Accident Report Detail

Accident Summary Nr: 170239909 - Employee becomes ill after exposed to chlorine gas cloud

Accident Summary Nr: 170239909 -- Report ID: 1055310 -- Event Date: 10/23/1991
Inspection Nr	Date Opened	SIC	NAICS	Establishment Name
111454302	10/23/1991	4449	0	Puget Sound Freight Lines
Inspection Nr	Date Opened	SIC	NAICS	Establishment Name
111454286	10/23/1991	3443	0	Flohr Metal Fabricators
Inspection Nr	Date Opened	SIC	NAICS	Establishment Name
111454294	10/23/1991	2421	0	Weyerhaeuser Paper Company

Abstract: Employee #1 was driving a chip truck into the east gate of the Weyerhaeuser Kraft Mill. He saw flashing lights, but the guard waved him through. As he drove on, Employee #1 smelled something acrid and thought there was an electrical fire under his dashboard. He rolled down his window as he unknowingly drove through the main chlorine escape cloud from a 4 percent caustic tank at the bleach plant. When he got to the chip dump, the dump tender told him to turn around and drive out. Employee #1 turned the truck around and drove back through the chlorine cloud to the east gate. Acute overexposure to the chlorine gas made Employee #1 very ill. He was taken to Providence Hospital in a guard's pickup truck and admitted. There was no escape respirator in the chip truck. Employees #2 and #5 were also hospitalized.

Keywords: TOXIC ATMOSPHERE, CHLORINE, TOXIC FUMES, CHEMICAL, WORK RULES, OVEREXPOSURE, RESPIRATOR, GAS, COMMUNICATION

Employee Details
Employee #	Inspection Nr	Degree of Injury	Nature of Injury	Occupation
1	111454302	Hospitalized injury	Other	Truck drivers, heavy
2	111454286	Hospitalized injury	Other	Welders and cutters
3	111454286	Non Hospitalized injury	Other	Welders and cutters
4	111454286	Non Hospitalized injury	Other	Welders and cutters
5	111454294	Hospitalized injury	Other	Production samplers and weighers

Thank You for Visiting Our Website

You are exiting the Department of Labor's Web server.

The Department of Labor does not endorse, takes no responsibility for, and exercises no control over the linked organization or its views, or contents, nor does it vouch for the accuracy or accessibility of the information contained on the destination server. The Department of Labor also cannot authorize the use of copyrighted materials contained in linked Web sites. Users must request such authorization from the sponsor of the linked Web site. Thank you for visiting our site. Please click the button below to continue.