The hot wire dies heated the alcohol in the bucket to the boiling point, c ausing the bucket to emit smoke and vapors. During the pouring cycle, alcohol or alcohol vapors came in contact with an open heating element nearby and ignited. Employee #1 was startled and splashed alcohol from the pouring bucket over her clothing and body. This alcohol also ignited, and caused second and third degree burns over fifty percent of her body. The fire was extinguished, and Employee #
Victim
-
#1 Hospitalized Age 51 Female
- Nature of injury
- Burn(Chemical) (4)
- Part of body
- MULTIPLE (19)
- Accident type
- OTHER (14)
- Source of injury
- CHEM LIQUIDS/VAPORS (9)
- Occupation
- Miscellaneous hand working occupations (795)
- Human factor
- EQUIP. INAPPROPR FOR OPERATION (6)
- Environmental factor
- FLAMMABLE LIQ/SOLID EXPOSURE (10)
- Hazardous substance
- 1560
- Task assigned
- Task regularly assigned (1)
Labels are OSHA's own, from the code dictionary published with the accident-investigation file. The raw code is shown beside each one so this page can be reconciled against OSHA's bulk data. OSHA notes that nature of injury, part of body, source of injury and accident type in this file are not coded to the Occupational Injury and Illness Classification System, and that the occupation titles are not standardised — so these values are not directly comparable with the OIICS-coded severe injury reports.