Inspection Detail

Inspection: 1529573.015 - Futurefuel Chemical Co

Inspection Information - Office: Little Rock Area Office

Investigation Summary

At 7:20 a.m. on May 5, 2021, an employee working for a chemical manufacturer had secured a railcar containing 29.5% Oleum to a hose and piping system. The pipe fed Oleum from the rail car directly into a reaction vessel containing phenol. The hose connected to the rail car failed causing oleum to escape the railcar and form a gas plume. The employee was sprayed with oleum and enveloped by the gas cloud. Emergency responders found the employee and airlifted him to the hospital. The employee was hospitalized to treat chemical burns to multiple parts of his body including his respiratory tract.

Keywords: Burn, Chemical, Chemical Burn, Chemical Exposure, Chemical Vapor, Connecting, Corrosive, Emergency Response, Equipment Failure, Gas, Hose, Inhalation, Leak, Lung, Malfunction, Mech Malfunction, Operator, Overcome by vapors, Railroad Car, Respiratory, Respiratory Tract, Spill, Sprayed, Sulfuric Acid, Torso, Vapor, Vessel--Container