Abstract: At approximately 1:30 p.m. on November 17, 2007, Employee #1, a paid graduate student researcher, was working in a university biochemistry laboratory. Employee #1 was performing "flame sterilization" in preparation for plating bacteria. For this procedure, Employee #1 poured ethanol from a glass bottle into a Petri dish and was placing a glass rod in the Petri dish and placing the rod into the flame of a Bunsen burner. Employee #1 accidentally knocked over the bottle of ethanol and the ethanol from the bottle splashed onto his shirt, hands, and onto the floor. There was approximately 50 ml to 100 ml of ethanol in the bottle. The flame from the Bunsen burner ignited the ethanol. Employee #1's hands and shirt were on fire and he patted out the flame with his hands. At the time of the procedure, the screw cap lid was on the glass bottle and Employee #1 is not sure how the contents spilled out. Employee #1 was wearing a polyester shirt over a long sleeve cotton shirt with no additional protection. The polyester shirt melted onto the cotton shirt and the cotton shirt did not burn. Employee #1 walked to the university emergency room with the assistance of a friend. Employee #1 was treated then released with instructions to go to the Burn Center the next morning. Employee #1 went to the Burn Center the next day and was admitted and hospitalized for approximately 7 days with first-degree and second-degree burns on his hands and chest.