Contact with hot objects or substances · Heat (thermal) burns, unspecified
Final narrative
Two employees working from separate stepladders were replacing a leaky pressure-reducing valve in an overhead low pressure (12 psi upstream from the pressure-reducing valve), 2-inch diameter, steel steam line. There was a shutoff ball valve approximately 8 inches upstream from the pressure-reducing valve. In the process of replacing the pressure-reducing valve that was threaded into the line, the nearby shutoff ball valve (which was also threaded into the line) became disassembled, releasing steam that caused burns to one of the employees. The shutoff valve was closed before beginning the replacement, but it was not locked/tagged out. The main steam valve for the line, which was approximately 15 feet away, was also not closed or locked/tagged out at the time.
An employee connected a steam line to a hose to clean equipment when the fitting broke loose. They were struck by steam in the left inner thigh, resulting in burns that required hospitalization.
An employee was making tea when she noticed tea grinds were collecting on the side and water was no longer dripping through the funnel. The employee was checking the funnel when boiling water and tea grinds spilled onto the left side of her body. The employee sustained burns to her neck, back, and arm.
An employee had turned off the ball valve on a waterpipe system and was removing the plug when the coupling system attached to the strainer came apart. Hot water sprayed on his arm and back, resulting in first- and second-degree burns that required surgery.
An employee was using a shovel to remove waste vermiculite from molten zinc. The metal had been placed in a bin and partially hardened. The employee broke through the partially hardened metal; still-molten metal flowed to the employee's steel-toed right boot and entered through the cloth boot tongue. The employee suffered a third-degree burn to the right foot and was hospitalized.