OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #781567
E I DU PONT DE NEMOURS & CO INC
LOUISVILLE, KY·
Event description
TEN EMPLOYEES EXPOSED DURING REACTOR VESSEL LEAK
Investigation abstract
Ten employees were exposed when a reactor vessel which was used for making Freon developed a leak in the heating coil. Hydrogen fluoride entered the coil and pr essure built up. A manual valve gave way, releasing a hydrogen fluoride/hydrochl oric acid gas cloud across the plant. Ten people were sent to the hospital. Empl oyee #8 was hospitalized for chest pain and pharyngeal irritation. All the rest were given calcium gluconate by nebulizer and released.
Victims (10)
-
#1 Non-hospitalized injury Age 46 Male
- Nature of injury
- Other (21)
- Part of body
- OTHBODYSYS (31)
- Accident type
- INHALATION (8)
- Source of injury
- CHEM LIQUIDS/VAPORS (9)
- Occupation
- Miscellaneous plant and system operators (699)
- Human factor
- OTHER (14)
- Environmental factor
- GAS/VAPOR/MIST/FUME/SMOKE/DUST (7)
- Hazardous substance
- 1430
- Task assigned
- Task regularly assigned (1)
-
#10 Non-hospitalized injury Age 52 Female
- Nature of injury
- Other (21)
- Part of body
- EYE(S) (8)
- Accident type
- OTHER (14)
- Source of injury
- CHEM LIQUIDS/VAPORS (9)
- Occupation
- Occupation not reported (999)
- Human factor
- OTHER (14)
- Environmental factor
- GAS/VAPOR/MIST/FUME/SMOKE/DUST (7)
- Hazardous substance
- 1430
- Task assigned
- Task regularly assigned (1)
-
#2 Non-hospitalized injury Age 40 Male
- Nature of injury
- Other (21)
- Part of body
- OTHBODYSYS (31)
- Accident type
- INHALATION (8)
- Source of injury
- CHEM LIQUIDS/VAPORS (9)
- Occupation
- Miscellaneous plant and system operators (699)
- Human factor
- OTHER (14)
- Environmental factor
- GAS/VAPOR/MIST/FUME/SMOKE/DUST (7)
- Hazardous substance
- 1430
- Task assigned
- Task regularly assigned (1)
-
#3 Non-hospitalized injury Age 37 Male
- Nature of injury
- Other (21)
- Part of body
- OTHBODYSYS (31)
- Accident type
- INHALATION (8)
- Source of injury
- CHEM LIQUIDS/VAPORS (9)
- Occupation
- Supervisors, production occupations (633)
- Human factor
- OTHER (14)
- Environmental factor
- GAS/VAPOR/MIST/FUME/SMOKE/DUST (7)
- Hazardous substance
- 1430
- Task assigned
- Task regularly assigned (1)
-
#4 Non-hospitalized injury Age 31 Male
- Nature of injury
- Other (21)
- Part of body
- OTHBODYSYS (31)
- Accident type
- INHALATION (8)
- Source of injury
- CHEM LIQUIDS/VAPORS (9)
- Occupation
- Miscellaneous plant and system operators (699)
- Human factor
- OTHER (14)
- Environmental factor
- GAS/VAPOR/MIST/FUME/SMOKE/DUST (7)
- Hazardous substance
- 1430
- Task assigned
- Task regularly assigned (1)
-
#5 Non-hospitalized injury Age 31 Male
- Nature of injury
- Other (21)
- Part of body
- OTHBODYSYS (31)
- Accident type
- INHALATION (8)
- Source of injury
- CHEM LIQUIDS/VAPORS (9)
- Occupation
- Miscellaneous plant and system operators (699)
- Human factor
- OTHER (14)
- Environmental factor
- GAS/VAPOR/MIST/FUME/SMOKE/DUST (7)
- Hazardous substance
- 1430
- Task assigned
- Task regularly assigned (1)
-
#6 Non-hospitalized injury Age 43 Male
- Nature of injury
- Other (21)
- Part of body
- OTHBODYSYS (31)
- Accident type
- INHALATION (8)
- Source of injury
- CHEM LIQUIDS/VAPORS (9)
- Occupation
- Miscellaneous plant and system operators (699)
- Human factor
- OTHER (14)
- Environmental factor
- GAS/VAPOR/MIST/FUME/SMOKE/DUST (7)
- Hazardous substance
- 1430
- Task assigned
- Task regularly assigned (1)
-
#7 Non-hospitalized injury Age 37 Male
- Nature of injury
- Other (21)
- Part of body
- OTHBODYSYS (31)
- Accident type
- INHALATION (8)
- Source of injury
- CHEM LIQUIDS/VAPORS (9)
- Occupation
- Miscellaneous plant and system operators (699)
- Human factor
- OTHER (14)
- Environmental factor
- GAS/VAPOR/MIST/FUME/SMOKE/DUST (7)
- Hazardous substance
- 1430
- Task assigned
- Task regularly assigned (1)
-
#8 Hospitalized Age 40 Female
- Nature of injury
- Other (21)
- Part of body
- MULTIPLE (19)
- Accident type
- OTHER (14)
- Source of injury
- CHEM LIQUIDS/VAPORS (9)
- Occupation
- Guards and police, excluding public service (426)
- Human factor
- OTHER (14)
- Environmental factor
- GAS/VAPOR/MIST/FUME/SMOKE/DUST (7)
- Hazardous substance
- 1430
- Task assigned
- Task regularly assigned (1)
-
#9 Non-hospitalized injury Age 33 Male
- Nature of injury
- Other (21)
- Part of body
- FACE (9)
- Accident type
- OTHER (14)
- Source of injury
- CHEM LIQUIDS/VAPORS (9)
- Occupation
- Miscellaneous plant and system operators (699)
- Human factor
- OTHER (14)
- Environmental factor
- GAS/VAPOR/MIST/FUME/SMOKE/DUST (7)
- Hazardous substance
- 1430
- 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.