Inspection Detail

Inspection: 119558922 - L R Willson & Sons, Inc

Inspection Information - Office: Department Of Labor, Licensing, And Regulation Division Of Labor And Industry Maryland Occupational Safety And Health

Investigation Summary

Employee #1 was assigned by his operations manager to start up the crane carrier on an old crane that was being sold. The battery that was in the crane carrier was dead and needed to be jump started. Employee #1 hooked the cables of a Quick Start 12-volt heavy duty battery charger up to the terminals of the battery in the engine compartment. He descended from the crane carrier and started up the battery charger. He then went back to the engine compartment and took the hot ground wires from the starter on the carrier motor and struck them together so he could start the motor. The 12-volt battery exploded and covered his face and eyes with sulfuric acid. He was not wearing the provided eye protection. He received caustic burns and was hospitalized.

Keywords: BATTERY, EYE, CAUSTIC, JUMP START, WORK RULES, BATTERY CHARGER, EXPLOSION, CHEMICAL BURN, FACE, SULFURIC ACID