UNITED STATES
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Abstract: On January 29, 2002, Employee #1 was working under a lab hood adding concentrated sulfuric acid to a glass pipette bottle containing water to make a 1 to 1 solution. When lifting the bottle, she noticed it was hot. The bottle bottom separated and the acid solution flowed across the work surface, through the airfoil sill of the hood, and onto her thigh. Employee #1 received second-degree burns on her left thigh covering 3 percent of her body. The laboratory hood had the following identification: Labconco Guardian VAV Hood Number 3. The original pipette bottle was not saved, but was believed to be a VWR Scientific Products one-liter narrow-mouth amber glass bottle with part number 74580-038. Employee #1 was wearing a lab coat provided from Medico Professional Linen Services made of 65-percent polyester and 35-percent cotton. Causal factors observed included the lab hood not designed to contain a spill, the lab coat worn by Employee #1 not impervious to the acid solution, and the bottle apparently not made of a heat-resistant glass. One of the citations issued was for failure to provide an adequate shield or enclosure that protects the employee when there is danger of injury from flying particles or substances.