Inspection Detail

Inspection: 1440386.015 - Innovative Baking, Llc

Inspection Information - Office: Long Beach District Office

Investigation Summary

At 6:00 p.m. on October 20, 2019, a employee who was provided by a staffing company was working Sanitation in a commercial bakery. The employee was cleaning up the washroom before leaving work at the end of his shift. The employee was working alone dumping used Hi-Foam Alkali cleaning solution down the drain. High Foam Alkali is a corrosive mixture of greater than 25% sodium hydroxide and greater than 10% potassium hydroxide used to clean the pizza pans and other equipment. The employee was wearing steel toe rubber boots, an apron, gloves, eye protection, and a face shield. The employee stated that he had lifted the face shield while he was working with plain water and forgot to put it back down when he went to dump the cleaning solution. As a result, the employee said the used cleaning solution splashed into his mouth. The employee used the emergency eyewash/drench shower to rinse out his mouth. The employee finished his work and went home. At approximately 3:00 a.m., he felt burning and went to see a coworker (Supervisor). The coworker sent the employee to a Medical Center, where he was admitted at 5:32 a.m. on October 21, 2019. The employee was treated for an ulcer on his esophagus, which was likely caused by the corrosive chemical exposure. At 11:03 a.m. on October 23, 2019, the employee was discharged from the hospital.

Keywords: Burn, Chemical, Chemical Burn, Chemical Exposure, Cleaning, Cleaning Fluid, Corrosive, Face, Misjudgment, Misjudgment of Hazardous Situation, Mouth, PPE, Splashed, Struck By, Throat, ingestion