Abstract: At 1:45 p.m. on January 20, 2017, an employee was working with a coworker in clearing some hardened chemical product from the feed throat of the Color Development Line Extruder. The workers left the machine turned on while they were eating lunch to aid in clearing the product from the line. When they returned, the employee and a coworker checked the feed throat and the maintenance manager turned the extruder on and off. The employee saw chunks coming out of the feed throat so he believed the blockage was breaking up and began using a shop-vac to vacuum out the chunks from the feed throat. A buildup of back pressure triggered the heated PET to blow out of the feed throat onto the employee causing second degee burns to the employees face, arms, and hands. The employee was hospitalized and treated for burns.